Penguins Eluded by Crunch, Lose 3-2
February 24, 2023 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins News Release
SYRACUSE, N.Y. - The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins lost to the Syracuse Crunch, 3-2, on Friday night at Upstate Medical University Arena.
The top scorers for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (22-22-2-5) stayed hot, as the team received its two tallies from Alex Nylander and Valtteri Puustinen. However, the Penguins' comeback bid fell short at the end of regulation.
The Crunch opened the scoring with a power-play goal at the midway point of the first period. Alex Barré-Boulet tucked in a backdoor pass from Simon Ryfors and Gabriel Dumont.
The Penguins responded by showcasing their own puck-moving skills on the man advantage. All five Wilkes-Barre/ Scranton skaters touched the puck before Nylander shoveled in the tying goal at 12:46 of the opening frame.
A fortuitous bounce allowed Syracuse to pull ahead again early in the second period. The Penguins cut off a cross-crease pass, but the puck caromed right to Rûdolfs Balcers, who lifted it over Dustin Tokarski's outstretched pad at 4:37 of period two.
The Crunch ran their lead to 3-1 with a strike by Lucas Edmonds at 14:20 of the second stanza.
Max Lagacé continued to thwart the Penguins throughout the third period, until Puustinen broke through with an extra attacker. Puustinen blasted a one-timer to the back of the net with 1:11 remaining and put Wilkes-Barre/Scranton within striking distance. The Penguins pulled Tokarski again for an extra attacker, but time ran out before they could tie the game.
Lagacé finished with 26 saves, while Tokarski registered 27 stops.
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton returns home for its next game, tomorrow, Saturday, Feb. 25, against the Belleville Senators. Saturday's game is also the team's annual Military Appreciation Night presented by MetLife and has limited seats available. Opening puck drop between the Penguins and Senators is 6:05 p.m. at Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza.
Individual game tickets and 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.
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