The mistakes might have doomed the Penguins.
A Sergei Murashov giveaway that led to a shorthanded goal against. A too-many-men penalty that gave Toronto another score on the power play. A rally threatened to be undone by a late Marlies goal.
Rutger McGroarty ensured it wouldn’t cost them the game.
The former first round pick scored with three minutes left in regulation to lift Wilkes-Barre/Scranton to a 4-3 win at Toronto on Wednesday in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals.
Stunningly, the road team has now won all four games in the best-of-seven series as the Penguins have rallied to tie things up at 2-2. Game 5 is set for Friday night in Toronto, and there is guaranteed to be a Game 6 back at Mohegan Arena on Sunday.
The Penguins had been down 2-0 in the series and found themselves trailing 2-0 in Wednesday’s pivotal game after one period. They struck back for three goals in the second period to take the lead, but the Marlies tied it back up with 6:56 to play.
That set the stage for McGroarty, who scored his second goal of the series and fourth of the postseason, two of which have been game-winners.
Though it went down as an unassisted goal, plenty of credit went to linemates Avery Hayes and Tristan Broz, whose work on the forecheck forced the Marlies into a disastrous giveaway.
The Marlies tried a backward pass in their own zone to escape the pressure, but McGroarty was there to intercept it, causing the intended recipient to fall to the ice. That gave the Penguins winger some room to work in tight in the slot, stickhandling before beating goalie Artur Akhtyamov five-hole for the winner.
It helped overcome a night to forget for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on special teams. Murashov has been one of the team’s top players in this deep playoff run, but just four minutes into the game he mishandled the puck behind the net, serving up a shorthanded goal to the Marlies’ Benoit-Olivier Groulx.
When the Penguins got caught with six skaters on the ice, Toronto immediately made them pay later in the frame as Vinni Lettieri scored his league-leading eight goal of the playoffs just eight seconds into the man-advantage.
Needing to regroup in the first intermission, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton got a spark from the blueline.
Scooter Brickey — who has been in the lineup this series because of injuries — scored his first AHL goal and rookie Chase Pietila tied it up six minutes later. Both goals had a similar look to them as hard work in the Marlies zone saw the Penguins work the puck back to the point, with the two defensemen firing from long range through traffic to find the net each time.
Gabe Klassen set up Pietila’s goal and then gave the Penguins their first lead with just 51 seconds left in the second period, roofing home a rebound from a Ville Koivunen sharp-angle shot from the corner.
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton led until Pietila was whistled for tripping midway through the third. Luke Haymes converted late in the power play for another special teams score. McGroarty answered four minutes later at the 2:59 mark.
Murashov finished with 32 saves on 35 shots as Toronto held a 35-27 edge for the night. Brickey added an assist for his best performance in a Penguins uniform.
On the other side of the bracket, the Western Conference Finals are also now tied at 2-2 as Chicago edged Colorado 2-1 in Game 4 on Wednesday. That series also resumes Friday night for one more game in Chicago before heading back to the Rockies on Sunday.
Local journalism matters, and your support makes it possible. You can help sustain this work by making a donation or choosing one of our subscription options. Subscribers enjoy valuable benefits, including full access to our e-edition, a reduced ad experience on timesleader.com, and more.
Your support helps ensure independent, high-quality local news remains available today and for future generations. Thank you for standing with local journalism.