Penguins even series with thrilling Game 4 win

The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins pulled off a spectacular comeback on Wednesday night, fighting back from an early two-goal deficit to defeat the Toronto Marlies 4-3 in a Game 4 thriller at the Coca-Cola Coliseum. The victory officially evens the best-of-seven Eastern Conference Final at 2-2. Rutger McGroarty scored the game-winning goal with just 2:59 remaining in regulation, intercepting a Toronto breakout pass and snapping the puck through the five-hole on a mini-breakaway to stun the home crowd.

Toronto opened the scoring with a shorthanded goal from Bo Groulx following a goaltending misplay, and Vinni Lettieri extended the lead to 2-0 late in the first period. The Penguins' resilient response began in the second frame, powered by defensive goals from Scooter Brickey—his first career AHL tally—and Chase Pietila to knot the game at 2-2. Gabe Klassen then gave the Penguins a brief 3-2 lead before the second intermission. Toronto's Luke Haymes tied it at 3-3 on a controversial, reversed-call power-play goal in the third, setting the stage for McGroarty's late-game heroics. Penguins goaltender Sergei Murashov stood tall under pressure, stopping 32 shots to secure the win.

The critical series remains north of the border for a pivotal Game 5 on Friday, June 5, with puck drop scheduled for 7:00 p.m. Local fans can catch every minute of live play-by-play coverage tomorrow night on WILK Newsradio at 103.1 FM, 910 AM in Scranton, 980 AM in Wilkes-Barre, or stream it on the free Audacy app. By squaring up the series, the Penguins have also guaranteed a return to Northeastern Pennsylvania for Game 6, which will take place at the Mohegan Arena at Casey Plaza on Sunday, June 7 at 6:05 p.m.