Game Story: W-B/Scranton - 4 at Lehigh Valley - 3 (1/26/24)

ALLENTOWN, Pa. - In a game of momentum swings, it was the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins dealing the final blow to prevent the Lehigh Valley Phantoms from completing a comeback in a 4-3 win for the Penguins Friday night in downtown Allentown.

The Penguins jumped out to a 3-0 first period lead on goals from Jesse Puljujarvi, Marc Johnstone and Sam Poulin only to have the Phantoms rebound for three straight goals, the latter of which tied up the game with 11:47 left in regulation.

Poulin played the role of hero Friday night, finishing off a centering feed from Radim Zohorna (two primary assists) to complete a three-point night (two goals, one assist) to go along with a gutsy fight with Phantoms captain Garrett Wilson in the middle frame.

Bobby Brink scored in his first game in the AHL this season after joining the Phantoms from Philadelphia earlier this week, Wilson added a net-front tally and Adam Brooks scored on a third period power play for Lehigh Valley in the loss.

Post-Game EXTRA!

Lehigh Valley Phantoms head coach Ian Laperriere

On if he thought Phantoms were chasing the game and ran out of gas

"No. I thought we were the better team [in the] last 40. Tough start but at the end, that goal - the winning goal - three rookies making rookie mistakes. We just have to learn, like, you know, it's a one on three it's off a change, and we can kill the play? Three guys outside the dots and one guy alone at the net it's  just... Alright. They have to learn. That's why they're here."

Phantoms forward Bobby Brink

On the team not giving up down 3-0 after the first period

Yeah, I mean, I think in the second and third periods, we played really well. And mean, it's tough coming back from three goal [deficit], and we did it. mean, It hurts to play so well in those second two periods there and come away with a loss, but it shows how important the start of the game is."

W-B/Scranton Penguins  head coach JD Forrest

On the three-goal first period, and needing every one of those goals

I thought although we capitalized on some chances, we made some really nice plays in the first period, I don't think our game was where it needed to be overall. You know, I thought the second period, even though we gave up some, we might actually played a little bit better hockey, they just had, you know, the power play goal and the rebound goal there. But it's good when you can capitalize on opportunities like that and make a few nice plays, to get a lead."

GAME STORY

The Penguins made the most of the game's opening power play opportunity to take a 1-0 lead 3:57 into the contest.

After good work at the point to keep a puck alive in the offensive zone, Radim Zohorna started a quick trio of passes with a give down low to Poulin who quickly chipped one into the bottom of the right-wing circle for Austin Rueschhoff. Rueschhoff threaded the needle with a pass across the top of the crease to the bottom of the left-wing circle where Puljujarvi was able to put a knee-drop one-timer past Sandstrom to give the Pens the early lead.

Lehigh Valley thought they evened the game up at 1-1 just over a minute later, but the goal was ultimately waved off due to contact with the Penguins goaltender prior to the goal being scored.

Ethan Samson connected with Brendan Furry on a stretch pass to the far blue line that sent the Phantoms forward on a mini break-in with a defender on his back.

Furry was unable to get a shot off, but got a puck across while Phantoms' captain Garrett Wilson was bee-lining it to the net. WIlson and a Penguins' defender collided at the net-front, sending Wilson into Hellberg and knocking the Penguins goalie to the right of his net before the resulting tap-in from Victor Mete.

The referee in position at the Penguins' net immediately put his arms up and signaled no-goal, much to the dismay of the home crowd, and the Phantoms remained down 1-0 with 14:55 left in the opening period.

The Penguins extended their lead to 2-0 midway through the period after some good work in the defensive zone to force a turnover and quickly transition to offense.

Puljujarvi and Zohorna teamed up in the neutral zone to send Johnstone, fresh off the bench, down the left wing with speed past the Phantoms defense. Johnstone finished off the rush with a nice backhander past Sandstrom for his third of the season.

Credit Hellberg for making some timely saves in the first frame, but the Penguins were putting on a clinic in front of him. The Pens' ability to force turnovers and transition to offense was giving Lehigh Valley fits.

The Pens extended their lead to 3-0 with 3:18 left before the first intermission, with Owen Headrick displaying great vision with the puck at the center point - spotting an open Poulin at the right of the net - and sending a pass onto Poulin's tape before the Penguins' forward tucked a quick shot in tight to the top shelf past Sandstrom for his 10th of the season.

Tempers flared late in the first period after Evan Polei came down on Hellberg's arm with a slash after a whistle with 1:56 to go in the period.

Hellberg, who was already knocked out of his crease earlier in the period, got himself up and went right to Polei - causing a scrum amongst the 10 skaters on the ice.

Cooler heads eventually prevailed, and matching minors assessed, before the Penguins took the three-goal lead to the locker room.

Things cooled down in the middle frame after the action-filled first frame, as the two teams settled in to the contest.

The Penguins continued to press despite the 3-0 lead, opening up a 6-2 edge in shots on goal in the opening half of the period.

The Phantoms got on the board just prior to the midway mark of regulation on a bit of a greasy goal after Wilson followed up his own shot from the right wing wall, muscling the puck into the net during the ensuing net-front scramble.

The goal from Wilson seemed to flip the script.

