The Atlantic Division finals continue tonight at MassMutual Center (7:05 ET, 
) Game 3 between Springfield and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.
The Penguins took a 3-0 advantage in the third quarter of Game 2 last Thursday to take a 2-0 series lead, but the Thunderbirds had scored three times in the final frame before that. Akil Thomas Won in overtime.
It was Springfield’s fourth come-from-behind victory in the postseason and their fourth overtime victory.
“We talked about what our game would look like,” Thunderbirds head coach Steve Ott Said after the second game. “The secret to the way we need to play, we saw that in the third quarter and overtime.”
Shut out for the first five periods of the series, Springfield finally got on the board thanks to Hugh McGinnA shorthanded goal came 55 seconds into the final period of Game 2. Dillon Dube Then Thomas scored twice in the final 3 minutes and 24 seconds of regulation (both times with the goalie subbing for an offensive player), and Thomas won the game on a lucky bounce off the boards in overtime.
Springfield outscored Wilkes-Barre/Scranton 31-12 in the third quarter and overtime.
“We went into precautionary defense (and) that’s not how we play,” Penguins head coach Kirk McDonald explain. “We’re going to regroup and we’re going to be fine. I don’t think there’s any sense of panic. We lost our identity and it hurts. We made some mistakes, but ultimately we only gave up a five-on-five goal. We’re going to get back to work and try to get better.”
The Pens lead 3-0 with a goal Bill Zonon (his second time in as many games as a pro), Tristan Broz and Avery Hayes.
“This is the playoffs. It’s not easy,” Hayes said. “We showed that if we play our game, we can beat them. We just have to learn from it.”
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton has the third-best road record in the league in the 2025-26 season, with a record of 25 wins, 7 draws, 3 draws and 1 loss (54 points, 0.750). They won both games in Springfield, winning 3-2 on January 19 and 7-2 on February 18. The Thunderbirds have won seven of their past eight home games, including a pair of overtime wins against Providence in the conference semifinals.
Chicago hosts Grand Rapids tonight (8 p.m. ET, ) has a chance to knock the Central Division champion out of the Calder Cup playoffs.
The Wolves overcame an early 3-1 deficit to win 4-3 in overtime in Game 2 on Saturday, their second straight comeback win at the start of the series. Felix Unger SorumHe scored his second goal of the night at 5:14 of overtime after going scoreless in Chicago’s first six playoff games.
Kayden Primo (5-2, 2.17, .923) made 36 saves, stopping the final 30 shots he faced on the night; he also added the game-tying assist.
Michael Brandsegg-Nygaard In Game 2, Grand Rapids scored three times in the first 12 minutes and 4 seconds, scoring a goal and adding two assists. It turned out to be the first time all season the Griffins lost a game in which they led after the first quarter (27-1-0-0).
This was his sixth consecutive playoff start. Michal Postava (3-3, 1.82, .928) stopped 25 shots, but allowed more than three goals in a game for the first time this season (31 combined regular season and postseason appearances).
“When we’re ahead, we take our foot off the gas,” Griffin captain said Dominic Shane. “That’s how it happens with some games: You play a game you think you should win and you don’t. Sometimes you win games you shouldn’t win. Together we need to get better and we can get the job done.”
There are 14 teams in AHL history that have come back from 2-0 down to win a best-of-five playoff series, including four teams that lost their first two games at home.
“Take it one game at a time,” Shine added. “This is a five-game series. Two games are not over yet.”
