Oskar Steen Scores in Overtime and Pushes the Providence Bruins Past the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins

By: Ryan Duffy | Follow Me On Twitter @Rduffy26

The Providence Bruins extend their winning streak to five games after winning an action-packed game in overtime against the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. Both teams combined for six goals in the second period, and in the final seconds of regulation, the Penguins tied the game with seconds left on the clock. Providence has improved to 27-14-3-3 on the 2021-22 campaign with the win.

Providence established a strong forecheck and cycle game on the Penguin’s defense five minutes into the first period. The Brazeau line started it by spending their entire shift in the offensive zone. After the strong shift from the Brazeau line, Providence turned over the puck at the offensive blue line. The turnover led to a 2-on-1 opportunity for the Penguins, but Providence netminder Kyle Keyser was up to the task. Keyser slid left to right and robbed Penguins forward Radim Zohorna on the doorstep with his pad.

Providence would draw the game’s first goal with just over two minutes remaining in the first. The play started with Steven Fogarty chipping the puck off the defensive zone boards and creating an odd-man rush for the Bruins. As Fogarty gained the offensive zone, he managed to make an impressive spin-o-rama backhand pass to the tape of Cameron Hughes. With time and space, Hughes walked to the net, deked out Penguin’s goaltender Alex D’Orio on the forehand, and made it 1-0.

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton would get the game’s tying goal on a power play in the second frame. The goal came off the stick of forward Michael Chaput, who caught the Bruins’ defense pinching at center ice. He skated to the right circle and roofed a shot over the left shoulder of Keyser. Just over two minutes later, the Penguins managed to gather the lead after a loose puck was chipped in during a net-front scramble in front of Kyser and made it 2-1 for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.

The Penguins’ lead lasted only 50 seconds as Victor Berglund ripped a snapshot from the point, and Cameron Hughes tipped home his second of the game. Hughes’s tally was his 13^th this season, which ties his personal best when he scored 13 times during the 2018-19 AHL season. 

Providence regained the lead with just over ten minutes remaining in the second with Victor Berglund’s third of the season. The goal came after Oskar Steen was stopped on a backhand breakaway attempt. The rebound laid right in front of the Penguins goaltender, and Victor Berglund crashed the net and put a wrist shot past D’Orio for a 3-2 lead.

With 5:07 remaining in the second, Jack Studnicka collected his ninth of the season off a centering pass behind the net from Chris Wagner. Studnicka now has eight points in his last four outings with his goal. The Penguins cut the lead 4-3 with Johnathan Gruden scoring on another loose puck in the crease to cap off the second period. 

As time was winding down in the third period, the Bruins were forced to ice the puck with under ten seconds left in regulation. On the ensuing defensive zone faceoff, Penguins center Chaput won the draw cleanly to forward Valtteri Puustinen. Puustinen took a quick wrist shot that beat Keyser with 3.3 seconds left on the clock with their goalie pulled and forced overtime.

Overtime lasted only 24 seconds as Oskar Steen finished the game on the extra frame’s first shot. With speed in the neutral zone, Steen gathered the puck and carried it into the Penguins zone. Steen made a magnificent move to cut into the high slot and snapped home his 13^th of the season.

Keyser stopped 33 shots en-route to Providence’s overtime win for his eighth victory of the season. The Providence Bruins are back in action on Tuesday, March 8^th, taking on the Toronto Marlies. Puck drop is at 3:00 pm EST at the Coca-Cola Coliseum in Toronto, ON.