By: Alex Thomas, Hartford Wolf Pack
WILKES-BARRE, PA – The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins jumped out to a lead just 65 seconds into the contest on Wednesday night, never looking back en route to a 4-1 victory over the Hartford Wolf Pack at the Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza.
For the third time in a row, the Penguins opened the scoring. This time, Jesse Puljujarvi did the honors, scoring his third goal of the season. Puljujarvi took a pass from Radim Zohorna and galloped down the right-wing side. Puljujarvi then snapped a shot that snuck through Louis Domingue just 1:05 into the game to give the Penguins a lead they never lost.
Alex Nylander extended the lead moments later, snapping home his 13th goal of the season at 3:42. After a shift in which the Penguins controlled the puck, Nylander took a feed from Peter Abbandonato and walked into the left-wing circle. Nylander fired a shot into traffic that beat Domingue by the glove to provide the Penguins with some insurance. The goal would prove to be the game-winning tally, Nylander’s third of the season.
Jack St. Ivany ballooned the lead to 3-0 10:44 into the second period, blasting home a one-timer on a setup from Ty Smith. The goal was St. Ivany’s second of the season, giving him his second point of the night (1 g, 1 a). Smith’s assist was his second of the game, as he also collected a helper on the night’s first tally.
Puljujarvi set up the goal that made it 4-0, rushing up the ice and entering the Wolf Pack zone on the left-wing side. Puljujarvi sent a pass to Sam Poulin, who tipped the puck into the net at 13:01 for his ninth goal of the season.
The Wolf Pack did get on the board in the third period, converting on their third powerplay of the night. Brennan Othmann fired a one-timer from the right-wing circle for his tenth goal of the campaign at 7:48. Mac Hollowell picked up his 28th assist and 30th point of the season on the goal, making him the second Wolf Pack player to hit 30 points this year. Alex Belzile collected the secondary assist on the goal, giving him his team-leading 31st point.
The Wolf Pack continue their road trip on Friday night when they visit the Cleveland Monsters for a back-to-back set. The puck drop is set for 7:00 p.m., and coverage will be available at 6:45 p.m. on AHLTV and Mixlr.
The Pack is next back at the XL Center on January 31st when the Charlotte Checkers come to town. Tickets are available at hartfordwolfpack.com.
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ABOUT THE HARTFORD WOLF PACK: The Hartford Wolf Pack has been a premier franchise in the American Hockey League since the team’s inception in 1997. The Wolf Pack is the top player-development affiliate of the NHL’s New York Rangers and plays at the XL Center. The Wolf Pack has been home to some of the Rangers’ newest faces, including Igor Shesterkin, Filip Chytil, and Ryan Lindgren. Follow the Wolf Pack on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok.
