ALLENTOWN, Pa. – The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins came up with a clutch, 5-2 victory against the Lehigh Valley Phantoms on Sunday evening at PPL Center.
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (25-26-5-5) picked up five out of a possible six standings points over its three-in-three weekend, thanks in large part to Drake Caggiula and Jonathan Gruden’s three-point performances on Sunday.
The Penguins wasted no time getting on the board, scoring exactly one minute into the game. Gruden swooped behind the Phantoms’ net to force a turnover, and Valtteri Puustinen quickly shuffled the pass backdoor to Caggiula for the finish.
Caggiula found the back of the net again early in the second period, granting Wilkes-Barre/Scranton a 2-0 lead with a shorthanded goal.
The Penguins ultimately survived four-straight trips to the penalty kill, but the Phantoms finally broke through with 2:02 left in the second period. Jackson Cates’ centering pass caromed off of a Wilkes-Barre/Scranton defender and across the goal line.
However, the Penguins responded and reestablished their two-goal lead before the second intermission. Caggiula set-up Gruden at the side of the Phantoms’ net with 36.4 seconds left to go in the middle frame.
Justin Addamo scored for the third-straight game by burying a rebound opportunity with 4:36 left in regulation, making it 4-1. The Phantoms countered with a breakaway goal from Bobby Brink 18 seconds later, but that tally only served to embolden Lehigh Valley to pull its goalie for an extra attacker. Filip Hållander scored into that empty net, securing the Penguins’ win.
Dustin Tokarski delivered 36 dazzling saves for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, while Sam Ersson posted 25 stops for Lehigh Valley.
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s next game is next Saturday, Mar. 25, another tilt against Lehigh Valley for the Penguins’ annual STAR WARS NIGHT. Puck drop for the Penguins and Phantoms will be 6:05 p.m. at Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza.
Individual game tickets for the Penguins’ remaining home games, as well as season-ticket packages for the 2023-24 season are on sale now. Full-Season, 22-game, 12-game, Flexbook and Premium Seating plans are available by reaching out to the Penguins directly at (570) 208-7367.
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