WILKES-BARRE — The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (8-2-0) head into a busy portion of their schedule beginning Wednesday when the Toronto Marlies come to town for their lone visit to Mohegan Arena at Casey Plaza.

The game marks the first of 11 games in 25 days for the Penguins, whose seven-game winning streak to open the season has them tied atop the Atlantic Division with the Providence Bruins (8-1-0).

After dropping two of their three games last week, the Penguins will look to get back to their winning ways with three games this week, including home games Wednesday andSaturday night.

Last week

Wednesday, Oct. 28 — Providence 3, Penguins 1: In a battle of the final two undefeated teams in the Eastern Conference, the Penguins came up short against a team that appears to be Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s kryptonite – at least on home ice.

The Bruins locked up their 13th straight win over the Penguins at Mohegan Arena. The last time the Penguins beat the Bruins on home ice was Dec. 20, 2019.

The Penguins arguably were the better team Wednesday, especially in the opening 40 minutes, but were unable to convert on enough chances to extend their perfect start tothe season. On the other hand, Providence made the most of its opportunities, especially in the middle frame, scoring three goals on five shots in the period.

Valtteri Puustinen scored the lone Penguins goal, while Sergei Murashov stopped 13 of 16 shots in the Penguins’ net.

“You have to learn to manage the game against really good teams,” Penguins head coach Kirk MacDonald said. “It’s a good learning experience just to recognize you can’t let people off the hook. I think we did a little (Wednesday night) with the three goals we gave up. Not a lack of effort by any means, but we let our guard down for a second and their guys madetwo more plays than we did.”

Friday, Oct. 23 — Penguins 3, Bridgeport 2: The Penguins bounced back into the win column Friday, defeating the Islanders 3-2 in a game that wasn’t nearly as close as the score indicated.

The Penguins outshot the Islanders, 17-6, in the opening frame, and generated scoring chances with regularity throughout the contest, but remained in a low-scoring affair because of stellar play in net by Islanders goaltender Marcus Hogberg (31 saves).

Sam Poulin gave the Penguins a 1-0 lead late in the first period, but it was quickly evened up by Alex Jefferies less than three minutes later.

The gamer remained tied at 1 deep into the third period despite the large gap in scoring chances and shots on goal. That’s when the proverbial dam broke, and Poulin was able to notch his second goal of the game to put the Pens ahead for good.

Danton Heinen added an empty net tally with 1:42 left in regulation before Bridgeport added a late extra attacker goal to complete the final score.

“That’s just part of hockey. Some nights it’s going to go in and some nights it won’t,” Poulin said. “But if you have a good process and stick with it good things are going to happen, and they did (Friday night).”

Saturday, Nov. 1 — Utica 3, Penguins 1: The Penguins simply weren’t at their best at the tail-end of a back-to-back on the road, and credit to a hungry Utica team for capitalizing and securing its first win of the season.

After falling behind, 2-0, early in the second period, the Penguins attempted to battle back, and Aidan McDonough brought the Penguins within a goal heading into the third period.

Unfortunately for the Penguins, they weren’t able to find a tying goal in the third period. Instead, former longtime Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins forward Jonathan Gruden sealed thedeal for Utica with an empty net tally in the final seconds, while also creating scoring chances and being noticeably present throughout his first game against his formerteam.

News and notes

Rutger McGroarty is unofficially back with the team as he works toward his return to the ice in game action. Pittsburgh Penguins general manager Kyle Dubas said the plan for McGroarty, when fully healthy, is to resume playing in the AHL with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.

Valtteri Puustinen, who left Friday’s game with an upper body injury, needed to be re-evaluated and did not travel with the team for Saturday’s game at Utica. At the time of his injury Friday, MacDonald said he didn’t expect the ailment to be serious and not sideline Puustinen for long.

Joona Koppanen was among the scratches for last week’s games and was away from the team due to personal reasons. He is expected back with the team this week, according toMacDonald.

On Tuesday evening, the Pittsburgh Penguins called up goaltender Sergei Murashov, defenseman Ryan Graves and forward Danton Heinen from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.

Week ahead

Another three-game slate for the Penguins this week, with home matchups Wednesday (Toronto, 7 p.m.) and Saturday (Utica, 6:05 p.m.) separated by a road game in Rochester on Friday night at 7:05.