The puck battles and loose pucks that the Penguins were getting to first in the opening half of the game seemed to start going Lehigh Valley's way in the second half of the middle frame.

A crucial moment late in the middle frame came by way of a big hit, and a power play assessed due to the resulting fight.

Wilson lined up Zohorna as the Penguins forward was circling behind the net, and drilled him.

Poulin jumped in and dropped his gloves with the Phantoms' noted enforcer, and was given 17 minutes in penalties (two for instigating, five for fighting and a ten-minute misconduct).

Poulin was cut during the fight and was bleeding from his cheek, while Wilson needed to be helped off favoring a lower body ailment.

The Penguins were able to kill off Poulin's minor penalty, but a cross-checking penalty to Vinnie Hinostroza in the final minute of the period spelled trouble for the Pens.

Lehigh Valley converted on the ensuing power play with Samu Tuomaala winning a board battle along the left-wing wall and leaving a loose puck for Brink, who scooped it up turned toward the net and fired a laser that eluded Hellberg to bring the Phantoms within a goal heading to the third.

With momentum on their side, the Phantoms got a chance to tie the game up after Johnstone was whistled for slashing and didn't pass up the opportunity.

Jon-Randall Avon displayed his speed, getting a puck in stride in the neutral zone and turning on the jets before feeding Brooks in front for the game-tying goal with 11:46 left in regulation.

The remaining 11-plus minutes were hotly contested with the Phantoms buzzing and the Penguins on their heels.

Credit Hellberg with several crucial stops in the final frame as Lehigh Valley out-shot Wilkes-Barre/Scranton by a 17-4 margin in the final frame.

Ultimately, it was Poulin putting a bow on a big three-point night finishing off a centering feed from Zohorna for his second goal of the game to put the Penguins ahead for good with 1:29 left to play.

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins Lineup Notes

Magnus Hellberg got the start in net for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Friday night in Allentown. Joel Blomqvist served as the team's backup goaltender.

With Will Butcher traded to Minnesota Thursday, captain Taylor Fedun returned to the WBS lineup - with some shuffling of the pairings on defense from Wednesday's game vs. Hartford.

The 12 forwards remained the same, as did the trios, but the second line saw Sam Poulin move to center and Radim Zohorna shift to the left wing.

Penguins Scratches: Garret Sparks, Jonathan Gruden, Sam Houde, Xavier Ouellet (veteran), Dillon Hamaliuk, Raivis Ansons, Avery Hayes

Alex Nylander - Peter Abbandonato - Vinnie Hinostroza Sam Poulin - Radim Zohorna - Jesse Puljujarvi Matt Filipe - Joona Koppanen - Austin Rueschhoff Jagger Joshua - Marc Johnstone - Corey Andonovski

Ty Smith - Jack St. Ivany Jack Rathbone - Taylor Fedun Dmitri Samorukov - Owen Headrick

Magnus Hellberg (Backup: Joel Blomqvist)

Lehigh Valley Phantoms Lineup Notes

Felix Sandstrom got the start in net for Lehigh Valley Friday night. Parker Gahagen served as the Phantoms' backup goaltender.

Phantoms Scratches: Adam Karashik, Louie Belpedio, Tanner Laczynski, Wade Allison

Lines/Pairings

Bobby Brink - Rhett Gardner - Samu Tuomaala Jon-Randall Avon - Adam Brooks - Cooper Marody Garrett Wilson - Elliot Desnoyers - Brendan Furry Evan Polei - Jacob Gaucher - Zayde Wisdom

Emil Andrae - Helge Grans Victor Mete - Ethan Samson Adam Ginning - Ronnie Attard

Felix Sandstrom (Backup: Parker Gahagen)

GAME SUMMARY

1st Period

3:08: LV - (PP) Wisdom, minor (tripping) 3:57: WBS - PPG Puljujarvi (4) - Rueschhoff, Poulin 10:12: WBS - Johnstone (3) - Zohorna, Puljujarvi 16:42: WBS - Poulin (10) - Headrick, Nylander 18:04: WBS - Rueschhoff, minor (roughing) 18:04: LV - Polei, minor (roughing)

2nd Period

9:13: LV - Wilson (7) - Furry, Desnoyers 15:37: WBS - (PP) Poulin, minor (instigating) 15:37: WBS - Poulin, major (fighting) 15:37: WBS - Poulin, ten-minute misconduct 15:37: LV - Wilson, major (fighting) 19:02: WBS - (PP) Hinostroza, minor (cross-checking) 19:32: LV - PPG Brink (1) - Tuomaala, Gardner

3rd Period

7:00: WBS - (PP) Johnstone, minor (slashing) 8:13: LV - PPG Brooks (2) - Avon, Samson 18:31: WBS - Poulin (11) - Zohorna, Johnstone

BOXSCORE

W-B/Scranton  3 - 0 - 1 = 4 Lehigh Valley  0 - 2 - 1 = 3

Shots

W-B/Scranton  10 - 11 - 4 = 25 Lehigh Valley  9 - 14 - 17 = 40

Goalies

WBS: Magnus Hellberg (37 saves - 40 shots) LV: Felix Sandstrom (21 saves - 25 shots)

Power Play

WBS: 1-for-1 LV: 2-for-3

Penalty Kill

WBS: 1-for-3 LV: 0-for-1