SYRACUSE, N.Y. – The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins came out on the winning side of an epic goalie duel, shutting out the Syracuse Crunch, 2-0, on Friday night at Upstate Medical University Arena.
Filip Larsson stopped all 31 shots that he faced for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (29-14-6-1) to snap its three-game skid and pull within two points of first place in the Atlantic Division. Syracuse netminder Brandon Halverson also put on a show with 35 saves, but the Penguins solved him both early and late in regulation en route to victory.
It took 60 seconds for the Penguins to tally the game’s first goal. Boris Katchouk took a heavy hit in the right corner of the Crunch zone, but he successfully poked the puck to Ville Koivunen who whipped it to Valtteri Puustinen for a wicked one-timer.
The Penguins and Crunch continued to levee stiff body checks throughout the first period, while Halverson settled in with several spectacular saves.
During the second period, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton spent the entirety of a two-minute power play in the offensive zone. Halverson thwarted every Penguins scoring attempt, bailing out his exhausted teammates and keeping Syracuse within one.
The tables turned on the Penguins in the third period, when they too were trapped in their end for a whole two-minute power play as well as several subsequent icing calls. Larsson stepped up to the plate during this sequence, denying the Crunch at every turn.
Atley Calvert scored his first AHL goal with 4:09 left in regulation, giving Larsson and the Pens some breathing room. After Rutger McGroarty made a read to intercept a reverse pass behind the Crunch net, he slipped the puck in front to Calvert for a one-kneed, one-timer.
Larsson fended off another late surge by Syracuse to secure his fifth shutout of the season, tying him for the league lead.
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton plays its last of seven-straight road games tomorrow, Saturday, Mar. 1, and the Penguins’ opponent will be the Hershey Bears. Game time for the Penguins and Bears is slated for 7:00 p.m. at Giant Center.
The Penguins’ return to home ice on Tuesday, Mar. 4, when the team welcomes the Belleville Senators to town. Puck drop between the Pens and Sens will take place at 7:05 p.m. at Mohegan Arena at Casey Plaza.
Season-ticket packages for the Penguins’ 2024-25 season, including Full-Season, 22-game, 12-game, Flexbook and Premium Seating plans, as well as Corporate Partnership opportunities are available by reaching out to the Penguins directly at (570) 208-7367. Individual-game tickets are also available by visiting Ticketmaster.com, the Mohegan Arena at Casey Plaza Box Office or calling the Penguins’ front office at (570) 208-7367.
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