Penguins Take Down Islanders, 4-3
AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins

Penguins Take Down Islanders, 4-3

Published on February 21, 2026 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins News Release


WILKES-BARRE, Pa. - The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins defeated the Bridgeport Islanders, 4-3, on Saturday night at Mohegan Arena at Casey Plaza.

In front of over 7,100 fans on Military Appreciation Night presented by MetLife, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (34-13-3-2) scored four-straight goals on the way to victory. When Bridgeport pushed for a tying tally late in regulation, Joel Blomqvist and the Penguins defense became a fortress in the final minute.

The Islanders scored the first two goals of the night, separated by 1:49 of game time. First, Adam Beckman's seeing-eye shot navigated through traffic and under the crossbar at the six-minute mark of the opening frame. Shortly thereafter, Julien Gauthier knifed a lively bounce off the end boards across the goal line.

The Penguins' rally started at 17:26, courtesy of Filip Hållander. After a heavy drive by Scooter Brickey was denied by Islanders goalie Jeremy Smith, an arching rebound fell out of the sky for Hållander to pound to the back of the net.

Atley Calvert sent a missile to the opposite-side corner and tied the game, 2-2, with 38.4 seconds left before the first intermission.

The only goal of the second period belonged to former Bridgeport blueliner Sebastian Aho. Tanner Howe intercepted a pass in the neutral zone, then had his shot on the rush blocked by the Islanders. The puck caromed right to a swooping Aho, who beat Smith through his five-hole to give Wilkes-Barre/Scranton a 3-2 lead.

Ville Koivunen extended the Penguins' lead to two midway through the third period, albeit under unique circumstances. Koivunen rang a shot off the back bar, but the referee signaled no goal. Play continued, and after the next whistle, the officials convened at the scorer's table to review the previous play. Video review confirmed that Koivunen's shot crossed the goal line, giving Wilkes-Barre/Scranton much-needed cushion.

A shorthanded breakaway for Liam Foudy resulted in Bridgeport making it a one-goal game at 13:30 of the final frame.

The Islanders' push in the final two minutes was thwarted by timely saves by Blomqvist and the Penguins winning a clutch battle for a loose puck in their crease.

Blomqvist finished with 25 stops, while Smith took the loss with 27 saves.

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton's next game is tomorrow, Sunday, Feb. 22, a rematch with Bridgeport on the Islanders' home ice. Game time is slated for 3:00 p.m. at Total Mortgage Arena.

The Penguins' next home game is Wednesday, Mar. 4 against the Springfield Thunderbirds. Puck drop between the Penguins and T-Birds will be 7:05 p.m. at Mohegan Arena at Casey Plaza.

Season-ticket packages for the Penguins' 2025-26 season, including 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.

Check out the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins Statistics

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American Hockey League Stories from February 21, 2026


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