Penguins AHL Team Keeps Finding Ways to Win and Develop as a Team

The Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins' game-winning goal in overtime can be viewed as a lucky bounce. The puck was deflected from the point, bounced into the goal without hitting the netting, and bounced out. The goal to tie the game with three minutes left in the third period can be viewed as a lucky bounce as well, with an Avery Hayes shot hitting a Hershey Bears’ skater and ending up in the back of the net.

But that’s how teams score in the playoffs. Yes, it’s luck but they put themselves in spots to earn those lucky bounces. “Good teams find a way to win, and that was a big goal,” Rutger McGroarty noted after scoring the Game Three overtime winner.

Sometimes, the key is putting the puck on the net for the deflections and loose pucks. It’s not pretty, and it doesn’t have to be in the playoffs. The Penguins were outplayed for most of Game Three, and it looked like they would lose 3-2.

They scored two quick goals in the first but three unanswered by the Bears had them controlling play and the momentum of the game heading into the final minutes of the third period. Yet, like most teams that succeed in the playoffs, the Penguins found a way to win when it mattered most. Penguins Adjusted to Win in the Playoffs  The Bears are a heavy team, and it’s part of their identity down the stretch.