Pens Produce Starry, 8-1 Victory to Win Atlantic Division Final
AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins

Pens Produce Starry, 8-1 Victory to Win Atlantic Division Final

Published on May 23, 2026 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins News Release


WILKES-BARRE, Pa. - The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins routed the Springfield Thunderbirds, 8-1, in Game 5 of the Atlantic Division Final to win the best-of-five series on Saturday night at Mohegan Arena at Casey Plaza.

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton secured its spot in the Eastern Conference Final by tying its franchise record for most goals and widest margin of victory in a playoff game. With their season on the line, 15 different Penguins recorded a point during the contest. Tristan Broz led the pack with two goals and two assists for a clutch, four-point outing.

Broz buried the first goal of the contest four minutes in, barreling to the net-front and tucking in a swift backhand finish. Broz later set up Harrison Brunicke on a two-on-one rush, and the rookie defenseman put the Penguins ahead by a pair at 7:43.

On the Penguins' first power play of Game 5, Broz lit the lamp again with a pinpoint release from the high slot at 16:17.

Returning from a five-game injury absence, Rafaël Harvey Pinard jumped back into the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton lineup and paid immediate dividends. He buried a rebound with 20.1 seconds left in the first period, pushing the Penguins to a 4-0 lead.

Atley Calvert notched the only goal of the second period, swatting in a loose puck with 2:39 to go in the frame.

Another power-play goal by Ville Koivunen put Wilkes-Barre/Scranton ahead 6-0 just three minutes into the final frame. Springfield clapped back with a dart by Akil Thomas 98 seconds later, putting the T-Birds on the board.

Thomas' goal emboldened the T-Birds to pull their goalie for an extra attacker with more than 12 minutes left in regulation, a desperate attempt to spark an unthinkable comeback. Instead, Harvey-Pinard launched in an empty-net goal from the Penguins' defensive zone to make it 7-1.

Koivunen rounded out the offense with his team's eighth goal at 10:47 of the third period.

Sergei Murashov recorded 26 saves in the series-clinching victory for the Penguins. Georgii Romanov was pulled after allowing four goals on 12 shots in the opening frame. He was replaced by Vadim Zherenko, who stopped 13 of 16 shots faced in relief.

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton awaits the winner of the North Division Final, which has its own decisive Game 5 between the Cleveland Monsters and Toronto Marlies tomorrow, Sunday, May 14, at 3:00 p.m. The Penguins will own home-ice advantage against either opponent, but game dates and times in the Eastern Conference Final are still to-be-determined.

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.

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American Hockey League Stories from May 23, 2026


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