Overview
- The Toronto Marlies defeated the Wilkes‑Barre/Scranton Penguins 5-1 in Game 5 to move ahead 3-2 in the AHL Eastern Conference Final and put the Penguins on the brink of elimination.
- Mikhail Ilyin opened the scoring for Wilkes‑Barre/Scranton before Landon Sim tied it for Toronto and Benoit‑Olivier Groulx, Easton Cowan, Logan Shaw and Marshall Rifai added goals as the Marlies pulled away.
- Wilkes‑Barre/Scranton’s discipline collapsed late, with the team accruing 50 penalty minutes in the third period that led directly to Toronto’s decisive push.
- Penguins goalie Sergei Murashov, who has been a postseason standout with an excellent overall save rate, was not at his best in Game 5 according to coach Kirk MacDonald and may be showing fatigue after playing every playoff game.
- The series now shifts back to Mohegan Arena for Game 6 where Wilkes‑Barre must tighten its penalty control and get a rebound performance from its goaltending while both clubs continue to evaluate NHL prospects under playoff pressure.