Game Day: Islanders vs. Thunderbirds
Nov 1, 2024THE STORY COMING IN
The Bridgeport Islanders (1-5-1-1) open a three-game road trip in Western Massachusetts tonight against the Springfield Thunderbirds (3-5-0-0) at 7:05 p.m. Tonight’s game is also the first of 11 contests during a busy month of November. The Islanders are looking to turn things around after finishing October with a 4-3 shootout loss to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins on Wednesday, their third straight setback. Brian Pinho scored for the fourth consecutive game - his league-leading third shorthanded goal - while Samuel Bolduc and Fredrik Karlstrom also lit the lamp against the Penguins. Marcus Hogberg (0-3-2) made 38 saves.
Watch tonight's game live: AHLTV on FloHockey
Listen to tonight's radio broadcast: Mixlr
ISLANDERS VS. THUNDERBIRDS
Tonight’s game is the first of 10 meetings between the Islanders and Thunderbirds this season, and the first of five at MassMutual Center. The Atlantic Division rivals will faceoff again in a 10:35 a.m. rematch next Wednesday morning. In fact, each of the first four meetings will take place in Springfield before the series shifts to Total Mortgage Arena on Jan. 15th. Bridgeport was rock solid against Springfield last season, earning points in 10 of the 12 meetings overall (8-2-2-0).
VIEW FROM SPRINGFIELD
The St. Louis Blues’ affiliate shares fifth place in the Atlantic Division, going 3-5-0-0 (six points) through its first eight games of the season. The Thunderbirds open a three-game homestand tonight and are seeking their second straight win following a 5-2 victory in Hartford last Sunday. Five different skaters found the back of the net including rookie Tanner Dickinson’s first goal of the season, which stood as the game winner in Springfield largest margin of victory this year. Dylan Peterson chipped in two assists and leads the T-Birds in goals (four) and points (six) so far. He’s tied for second among all AHL rookies in goals and shares sixth in scoring.
PINHO SCORES ANOTHER
Brian Pinho leads the Islanders with five goals this season and has scored one goal in each of the last four games. He has a chance to match his career-long goal streak tonight after he scored goals in five straight games as a member of the Utica Comets from Nov. 2, 2022 - Nov. 19, 2022. The 29-year-old center notched his league-leading third shorthanded goal of the season in Wednesday’s loss to the Penguins. He also leads the AHL in shorthanded points (three). Pinho’s current four-game goal streak is tied for the longest active and overall streak in the AHL this year.
SIX PACK
Chris Terry has points in six straight games (one goal, six assists) dating back to Oct. 16th, the longest streak for any Islander this season. His six-game assist streak is the longest in the AHL (active and overall), while his six-game point streak is tied for the second-longest active streak in the AHL behind San Jose’s Collin Graf (seven). Already the AHL’s all-time active leader in goals (312) and points (436), Terry has 146 points (58 goals, 88 assists) in 136 career games with Bridgeport dating back to 2021. That ranks seventh on the team’s all-time list behind Trevor Smith, who had 149 points from 2006-10.
QUICK HITS
Fredrik Karlstrom scored a goal in his 200th North American game between the NHL and AHL on Wednesday... Karlstrom has four goals in his last five games... Samuel Bolduc has points in three straight games (one goal, two assists) after recording his first goal of the season on Wednesday... Alex Jefferies has points in five of his seven contests this season and is currently tied for sixth among AHL rookies in scoring (three goals, three assists).
AFFILIATES
New York Islanders (3-5-2): Last: 2-0 L at Columbus, Wednesday -- Tonight at Buffalo, 7 p.m. ET
Worcester Railers (2-3-0-0): Last: 3-1 L at Norfolk, Wednesday -- Tonight at Norfolk, 7:05 p.m. ET