Filip Larsson tied for the league lead with his fourth shutout of the season as the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins blanked the Hartford Wolf Pack 5-0 on Saturday night at Mohegan Arena.
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (18-8-3-0) received a pair of goals from Rutger McGroarty and Emil Bemström, while Larsson took care of business at his side of the ice. Larsson denied all 33 shots he faced to secure his fourth shutout in just his 10th start of the season.
With an extra attacker on the ice during a delayed penalty, McGroarty whipped a wraparound across the goal line at 13:44 of the first period.
McGroarty found the back of the net again five minutes into the second frame. A spectacular pass from Vasily Ponomarev landed right in the crease for McGroarty to bury the backdoor one-timer. Ponomarev’s assist marked the 100th point of his AHL career.
As the second period was winding down, Ponomarev pounded home a setup from Filip Král and Bemström to put the Penguins up by three.
An elite passing play by Boris Katchouk and Mac Hollowell enabled Bemström to find a pocket of space near the right faceoff circle, cranking a one-timer for a 4-0 lead 35 seconds into the final frame. Bemström lit the lamp again midway through the third to cap off the night’s scoring.
Wolf Pack goalie Talyn Boyko stopped 26 of the 31 shots he faced.
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s next game is Wednesday when the Penguins start a Canadian road trip against the Toronto Marlies. Puck drop from Coca-Cola Coliseum is set for 7 p.m.
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