Pittsburgh Penguins' Next Franchise Goalie Dominating the Record Books

The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins completed their 12-game series with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms on a 5-3 win Sunday at PPL Center.

Special teams played a key role for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (33-17-7-1), but it was Valtteri Puustinen's go-ahead goal with not much time remaining that closed the deal.

Rookie goaltender Sergei Murashov remained undefeated in the AHL, improving to 9-0-0. His nine-game winning streak matches Matt Murray's 2014-15 rookie benchmark for the Penguins.

Only 20 years old, Murashov is still playing with poise and athleticism in his first North American pro season.

Tristan Broz scored on a power play three minutes in, and shortly afterward, Joona Koppanen scored shorthanded. Lehigh Valley responded with Ethan Samson scoring on the team's first shot of the game. Givani Smith then tied it 2-2 early in the second.

Avery Hayes regained the Penguins' advantage with a power-play goal at 16:07 of the second period. Midway through the third, Phantoms newcomer Nikita Grebenkin scored on the power play, knotting the game once again.

With just over three minutes left, Puustinen redirected Owen Pickering's point shot past Alexei Kolosov to regain the lead. Koppanen sealed the win with an empty-netter. Murashov stopped 23 shots, and Kolosov stopped 17 of 21 shots.

The Penguins take the ice again on Friday, March 21, when they host the Providence Bruins at Mohegan Arena, and Murashov will likely get the start and have a chance to extend his miraculous win streak to 10 games.