PENGUINS STUNNED BY ROCKET RALLY, LOSE IN OVERTIME
LAVAL, Québec – The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins lost to the Laval Rocket in overtime, 4-3, on Wednesday night at Place Bell.
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (20-9-4-0) had a three-goal lead evaporate in the third period, then was tasked with a four-minute penalty kill late in regulation and into overtime. Laval completed its stunning comeback by scoring in OT two seconds after their long power play.
Avery Hayes found the back of the net for the third game in a row, opening the night’s scoring. A defensive-zone faceoff quickly turned into a two-on-one rush for Hayes and Rutger McGroarty. McGroarty slipped a pass around a Laval defender, and Hayes swiftly buried the feed at 11:24 of the first period.
Four minutes later, Jonathan Gruden willed his way to a shorthanded goal, putting the Penguins up by two.
Jaxon Castor was forced into action at the start of the second period, relieving Penguins starting goalie Filip Larsson. Caster, in his first AHL game, was immediately tested with a barrage of shots and stopped them all.
At the other side of the ice, Laval netminder Cayden Primeau stood on his head, denying Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on all 16 of its second-period shots. However, Emil Bemström solved Primeau with a breakaway six minutes into the third for his team-leading 16th goal of the season.
The Rocket’s comeback started with a strike by William Trudeau at the 12-minute mark of the final frame of regulation. Within five minutes, Florian Xhekaj and Gustav Lindström both scored to bring the game even, 3-3.
The Penguins were booked for a double-minor for high sticking with 1:46 left in regulation. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s penalty kill pushed the game to overtime, but Jared Davidson cleaned up a rebound atop the Penguins’ crease at 2:16 of overtime.
Castor recorded 26 saves on 30 shots faced in his relief stint. Larsson denied all 12 shots he faced before leaving the game. Primeau turned away 27 shots in the win.
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s next game is Friday, Jan. 24, when the team starts a home-and-home series with the Utica Comets. Game time is slated for 7:00 p.m. at Adirondack Bank Center.
The Penguins host the Comets the next night, Saturday, Jan. 25 at Mohegan Arena at Casey Plaza. Wilkes-Barre/ Scranton’s long-awaited homecoming will feature a 6:05 p.m. puck drop.
Season-ticket packages for the Penguins’ 2024-25 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.
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