WILKES-BARRE, Pa. – The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins defeated the Bridgeport Islanders, 3-1, on Saturday night at Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza.
With just five points separating third place from eighth place in the Atlantic Division coming into the night, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (20-16-2-3) picked up some big points against a division rival with a determined effort.
The Penguins struck first with a power-play goal from Valtteri Puustinen at 8:54 of the first period.
Bridgeport equalized four and a half minutes in the second period, as a pretty, crisscross passing play culminated in Cole Bardreau smacking the puck into an open net.
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton reestablished its lead with Ty Glover’s second goal of his AHL career. After a heavy press by the Penguins’ forecheck forced several turnovers but no goals, Islanders rookie William Dufour blindly tossed the puck back to Glover, who whipped a snap shot past goaltender Jakub Škarek with 3:07 left in the middle frame.
Penguins goalie Taylor Gauthier conjured several strong saves during the third period, keeping Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s one-goal lead intact. That lead persisted until the final moments of regulation, when Puustinen wrapped up the victory with an empty-net goal.
Gauthier delivered 28 saves for the Penguins and was named the game’s first star, while Škarek denied 18 of 20 shots faced.
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s next game is Wednesday, Feb. 1 against the Springfield Thunderbirds. Puck drop for the Penguins and T-Birds is slated for 7:05 p.m. at Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza.
Individual game tickets and season-ticket packages for the 2022-23 season are on sale now. Full-Season, 22-game, 12-game, Flexbook and Premium Seating plans are available by reaching out to the Penguins directly at (570) 208-7367.
