WBS Penguins begin their Calder Cup journey against rival Phantoms

With their most exciting lineup in years, the WBS Penguins are set to take on their longtime rivals the Leigh Valley Phantoms in a best of three series.

The Penguins shut down and shut out the Philadelphia Flyers AHL affiliate to close out the regular season and look to continue that momentum.



Both clubs have that rival hatred that the Penguins and Flyers share, so the expectations are high that this will be a hard-fought series. The Baby Pens took the seasons series against the Phantoms by an 8-1-3 dominating margin. This will be the first meeting of the two teams in the playoffs since 2015.


Both teams have played each other in the Calder Cup playoffs four times, with the Penguins winning three of those series matchups.



The Penguins added five prospects to their lineup that should help give them a boost. Forwards Tristan Broz, Cooper Foster, and Ville Koivunen, and defensemen Owen Pickering and Emil Pieniniemi all joined the team recently and look to contribute in the playoffs.

The Penguins did finish 3rd in the division and are not short for goal scorers but these prospects could help with some depth to a solid team.



The Penguins are looking for Sam Poulin to shine as he had a breakout year even though it was shortened by injury. He still managed to score 16 goals and 31 points in that time, as well as getting some NHL experience in Pittsburgh. This is a showcase opportunity for Poulin to take the lead and help Wilkes-Barre make their way into the next round, and maybe his way to the NHL.

Game one is tonight in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton at the Mohegan Sun Arena. Puck is scheduled to drop at 7:05pm.

As Read On: The Hockey News -
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins Ready for Playoff Run