Game Story: Toronto - 4 at W-B/Scranton - 1 (1/31/24)

WILKES-BARRE, Pa. - The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins fell flat on Wednesday night in a 4-1 loss to Toronto.

The Penguins went 14 minutes without a shot on goal to start the hockey game, in what was an overall sloppy and disjointed effort.

Jonathan Gruden provided a temporary spark with a game-tying goal in the third period, but Toronto responded to re-take the lead just over a minute later and never looked back - tacking on two empty net goals in the waning moments to complete the final score.

Josiah Slavin's tap-in goal off a strange sequence at the net-front stood as the only goal of the game heading into the third period. Nick Abruzzese responded with the go-ahead goal 1:18 after Gruden's tally, while the Marlies also got empty net tallies from captain Logan Shaw and Zach Solow.

Marlies goaltender Dennis Hildeby stopped all but one of the 32 shots he faced in the win, while Joel Blomqvist stopped 18 of 20 in the loss for the Penguins.

Post-Game EXTRA!

Penguins head coach JD Forrest

On the slow start being self-inflicted versus coming from facing an unfamiliar foe

"It wasn't feeling out a new team, it was just not being ready to go. That's all it was. They came out with a purpose. Give them a lot of credit. We didn't match their level and they took it to us for a while, we were lucky to get out of there 0-0 in the first."

On it being extra disappointing with all the players down from Pittsburgh to have an effort/performance

Yeah, and that's part of the challenge is not, you know, you can't look at who's on paper and think that it's gonna be.. it's just gonna happen for you. It's a good team over there too. They've got a lot of good players. So just saying, alright, we got good guys in the locker - that doesn't really... the outcome isn't based on who's on paper, there's a lot more that goes into it. So we might have fell a bit into that trap today."

Jonathan Gruden

On the start to the game in the first period

"Don't think it had anything to do with them. I think we just weren't ready from the drop of the puck. And obviously, they're a good team and they'll they'll make you pay. We got lucky in the first period being 0-0. But we've got to come out faster."

On his (brief) game-tying goal in third period.

"Yeah, it felt good for about five minutes. And then it didn't. It was obviously nice to get that one, but we have to find a way to bear down in the third there. You know, I'd take a win any day over a goal. So it is what it is."

GAME STORY

The Penguins and Marlies looked very much like two teams feeling out an unfamiliar foe in the opening eight minutes of the first period.

Toronto was able to generate some chances on net toward Blomqvist, aided by a Penguins penalty 8:15 into the contest, but Wilkes-Barre/Scranton was held without a shot on goal until there was six minutes left on the first period clock.

The Pens nearly scored a goal in the closing seconds of the period when Jonathan Gruden slipped behind the Marlies defense and Ty Smith threaded the needle with a saucer pass. Gruden took the puck and fired a shot with his stick between his legs but Hildeby made the stop to get the two teams to the first intermission in a scoreless deadlock.

Slavin gave the Marlies a 1-0 lead 4:08 into the middle frame on one of the stranger goals you'll see, as Solow inadvertently blocked a shot from Robert Mastrosimone - drawing Blomqvist to the side of his net.

The puck hit off Solow up high and bounced over to Slavin all alone in front of a mostly empty net, and Slavin made the most of it for his fifth of the season to break the scoreless tie.

The goal came moments after the Penguins turned the puck over along the wall on an attempted clear out of the defensive zone.

The Penguins had a chance to even the game at 1-1 on a brief five-on-three power play but were unable to get the man advantage unit set up in the offensive zone before it quickly expired.

They had another power play opportunity late in the middle frame - a partial 4-on-3 power play after Nick Abruzzese was whistled for hooking with 2:08 left before the second intermission - but again were unable to get anything past Hildeby and headed to the third period trailing by one.

The Penguins out-shot the Marlies 15-7 in the middle frame, and seemed to have momentum on their side to begin the final frame - registering seven of the game's first 10 shots in the third.

They were able to tie the game up at 1-1 after a diving effort by Gruden to knock a rebound of a Marc Johnstone shot in past Hildeby with 12:38 left in regulation.

Unfortunately for the Penguins, Toronto responded on the next shift - re-taking the one-goal lead 1:18 after Gruden's goal after a nice give-and-go play between Abruzzese and Max Lajoie ended with Lajoie centering to an open Abruzzese in the slot for a quick shot past Blomqvist for his seventh of the season.

The Pens pulled Blomqvist for the extra attacker with 3:11 left, but to no avail as the Marlies added a pair of empty net goals from Shaw and Solow to go on to win 4-1.

Toronto Marlies Lineup Notes

Dennis Hildeby got the start in net for the Marlies Wednesday night, while Keith Petruzzelli served as Toronto's backup goaltender.

Marlies Scratches: Matthew Hellickson, Jay O'Brien, Grant Cruikshank, Matteo Pietroniro, Kyle Clifford, Ty Voit, William Villeneuve and Dmitry Ovchinnikov

Lines/Pairings

Nick Abruzzese - Logan Shaw - Roni Hirvonen Alex Steeves - Dylan Gambrell - Max Ellis Kieffer Bellows - Ryan Tverberg - Joseph Blandisi Robert Mastrosimone - Josiah Slavin - Zach Solow

Max Lajoie - Tommy Miller Marshall Rifai - Topi Niemela Cameron Gaunce - Mikko Kokkonen

Dennis Hildeby (Backup: Keith Petruzzelli)

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins Lineup Notes

Joel Blomqvist got the start in net for the Penguins Wednesday night, while Magnus Hellberg served as the team's backup goalie.

Penguins Scratches: Garret Sparks, Taylor Fedun (veteran), Corey Andonovski, Matt Filipe, Sam Houde, Xavier Ouellet (veteran), Owen Headrick, Raivis Ansons and Avery Hayes

Lines/Pairings

Alex Nylander - Sam Poulin - Vinnie Hinostroza Valtteri Puustinen - Radim Zohorna - Jesse Puljujarvi Peter Abbandonato - Joona Koppanen - Austin Rueschhoff Jagget Joshua - Jonathan Gruden - Marc Johnstone

Ryan Shea - John Ludvig Ty Smith - Jack St. Ivany Jack Rathbone - Dmitri Samorukov

Joel Blomqivist (Backup: Magnus Hellberg)

GAME SUMMARY

1st Period

8:15: WBS - (PP) Puljujarvi, minor (tripping)

2nd Period

4:08: TOR - Slavin (5) - Solow, Mastrosimone 6:24: TOR - (PP) Bellows, minor (hooking) 7:41: TOR - (PP) Steeves, minor (holding) 12:04: WBS - (PP) Puljujarvi, minor (hooking) 17:03: TOR - Tverberg, minor (goaltender interference) 17:03: WBS - Rueschhoff, minor (roughing) 17:52: TOR - (PP) Abruzzese, minor (hooking)

3rd Period

7:22: WBS - Gruden (9) - Johnstone 8:40: TOR - Abruzzese (7) - Lajoie, Hirvonen 17:28: TOR - ENG Shaw (15) - Blandisi 18:08: TOR - ENG Solow (5) - unassisted

BOXSCORE

Toronto  0 - 1 - 3 = 4 W-B/Scranton  0 - 0 - 1 = 1

Shots

Toronto  9 - 7 - 6 = 22 W-B/Scranton  4 - 15 - 13 = 32

Goalies

TOR: Dennis Hildeby (31 saves - 32 shots) WBS: Joel Blomqvist (18 saves - 20 shots)

Power Play

TOR: 0-for-2 WBS: 0-for-3

Penalty Kill

TOR: 3-for-3 WBS: 2-for-2