Conner Terminates Tigers, WBS Pens Win 5-2

In Bridgeport, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins open the season with a 5-2 win as the Penguins score three third period goals to break a tie game open for their first win on the 2013-14 season.

Scott Harrington put the Penguins up 1-0 in the first period after Tom Kostopoulos nudged a loose puck to him on the near point after an offensive zone faceoff. Harrington buried his shot for his first regular season pro goal. Harrington scored a goal in his first AHL playoff game last spring.

The first fight of the season was a battle as Pierre-Luc Leblond and Brett Gallant dropped the gloves at center ice midway through the first period. Both guys stood in and went toe-to-toe for a good minute or two.

In the second period, the Sound Tigers came out flying and tied the game at 1-1 when Anders Lee beat Jeff Deslauriers to a rebound chance 1:07 into the middle frame. The Sound Tigers took the lead at 2-1 about four and a half minutes later while on the power play. Krill Kabanov received a cross ice pass from Dallas Jackson and snuck the puck past Deslauriers at the near post.

The Penguins got a late power play in the 2nd period and cashed in with 2.1 seconds left in the period to tie the game at 2-2. Andrew Ebbett fed a pass to Brendan Mikkelson on the point, whose shot was rebounded in by Chris Conner to even things up before the second intermission.

Conner kept things going in the third period, giving the WBS Penguins a 3-2 lead after finishing up a 2-on-1 play with Brian Gibbons at the 12:24 mark. Just 11 seconds later, Harry Zolnierczyk stole a puck out of the corner and flung one past Nilsson to give the Pens a 4-2 lead.

Zolnierczyk got his second of the night to give the Pens a 5-2 lead as he finished off a 2-on-1 play of his own with Tom Kuhnhackl. Gibbons got the lone assist on the fifth and final goal of the evening.

Jeff Deslauriers got the start in net tonight and picked up the win, stopping 22 of the 24 shots he faced. Chris Conner and Harry Zolnierczyk both tallied two goals. Brian Gibbons added two assists and Scott Harrington pinched in with a goal.

Here's what the Penguins lineup looked like tonight:

Kuhnhackl - Ebbett - Conner

Thompson - Drazenovic - Kostopoulos

Zolnierczyk - Gibbons - Megna

Leblond - Sill - Uher

Despres - Samuelsson

Mikkelson - Harrington

D'Agostino - McNeill

Jeff Deslauriers

Scratches: Peter Merth, Brian Dumoulin, Mike Carman, Harrison Ruopp and Adam Payerl