For the first time since 2018, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins are in the playoffs.
The Penguins defeated the Providence Bruins by a score of 4-1 on Friday, with goals from Radim Zohorna (2), Matt Bartkowski and Kyle Olson, with a 23-save performance from Tommy Nappier in net.
The win cut the Penguins' magic number to clinch a playoff spot down to one. The Hartford Wolf Pack's 2-1 loss to the Charlotte Checkers, followed by the Hershey Bears' 4-3 overtime win over the Lehigh Valley Phantoms officially clinched the Penguins' postseason berth.
No playoffs were held in the shortened 2019-20 and 2020-21 AHL seasons, but Wilkes-Barre wouldn't have been in a playoff position in those years had there been a postseason. The Penguins failed to qualify for the playoffs in 2018-19, ending a 16-year postseason appearance streak.
Wilkes-Barre is still looking for its first Calder Cup in franchise history.
The Penguins currently sit in fourth place in the Atlantic Division standings, with the top six teams earning postseason berths. If the regular season ended today, the Penguins would play Hershey in the best-of-three first round.
Earlier this week I asked coach J.D. Forrest about how he thinks his team has matched up against the Bears this season. Wilkes-Barre went 4-7-1 against the Bears in the regular season series, but won four of the last five meetings between the two teams, including a 3-0 shutout in the final game on Tuesday.
"Every game is tight, every game is a pretty good battle," he said."You know, they certainly had our number earlier in the season. We just reset for every game. ... If we see them, then we do and we know what to expect."
Wilkes-Barre has four more road games remaining on the regular-season schedule. They'll play the Springfield Thunderbirds on Saturday and the Hartford Wolf Pack on Sunday, followed by games against the Syracuse Crunch next Friday and the Lehigh Valley Phantoms next Saturday.
With the Wheeling Nailers qualifying for the ECHL playoffs for the first time since 2016, this is the first time in six years that all three teams in the Penguins' organization are in the postseason.
