WILKES-BARRE, Pa. – The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins earned two points in the standings with a statement win over the Hartford Wolf Pack, 4-1, on Wednesday night at Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza.
How Did the Game Go?
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (22-14-5-0) excelled in all facets of the game on Wednesday. Stingy defense, opportunistic offense, and another gem from All-Star goalie Joel Blomqvist gave the Penguins more than enough to put away the visiting Wolf Pack.
The team came out of the locker room with their foot on the gas, scoring two goals in the first 3:42 against former Penguin Louis Domingue. First, Jesse Puljujärvi fired a shot that leaked through Domingue’s underarm 65 seconds into the night. Two minutes and 17 seconds later, Alex Nylander notched his team-leading 13th goal of the season by making a defender miss, dancing towards the slot, and firing a wrister above the goalie’s blocker.
A blistering slap shot from Jack St. Ivany on a face-off win extended Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s lead to 3-0 midway through the second period.
The relentless Penguins offense tallied its second goal of the middle period on a rush up ice with Puljujärvi and Sam Poulin. Two minutes after St. Ivany’s strike, Puljujärvi intercepted a pass in the Penguins’ zone and galloped towards the Wolf Pack end with Poulin. Puljujärvi’s feed to Poulin was knocked slightly awry by a Hartford backchecker, but Poulin still managed to launch a one-handed chip shot over Domingue’s shoulder, ballooning the lead to 4-0.
A Brennan Othmann power-play goal at 7:48 of the third period was the only Wolf Pack shot that fooled Blomqvist, who ultimately recorded 27 saves in the victory.
Domingue thwarted 27 of the 31 shots faced from the Penguins.
Don’t Miss the Next Penguins Game
The Penguins’ next game is on Friday, Jan. 26, when they travel to Allentown to take on the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. Game time for the Penguins and Phantoms is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. at PPL Center.
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s next home game is the following night, Saturday, Jan. 27. The team will host the Hershey Bears for Crosscheck Cancer Night presented by Geisinger with a 6:05 p.m. puck drop at Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza.
Season-ticket packages for the Penguins’ 25th season of hockey 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. Individual-game tickets are also available by visiting Ticketmaster.com, the Mohegan Sun Arena Box Office or calling the Penguins’ front office at (570) 208-7367.
