WILKES-BARRE, Pa. – The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins won their sixth consecutive game with a 5-2 triumph over the Bridgeport Islanders on Friday night at Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza.
A hot, three-goal first period followed by 35 saves from Joel Blomqvist gave Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (37-22-8-1) the runway to start another three-in-three weekend on a high note.
Avery Hayes opened the scoring with a power-play goal just under nine minutes into the first period. Hayes collected a pass atop the right circle, curled the puck around a defender and then rifled a wrister past Jakub Škarek.
Just 101 seconds later, Beau Jelsma scored in his pro debut. The 19-year-old deflected a point shot from Xavier Ouellet, giving him his first career AHL tally and the Penguins a 2-0 lead. The assist also marked the 200th point in Ouellet’s AHL career.
With the period nearing an end, the Islanders got on the board by way of a Brian Pinho rebound goal. However, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s response was swift. Sam Poulin swatted a floating puck out of midair and off the heel of Škarek’s glove. The puck ricocheted back into the crease, but the referee behind the net signaled “goal”. Video review ultimately confirmed that Poulin’s display of hand eye coordination put the puck across the goal line before being punched out by Škarek.
The Penguins were under siege in the second period, having been outshot, 19-5. Blomqvist was sharp as a tack, but Bridgeport cut its deficit down to one when Ruslan Iskhakov scored on another rebound with 1:40 left before the intermission.
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton restored its two-goal edge thanks to Austin Rueschhoff cranking a one-timer to the back of the net midway through the third. An empty-net goal from Hayes sealed the Penguins’ sixth-straight win.
Blomqvist earned his 25th win of the season with his 35-save effort. Škarek suffered the loss with 15 stops on 19 shots faced.
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s next game is tomorrow, Saturday, Apr. 13, its final home game of its 25th season. McDonald’s Fan Appreciation Night will pit the Penguins against the Hershey Bears with opening puck drop slated for 6:05 p.m. at Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza.
Calder Cup Playoff packages as well as season-ticket packages for the 2024-25 campaign 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.
