WILKES-BARRE/SCRANTON 3, PHILADELPHIA 2
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton jumped out to a 3-0 lead after the first period and held on for a 3-2 road victory over Philadelphia on Monday at the Wachovia Center in Game 3 of the East Division finals.
Alain Nasreddine, Connor James, and Alex Goligoski netted goals for the Penguins, who took a 2-1 lead in the best-of-7 series. Game 4 will be on Wednesday in Philadelphia.
The Penguins tallied a pair of goals just 12 seconds apart in the opening period, as Nasreddine scored his first of the playoffs at 10:16 and James netted his third at 10:28.
Goligoski made it a 3-0 game at the 17:06 mark with his third goal of postseason play. The AHL All-Rookie Team member extended his scoring streak to seven games (3-9-12) with the marker.
Neither squad lit the lamp in the second period, but the host Phantoms attempted a comeback in the final stanza.
Stefan Ruzicka cut the deficit to 3-1 at the 7:58 mark with his tally goal of the series and fourth of the playoffs. Jonathon Kalinski then scored his first professional goal just 32 seconds later, making it a 3-2 contest. Lars Jonsson assisted on both markers.
But Philadelphia could not get the equalizer, despite holding a 17-3 shots advantage in the third period. That came after the Phantoms were outshot 19-2 in the opening period as Wilkes-Barre/Scranton took its 3-0 lead. Each side had five shots in the middle stanza.
Penguins goaltender John Curry finished with 22 saves on 24 shots in the victory. Counterpart Scott Munroe had 24 saves in a losing effort for Philadelphia.
