WILKES-BARRE, Pa. – The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins sidestepped the Bridgeport Islanders and secured a 4-1 win on Friday night at Mohegan Arena at Casey Plaza.
In what was the last-ever, regular-season matchup between the two clubs, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (45-17-7-2) raced out to a three-goal lead in the first period, then clamped down in the third to nab the victory. Two returning players left the biggest footprint on the night. Back from NHL recall, Ville Koivunen led the way with three points (1G-2A), and Tristan Broz returned from a 15-game injury absence with two points (1G-1A).
Finn Harding opened the scoring, toe-dragging around an Islanders defender at the top of the right circle and rifling a shot past Henrik Tikkanen at 8:27.
The Penguins were awarded a full two-minute, two-man advantage later in the first period, and they were sure to convert. Avery Hayes snapped a wrist shot through Tikkanen’s five-hole at 15:13 for a five-on-three power-play goal and his team-leading 24th tally of the season.
Koivunen also beat Tikkanen through his five-hole with 18.6 seconds left before the first intermission, extending Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s lead to 3-0.
Bridgeport’s 17th-year pro Chris Terry put the Islanders on the board with only 1:26 remaining in the second period.
The Penguins snuffed out any Islander hopes of a comeback during the third, and Broz lit the lamp at 13:20 off a face-off play for an insurance marker.
Joel Blomqvist recorded his sixth-straight win by making 25 saves. Tikkanen took the loss with 22 stops.
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s next game is tomorrow, Saturday, Apr. 18, as it wraps up its regular season against the Rochester Americans. Puck drop for Fan Appreciation Night is slated for 6:05 p.m. at Mohegan Arena at Casey Plaza.
After tomorrow’s regular-season finale, the Penguins turn their attention to the 2026 Calder Cup Playoffs. Postseason opponents and schedules are yet to be determined, but fans can cheer on the team throughout its entire playoff run by purchasing a Penguins Playoff Package.
Playoff packages, which are billed on a pay-as-we-play basis, include tickets to every confirmed home game during the postseason. Each package also comes with an $8 voucher for every home game, which can be redeemed at Savor concession stands or at the Penguins Igloo Team Store located inside Mohegan Arena at Casey Plaza on each designated game date.
Penguins Playoff Packages, as well as individual-game tickets for the remaining regular-season home games are available by reaching out to the Penguins directly at (570) 208-7367 or at wbspenguins.com.
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.
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