BRIDGEPORT, Conn. – The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins unleashed an unrelenting offensive attack in a dominant, 8-2 triumph over the Bridgeport Islanders on Saturday night at Total Mortgage Arena.
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (26-30-7-6) received multi-point efforts from eight different players, but rookie Ty Glover paced them all with a four-point display (2G-2A). Joining Glover with two-goal outings were Drake Caggiula and Nathan Légaré.
The Penguins put the pedal to the floor from the start of the game, but it wasn’t until 2:31 of the second period that Glover opened the scoring.
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and Bridgeport then combined for three goals in 75 seconds of game time, starting with Légaré’s first of the night at 6:44 of the middle frame. Andy Andreoff brought the Islanders within one shortly thereafter, but Caggiula quickly reestablished the Penguins’ two-goal edge.
Right at the midway mark of the contest, Légaré batted in his second goal of the game, establishing a new career high with eight goals on the season. Glover’s second strike arrived at 14:50 of the second period, putting Wilkes-Barre/Scranton ahead, 5-1.
Caggiula capitalized on a rebound for a power-play goal five minutes into the third period. Valtteri Puustinen picked up his third assist of the night on the man-advantage marker that put the Penguins up, 6-1.
Kyle Olson swatted in another rebound to give his team a six-goal lead at 8:29 of the third.
Bridgeport spoiled the party with a nifty goal by William Dufour with 1:41 left in regulation, but Josh Maniscalco regained that commanding, six-goal edge 36 seconds later.
Penguins goalie Taylor Gauthier earned the win with 25 saves. Isles starter Cory Schneider was pulled following Glover’s second goal. The veteran was replaced by Jakub Škarek after stopping 18 of 23 shots faced. Škarek made eight saves on 11 shots in relief.
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s next game is Monday, Apr. 10, making up a previously postponed game against the Laval Rocket. Game time for the Penguins and Islanders is 7:00 p.m. at Total Mortgage Arena.
The Penguins close out their 2022-23 season on home ice on Saturday, Apr. 15, and their opponent will be the Charlotte Checkers. Puck drop for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s season finale will be 6:05 p.m. at Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza.
Tickets for the Penguins’ last home game, as well as season-ticket packages for the 2023-24 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.
