Penguins Grit out 2-1, Game 3 Win in Springfield
Published on May 19, 2026 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins News Release
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. - The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins plugged away for a tense, 2-1 victory over the Springfield Thunderbirds on Tuesday night at MassMutual Center.
The win also puts Wilkes-Barre/Scranton ahead, 2-1, in the best-of-five Atlantic Division Final. Sergei Murashov delivered a 27-save outing in a contest with little room for error, while newcoming rookie Bill Zonnon scored for the third-straight game to start his pro career.
Zonnon's tally stood as the game winner after Murashov and Penguins thwarted a spirited rally attempt by Springfield late in regulation.
Rutger McGroarty cracked the game open when he scored on a shorthanded breakaway with just 19.1 seconds left in the first period.
Thunderbirds goalie Georgii Romanov kept his team in the contest by making save after save in the second period while his team was being out-shot in the frame, 12-4.
Zonnon solved Romanov again six minutes into the third frame, taking a feathery feed from Boko Imama and launching it in for this third goal in as many Calder Cup Playoff games.
The Springfield crowd erupted into a frenzy when Juraj Pekarèík put the T-Birds on the board with 3:39 left in regulation. Pekarèík's drive was initially thwarted by the blocker of Murashov, but the puck rolled down the cuff of his sleeve, then hit the heel of his right skate before slowly inching across the goal line.
Murashov refused to be bested again, as he and his defense stalled the T-Birds in the three-plus minutes remaining.
Romanov completed his evening with 30 saves on 32 shots faced.
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton will have the chance to advance when it takes the ice for Game 4 against Springfield on Thursday, May 21. Game time is set for 7:05 p.m. at MassMutual Center.
Individual playoff game tickets can be purchased by calling the Penguins' front office at (570) 208-7367 or at wbspenguins.com. Penguins Playoff Packages are also available only by reaching out to the Penguins directly.
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.
Every minute of Penguins playoff 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.
American Hockey League Stories from May 19, 2026
- Penguins Grit out 2-1, Game 3 Win in Springfield - Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins
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