Hayes Shines as Penguins Down Phantoms for Fifth Straight Win

Avery Hayes touched every goal the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins scored Thursday night, finishing with a goal and two assists in a 3-1 victory over the Lehigh Valley Phantoms at home. The three-point performance anchored a fifth consecutive win for the Penguins and tightened their grip on positioning in the Atlantic Division with the regular season entering its final week.

Gabe Klassen set the tone early, opening the scoring and finishing with a goal and an assist as Wilkes-Barre seized a two-goal lead before the first period ended. That cushion proved decisive. Goaltender Sergei Murashov delivered critical saves in the second and third periods to hold the margin intact, and the Penguins' penalty kill extinguished Lehigh Valley's late power play attempts before they could take hold.

Oliver Bonk provided the Phantoms' only answer, converting during a six-on-five push in the final minutes that briefly threatened to narrow the deficit. It wasn't enough. Murashov and the Penguins' defense closed the door, completing a win that looked comfortable from the first horn.

The five-game streak carries real stakes beyond a confidence boost. Wilkes-Barre is chasing a top finish in the Atlantic Division that could deliver a first-round bye and home-ice advantage in the Calder Cup playoffs. Each win in this stretch shrinks the margin for error among competitors and adds leverage to whatever bracket positioning the Penguins secure going into the postseason.

Hayes' form is worth noting in that context. Factoring into every goal on a given night is not routine production; it signals a player operating as a primary offensive engine at exactly the moment the club needs it most. With Pittsburgh's NHL affiliate cycling players up and down the roster as the trade deadline and roster limits create late-season traffic, Hayes' consistency gives Wilkes-Barre a reliable creative force regardless of who else is in the lineup.

Murashov's performance matters on a parallel track. Depth questions at goaltender tend to surface whenever NHL call-ups disrupt AHL rosters in April, and Murashov answered his with authority, making the saves that preserved a lead rather than merely limiting a blowout in the opposite direction.

The Penguins host or travel into the final weekend of the regular season with more breathing room than they had a week ago, and a blueprint that is working: build a lead in the first period, protect it with goaltending, and let Hayes find ways to put his name on the scoresheet.