ALLENTOWN, Pa. – The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins defeated the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, 3-1, in their preseason finale on Saturday night at PPL Center.
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton finished its exhibition slate with a 2-0 record, using a balanced offense and 21 saves by Filip Larsson to lock down the win over its turnpike rival. Defenseman Chase Pietila scored for the second-straight game, securing the rookie a three-point preseason (2G-1A).
Zach Gallant put the Penguins on the board by sweeping in his own rebound five minutes into the game. Gallant was initially denied by Phantoms goalie Carson Bjarnason, but the puck found its way back to Gallant. Despite being knocked to the ice, Gallant still forced a second shot across the goal line for a 1-0 lead.
A five-on-three power play during the second period allowed Wilkes-Barre/Scranton to stretch its lead to two. Aaron Huglen found Kyle Criscuolo open in the slot, who then unleashed a laser to the back of the net at 11:30 of the middle frame.
Pietila took advantage of a loose puck that leaked towards the high slot to put his team up by three. Pietila’s wicked shot hit the back bar behind Bjarnason with 5:44 left in regulation.
Larsson had his preseason shutout bid spoiled with fewer than two minutes left to play. A drive from the blue line ricocheted off the skate of Phantoms forward Oscar Eklind and off the post to foil Larsson’s clean sheet.
The Penguins successfully staved off five Phantoms power plays during the game, finishing the preseason nine-for-nine on the penalty kill.
Bjarnason posted 19 saves in defeat.
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s next game is their 2025-26 season opener against the Hartford Wolf Pack on Saturday, Oct. 11. Opening night puck drop will be 6:05 p.m. at Mohegan Arena at Casey Plaza.
Season-ticket packages for the Penguins’ 2025-26 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.
Every minute of Penguins hockey can be watched online with the league’s streaming service, AHLTV on FloHockey. AHLTV on FloHockey provides its subscribers access to not just every regular-season and Calder Cup Playoff game for all 32 AHL teams, but also more than 21,000 hockey contests from other professional and junior leagues on FloHockey, as well as access to all other live event streams and replays across FloSports.
By providing a telephone number, e-mail address, and submitting this form, you are consenting to be contacted by e-mail & SMS text message. Message & data rates may apply. You can reply STOP to opt-out of further messaging. See our privacy policy for more information.
