PROVIDENCE, R.I. – The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton saw a rollicking start fall by the wayside in a 5-4 overtime loss to the Providence Bruins on Sunday afternoon at Amica Mutual Pavilion.
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (28-13-6-1) scored three times in 48 seconds to grab hold of a 3-0 lead in the first period. The Bruins gradually chipped away at the deficit, tying the game midway through the first period, then netting the winner with 0.7 seconds left in the extra session.
After the Penguins were whistled for offsides with 9.7 seconds remaining in OT, the Bruins won a neutral-zone face-off and charged towards the offensive zone. Filip Larsson turned away the initial shot from Patrick Brown, but Georgii Merkulov was in position for the rebound putback just before time expired.
The Penguins’ hot start began with Rutger McGroarty lighting the lamp 3:31 into the game. Colton Poolman netted his first goal as a Penguin 30 seconds later, and Boris Katchouk slipped one through Michael DiPietro’s five-hole 18 seconds after that.
Providence called its timeout after Katchouk’s goal, and the Bruins steadied themselves enough to respond on the next shift thanks to Billy Sweezey’s first goal of the season. However, Emil Bemström reestablished Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s three-goal edge at 14:54 of the first period.
Goals by Jeffrey Viel and Max Jones 1:11 apart in the middle frame brought the Bruins within one. Jones notched a power-play goal at 10:54 of the third period, tying the score at 4-4.
A back-and-forth overtime nearly reached the shootout, but Merkulov’s late goal capped the comeback for Providence.
DiPietro posted 39 saves while being tested by 43 shots. Larsson denied 27 shots in the overtime loss.
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton stays on the road for its next game, Wednesday, Feb. 26 against the Rochester Americans. The Penguins’ only visit to Blue Cross Arena this season will have a 7:05 p.m. start time.
The Penguins’ next home game is 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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