The long break paid dividends for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins on Tuesday night after blowing a three-goal lead in Game 2 of their Atlantic Division Final series against the Springfield Thunderbirds last Thursday.
They were refreshed and ready to go from the opening puck drop, and were the better team in all three periods in Game 3. They had to hold on to their 2-1 win at the end of the third period, but they got the job done and are now one win away from advancing to the Eastern Conference Final.
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Rutger McGroarty got things started with a shorthanded goal in the first period. He took a beautiful feed from Avery Hayes, who was everywhere in the game, and buried the puck blocker side with 19 seconds left in the opening frame.
WBS kept that 1-0 lead for the entire second period before Bill Zonnon made it 2-0 at 5:58 of the third period. Zonnon took a nice pass from Boko Imama and also ripped the puck blocker side. It’s Zonnon’s third playoff goal in his third AHL game.
The Thunderbirds got one back late in the third period, but weren’t able to tie the game in the final seconds.
WBS goaltender Sergei Murashov had another outrageous performance, finishing with 27 saves on 28 shots. He now has a .942 save percentage in seven playoff games this season.
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The Penguins can clinch a spot in the Eastern Conference Final with a win in Game 4 on Thursday. Puck drop is set for 7:05 p.m. ET.
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