Wilkes-Barre/Scranton defeated Springfield, 2-1, on Tuesday night at the MassMutual Center, using clutch goals from Rutger McGroarty and Bill Zonnon and 27 saves from Sergei Murashov to take a two-games-to-one lead in the best-of-five Atlantic Division finals.
McGroarty opened the scoring with a shorthanded breakaway goal in the final seconds of the first period. The 20-year-old took a lead pass from Avery Hayes and beat Georgii Romanov with just 19.1 seconds remaining in the frame. Zonnon extended the lead early in the third period, scoring his third goal in as many games to start his pro career. The 19-year-old first-round pick (22nd overall in 2025) made an immediate impact after joining the Penguins from Blainville-Boisbriand in the semifinals and making his pro debut last week.
Springfield answered late in the third when Juraj Pekarcik deked through the defense and scored his first postseason goal with 3:39 left in regulation. The Thunderbirds, who came back from a two-goal deficit in Game 2 with two extra-attacker goals, pushed for an equalizer but could not force overtime.
Murashov improved his save percentage to .948 in the series, turning away 27 of 29 shots in Game 3 and allowing just five goals in 97 shots over three games. Romanov faced 30 shots but came up empty on Springfield’s lone goal.
The Penguins have now taken two of three games in the series, with Game 4 set for Thursday night in Springfield. The Thunderbirds will look to even the series before a potential Game 5 in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Saturday.
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