Penguins blank Thunderbirds 2-0, take 1-0 Atlantic Division lead

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton did more than grab a 2-0 win in the Atlantic Division Final opener. The Penguins got a series-shifting jolt from their youngest players, as Bill Zonnon scored in his AHL and professional debut and Sergei Murashov delivered a 24-save shutout to push the Penguins in front 1-0 over the Springfield Thunderbirds.

Zonnon’s goal came nine minutes into the second period and snapped a tense scoreless game while also ending Georgi Romanov’s 137:20 shutout streak. The 19-year-old first-round pick by Pittsburgh in 2025 had joined Wilkes-Barre/Scranton only four days earlier, yet he stepped into Game 1 and immediately altered the tone of the series. For a Penguins team that finished the regular season with 101 points and won three of four meetings against Springfield, the rookie’s first pro goal was a reminder that playoff leverage can come from the most unexpected places.

Tanner Howe added the cushion at 7:19 of the third period, forcing a turnover at the defensive blue line and racing in alone for a breakaway finish. That goal mattered as much for the way it closed the door as for the score itself. Springfield managed only five shots the rest of the way after Howe converted, and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton controlled the game from there, protecting a lead that never looked vulnerable again.

Murashov’s shutout was his first in the Calder Cup Playoffs and his third win of this postseason. Romanov stopped 23 shots in the loss, but Springfield could not generate enough after the Penguins’ second-period breakthrough. The result deepened the pressure on a Thunderbirds club that had already made its own history by becoming the first AHL team to win two playoff series after finishing the regular season at .500 or lower since the 2001 Hershey Bears. Steve Ott’s team had also knocked out the Providence Bruins in the previous round, but Game 1 quickly tilted the Atlantic final toward the heavier, deeper club from Wilkes-Barre.

The Penguins now sit three wins from their first trip to the conference finals in 12 years and their first appearance in the division final since 2016. Game 2 was set for Thursday at Mohegan Arena at Casey Plaza before the series shifts to Springfield for Game 3 on Tuesday and Game 4, if needed, on Thursday at the MassMutual Center.