The Toronto Marlies earned a 4-2 victory over the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in Game 1 of the AHL Eastern Conference Finals on Wednesday night, May 27, 2026, taking a 1-0 series lead.
Forward Michael Pezzetta broke a 2-2 tie with 1:36 left in regulation, scoring from the top of the left-wing circle to put Toronto ahead.
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Easton Cowan, William Villeneuve, and captain Logan Shaw also scored for the Marlies. Alexander Alexeyev and Rutger McGroarty tallied for the Penguins.
Comeback Victory
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton outshot Toronto 36-16 overall, including a 13-5 margin in the first period that led to Alexeyev's opening goal from the point.
The Marlies responded in the second period as Cowan tied the game from the slot.
Villeneuve then scored on the power play to give Toronto a 2-1 lead after 40 minutes.
McGroarty leveled the score for the Penguins in the third period before Pezzetta's late strike. Shaw added an empty-net goal to seal the win.
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Toronto goaltender Artur Akhtyamov stopped 34 of 36 shots, while Penguins netminder Sergei Murashov made 12 saves on 15 shots.
The victory marks Toronto's fifth come-from-behind win of the postseason and their third consecutive playoff triumph overall.
The Penguins dropped to a 3-3 record on home ice.
This is the first postseason meeting between the two franchises.
Toronto makes its first conference finals appearance since 2019, while the Penguins return for the first time since 2014.
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The best-of-seven series follows a 2-3-2 format. Game 2 is scheduled for Friday evening at Mohegan Sun Arena.
