PENGUINS WEEKLY – Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s (35-33-4-4) squares off against its oldest foe in first-round series
Penguins Weekly Rewind
Friday, Apr. 29 – PENGUINS 1 at Syracuse 4
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton finally scored on Max Lagacé, but the Crunch goaltender remains undefeated all-time against the Penguins. Radim Zohorna tied the game, 1-1, early in the second period and snapped Lagacé’s shutout streak vs. WBS at 144:42. However, Syracuse rattled off the next three goals to take the win.
Saturday, Apr. 30 – PENGUINS 0 at Lehigh Valley 3
The Penguins were shut-out in their regular season finale at PPL Center. Lehigh Valley came out of the gates hot, scoring 28 seconds into the game. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton quickly settled in after that but failed to solve Felix Sandstrom at any point.
The Week Ahead
Friday, May 6 – GAME 1: PENGUINS vs. Hershey
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton begins its highly anticipated best-of-three playoff series on Friday by hosting the Bears. The Penguins went 16-3-2-1 (.795) in their final 22 home games of the season to qualify for the playoffs, including three-straight home wins over the Bears.
Sunday, May 8 – GAME 2: PENGUINS at Hershey
With the best-of-three format accelerating the urgency of every First-Round series, there will be a chance to advance (or be eliminated) already when the Penguins enter the Bears’ den on Sunday evening. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s last playoff game at Giant Center was a Game 7 loss in overtime, 3-2, in 2016.
Monday, May 9 – GAME 3: PENGUINS vs. Hershey
If necessary, the Penguins and Bears will face-off in a decisive third game at Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza. The previous seven playoff series between Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and Hershey went the distance three times, with the Bears going 2-1 in those decisive games.
Ice Chips
– This will be the eighth time Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and Hershey have met in the Calder Cup Playoffs. The Penguins are 3-4 in the previous seven series.
– In the second half of the season, Drew O’Connor led the Penguins with 27 points (9G-18A).
– Juuso Riikola finished the season tied for the seventh-most assists by AHL defensemen (34) and placed 10th among D-men in power-play assists (16).
– Riikola’s 34 assists were the most by a Penguins defenseman since 2015-16 (Will O’Neill, 42).
FINAL DIVISION STANDINGS
TEAM GP W L OTL SOL PTS Pts%
1. y-Charlotte 72 42 24 5 1 90 .625
2. x-Springfield 76 43 24 6 3 95 .625
3. x-Providence 72 36 23 5 6 83 .576
4. x-PENGUINS 76 35 33 4 4 78 .513
5. x-Hershey 76 34 32 6 4 78 .513
6. x-Bridgeport 72 31 30 7 4 73 .507
7. Hartford 72 32 32 6 2 72 .500
8. Lehigh Valley 76 29 32 10 5 73 .480
x = clinched playoff spot
y = clinched division
TEAM LEADERS
SKATERS GP G A PTS
Alex Nylander 67 22 20 42
Valtteri Puustinen 73 20 22 42
Sam Poulin* 72 16 21 37
Juuso Riikola 53 1 34 35
Félix Robert 63 16 18 34
GOALIES GP W-L-OT GAA SV% Shutouts
Louis Domingue^ 21 10-9-2 2.41 .924 0
Tommy Nappier* 25 13-9-2 2.86 .895 1
Alex D’Orio 22 7-10-4 2.91 .894 1
* = rookie
^ = currently with Pittsburgh
UPCOMING GAME SCHEDULE
DATE LOCATION TIME
Fri, May 6 Game 1 Mohegan Sun Arena 7:05 p.m.
Sun, May 8 Game 2 Giant Center 5:00 p.m.
Mon, May 9 Game 3* Mohegan Sun Arena 7:05 p.m.
RECENT TRANSACTIONS
Sat, Apr. 30 (G) Joel Blomqvist Released from ATO
Sat, Apr. 30 (LW) Drew O’Connor Recalled by PIT
Tue, May 3 (D) Clayton Phillips Released from ATO
PENGUINS WEEKLY – Individual game tickets as well as 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.
