PENGUINS WEEKLY – 4/1/25

With playoffs clinched, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton heads to Cleveland

Penguins (37-19-7-1) have eight games left to jockey for postseason seeding

Weekly Rewind

Wednesday, Mar. 26 – PENGUINS 4 vs. Hartford 3 (OT)
Avery Hayes clinched a berth to the Calder Cup Playoffs in style, scoring a gorgeous breakaway goal in overtime to cap a comeback against Hartford. Hayes, Valtteri Puustinen and Ville Koivunen scored in regulation as the Penguins swept their six-game season series against the Wolf Pack.

Saturday, Mar. 29 – PENGUINS 5 at Charlotte 3
In the first of two pivotal games, the Penguins received a clutch power-play goal from Vasily Ponomarev late in the third period. Eighteen-year-old Harrison Brunicke made his pro debut, tallying an assist on Ponomarev’s big goal.

Sunday, Mar. 30 – PENGUINS 2 at Charlotte 5
The Checkers exacted revenge on the Penguins in the rematch, getting a clutch power-play goal during a tied third period. Puustinen lit the lamp for the fourth game in a row, but Charlotte’s surge in the final frame handed Sergei Murashov his first AHL loss.

The Week Ahead

Friday, Apr. 4 – PENGUINS at Cleveland
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton squares off against a Cleveland team that has lost seven of its last 10 games. That skid has dropped the Monsters into a competition for the North Division’s final playoff spots. Cleveland currently occupies fourth place in the North, four points ahead of the Belleville Senators in sixth.

Saturday, Apr. 5 – PENGUINS at Cleveland
The Penguins wrap up their trip to Cleveland by doing battle at the same place at the same time one day later. Wilkes-Barre/ Scranton is 18-2-3-0 (.848) all-time against the Monsters, but four of those five losses have occurred on Cleveland’s home ice. The Penguins won their only previous meeting this year, rallying from a 4-1 deficit to pull out the win in overtime, 5-4.

Ice Chips

– Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s four-game winning streak (Mar. 22-29) tied their longest streak of the season and was their longest since Oct. 26-Nov. 6.

– Sergei Murashov’s 11-game winning streak tied John Curry (2008-09) for the longest winning streak in franchise history.

– Sam Poulin established a new career best with a six-game point streak from Mar. 14-29, gathering nine points (3G-6A).

– Sebastian Aho has six assists in his five games since returning from Pittsburgh.

DIVISION STANDINGS

TEAM LEADERS

* = rookie
x = not on current roster

UPCOMING GAME SCHEDULE

DATE                    OPPONENT              LOCATION                                  TIME        

Fri, Apr. 4            Cleveland                 Rocket FieldHouse                  7:00 p.m.

Sat, Apr. 5           Cleveland                 Rocket FieldHouse                  7:00 p.m.

RECENT TRANSACTIONS

DATE                  PLAYER                                                                     TRANSACTION

Fri, Mar. 28         (LW) Kyle Jackson                                     Recalled from WHL

Fri, Mar. 28         (D) Chase Pietila                                         Released from ATO

Fri, Mar. 28         (LW) Rutger McGroarty                                     Recalled to PIT

Fri, Mar. 28         (RW) Ville Koivunen                                          Recalled to PIT

Fri, Mar. 28         (C) Joona Koppanen                                    Reassigned by PIT

Fri, Mar. 28         (D) Harrison Brunicke                   Assigned by PIT from KAM

Tue, Apr. 1           (RW) Nolan Renwick                                         Signed to ATO