WILKES-BARRE, PA — The Hershey Bears evened their second-round series 1-1 after stealing a game at Mohegan Arena at Casey Plaza on Saturday night.
After Brett Leason deflected a shot home during a first-period power play, Russian winger Bogdan Trineyev scored the game-winning goal with 2:49 remaining in the second as the Bears’ top line connected on a beautiful sequence.
Bogdan Trineyev GWG in Game 2
The tally came after some craftiness by all three players.
As the puck was rimmed around the boards in their defensive zone, Ilya Protas touched the puck forward to Andrew Cristall, who was skating down the right side of the ice. The Capitals’ talented 2023 second-round pick then hesitated with the puck at the top of the right circle before dragging it onto his backhand and feeding a centering pass to Trineyev camped out in the slot. Trineyev lifted the stick of Penguins defenseman Owen Pickering and then fired a shot past Penguins goaltender Sergei Murashov.
“It was (all) my two linemates,” Trineyev said as I congratulated him on the tally postgame. “Serious.”
In the goal hug, Protas appeared to offer Cristall a lot of encouragement for creating extra space for himself and finding Trineyev on the other side of the net.
“They’re smart, smart players, and they’re good together,” Bears head coach Derek King said. “[Cristall] made a nice play on the goal, too.”
Trineyev’s goal came after he briefly left the game late in the first period. A Sergei Murashov clearing attempt appeared to hit Trineyev in the chin sending him down hard to the ice. The 24-year-old however recovered enough to return to the game for the start of the second period, setting up his heroics later in the stanza.
The first line’s game-winner wasn’t their only impact on the game. They were also on the ice to close out the Bears’ victory late in the third period. Cristall, whose skating has been pointed out as a weak spot by prospect analysts in the past (he’s since worked hard with a skating coach at home and with Wendy Marco of the Capitals), got praise from his head coach for beating out an icing call with 1:20 left in regulation, eating up an extra 15 seconds or so on the clock.
“It’s huge, and I didn’t know he could skate that fast,” King said. “All of a sudden, he put on the jets there.”
Four games into the postseason, the Bears’ first line is producing night in, night out, elevating its game further from the regular season. Protas, Cristall, and Trineyev each have 2 goals, 3 assists, and 5 points, leading the Bears in each category. Their play is so strong that King is worried about relying on them too much.
“Well, I try to manage it,” King said. “It just depends on situations. I try to get them offensive starts. But then again, they’re playing well, and the Pro’s good at draws. And if he’s feeling it, I don’t mind putting him in the D zone for draws either. But, you know, I really got to watch it, especially in these playoff games, that these guys are not getting 20-plus, 22, 23 minutes. They could take it easily, but it’ll end up wearing them out. ”
The trio will look to continue their strong play on Tuesday when the Atlantic Division Semifinals series shifts to Hershey’s Giant Center. If the Bears can win both games, they can close out the series in front of their home fans.
“They’ve got to be excited,” King said of the team’s supporters, who started several “Let’s Go Bears!” chants in the Penguins’ home barn on Saturday. “I mean, obviously, going back home, tied, taking a game on the road is always huge, especially against these guys. But just get lots of rest and just pump them up before the game, and hopefully they respond, and I’m sure they will.”
