WILKES-BARRE, Pa. – The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins fell behind 2-0 in the Eastern Conference Final after dropping Game 2 in overtime, 2-1, on Friday night at Mohegan Arena at Casey Plaza.
A strange bounce gave Toronto the decisive strike with 5:07 left in the sudden-death period.
Michael Pezzetta lobbed a shot from the blue line that was tipped into the air and floated towards the Penguins’ net. Both Penguins netminder Sergei Murashov and Marlies forward Marc Johnstone reached into the air for the puck, which deflected off of their outstretched arms and into the net.
The play was initially ruled no goal, but after a long video review, the officials reversed the call, thus ending the game.
Pezzetta was credited with the winner for the second game in a row.
Former Penguin Alex Nylander opened the scoring late in the first period, finishing off a smooth set-up on the power play.
The Marlies clung to their one-goal lead through the second period and into the third, but Tanner Howe pulled the Penguins even at the eight-minute mark. Howe spun around and swept a rebound past Artur Akhtyamov for his second goal of the postseason.
Both teams traded chances in overtime until the unlikely finish granted Toronto the win.
Murashov recorded 37 saves in the loss, while Akhtyamov compiled 33 stops for the Marlies.
The series will transition north of the border for Game 3, where Toronto will host Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Monday, June 1. Game time between the Penguins and Marlies is slated for 7:00 p.m. at Coca-Cola Coliseum.
Individual playoff game tickets can be purchased by calling the Penguins’ front office at (570) 208-7367 or at wbspenguins.com. Penguins Playoff Packages are also available only by reaching out to the Penguins directly.
Playoff packages, which are billed on a pay-as-we-play basis, include tickets to every confirmed home game during the postseason. Each package also comes with an $8 voucher for every home game, which can be redeemed at Savor concession stands or at the Penguins Igloo Team Store located inside Mohegan Arena at Casey Plaza on each designated game date.
Every minute of Penguins playoff hockey can be watched online with the league’s streaming service, AHLTV on FloHockey. AHLTV on FloHockey provides its subscribers access to not just every regular-season and Calder Cup Playoff game for all 32 AHL teams, but also more than 21,000 hockey contests from other professional and junior leagues on FloHockey, as well as access to all other live event streams and replays across FloSports.
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