Game Day: Islanders at Thunderbirds
Dec 6, 2024THE STORY COMING IN
The Bridgeport Islanders (5-13-1-2) battle the Springfield Thunderbirds (10-9-1-0) in their first of two games on the road this weekend. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. at MassMutual Center. The Islanders have played much better on the road this season, with four of their five wins coming away from Total Mortgage Arena. Tonight, Bridgeport looks to snap a three-game slide following a 6-1 loss to the Hartford Wolf Pack at home on Wednesday. Alex Jefferies (PP) had the Islanders’ lone goal that night, while Marcus Hogberg (2-5-3) made 24 saves. Hogberg was recalled by the New York Islanders on Thursday and in a related transaction, Henrik Tikkanen (0-1-0) was reassigned to Bridgeport from the Worcester Railers (ECHL).
Watch tonight's game live: AHLTV on FloHockey
Listen to tonight's radio broadcast: Mixlr
ISLANDERS VS. THUNDERBIRDS
Tonight marks the third of 10 meetings between the Islanders and Thunderbirds this season, and the third of five in Massachusetts. In fact, each of the first four meetings will take place in Springfield before the series shifts to Total Mortgage Arena on Jan. 15th. The series is currently knotted at 1-1-0-0 after the Islanders earned a 4-1 win on Nov. 1st, but fell 5-3 on Nov. 6th. Brian Pinho (3g, 1a) and Chris Terry (4a) lead all players in the series with four points in two games.
VIEW FROM SPRINGFIELD
Head coach Steve Konowalchuk’s club is looking for its third straight win tonight after defeating Hartford on Saturday, 4-1, and Providence on Sunday, 3-2. Last time out, Aleksanteri Kaskimaki, Matt Luff, and Drew Callin all scored, and Colten Ellis (7-4-1) made 25 saves, in a road victory against the Bruins, which elevated Springfield to fifth place in the Atlantic Division. Ellis ranks fifth among all AHL goalies in saves (361) and is 17th in GAA (2.52). Former 10th overall draft pick Dalibor Dvorsky (St. Louis, 2023) leads the T-Birds with eight goals and 16 points, which rank third and sixth among all AHL rookies, respectively. Springfield opens a brief two-game homestand this evening.
JEFFERIES GETS HIS FOURTH
Alex Jefferies scored his fourth goal of the season on Wednesday with a remarkable wrist shot that hit two posts and dropped into the net on the man advantage. It was his team-leading third power-play goal, which gives the rookie winger 11 points on the season (4g, 7a) - third on the club in scoring and tied for 20th among AHL rookies. Jefferies has points in back-to-back contests (1g, 1a) and enters tonight’s game with three assists in two career meetings against the Thunderbirds.
OFFENSE FROM DEFENSE
Second-year defenseman Travis Mitchell has scored three goals in the last five games, and has points in six of his last 10 contests. His fourth goal of the season came early in the second period on Sunday against Belleville. The 25-year-old had just one goal and four points all of last season, but has caught fire in 2024-25. Mitchell leads all Bridgeport blue-liners in goals (4) and ranks third in points (6) in only 14 appearances. His shooting percentage (4-for-16, 25.0%) is second best among all AHL defensemen who have taken at least nine shots.
QUICK HITS
Bridgeport has points in 17 of its last 20 contests against Springfield (13-3-4-0) dating back to Jan. 6, 2023... Brian Pinho is tied for fourth among all AHL players with 11 goals... Chris Terry is tied for sixth in the league with 15 assists... Terry has 36 points (13g, 23a) in 32 career games against Springfield, dating back to the Falcons’ era... Calle Odelius has points in back-to-back games (2a) for his first time in his AHL career.
AFFILIATES
New York Islanders (9-11-7): Last: 5-2 L vs. Seattle, last night -- Tomorrow vs. Carolina, 5 p.m. ET
Worcester Railers (8-11-0-1): Last: 7-4 L at Adirondack, Wednesday -- Next: Tonight vs. Maine, 7:05 p.m. ET