Preview: Islanders at Wolf Pack
Mar 29, 2023THE STORY COMING IN
The Bridgeport Islanders (30-25-7-1) look for their third straight win tonight as they continue a four-game road trip against the Hartford Wolf Pack (28-25-4-7) at XL Center. Puck drop is set for 7 p.m. The Islanders have returned to the States following a two-game sweep in Canada last week, including a 5-2 win against the Belleville Senators on Friday night. Arnaud Durandeau scored twice for the second consecutive game and Andy Andreoff recorded his 31st goal of the season, which led the AHL at the time, while Dennis Cholowski had three assists. Jakub Skarek (12-14-3) made 22 saves.
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WATCH: AHLTV.com
PLAYOFF PICTURE
The Islanders hold the sixth and final playoff spot in the Atlantic Division with nine games left in the regular season. They are just one point ahead of the seventh-place Hartford Wolf Pack, with one game in hand. However, Bridgeport is just four points behind the fifth-place Lehigh Valley Phantoms and five points behind the Springfield Thunderbirds. The Islanders’ magic number to clinch a playoff spot is 16. The Providence Bruins and Hershey Bears have already clinched a playoff berth in the Atlantic Division.
ISLANDERS VS. WOLF PACK
Tonight’s game is the 11th of 12 meetings between the Islanders and Wolf Pack this season, and the fifth of six matchups at XL Center. The series is dead even at 5-5-0-0 and all 10 meetings have been decided in regulation. Bridgeport is 2-2-0-0 in those games in Hartford. The Wolf Pack have won each of the last three meetings by a 19-7 differential, including a 3-2 victory in their last contest on Mar. 18th at Total Mortgage Arena. There have been 84 total goals in the series and the winning team has scored at least four goals all but once.
VIEW FROM HARTFORD
The Wolf Pack are 4-5-1-0 in their last 10 games but remain right on Bridgeport’s heels for a playoff spot, one point back with one more game played. Hartford is coming off a 5-1 win against the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins on Sunday, scoring three goals in the first period en route to a convincing victory. Turner Elson, Zac Jones and Will Lockwood each scored once and added an assist, while Louis Domingue (17-12-8) made 27 saves. It was Domingue’s fourth straight win, a stretch beginning with a 21-save effort against Bridgeport on Mar. 15th.
HELGESON MAKES HISTORY TONIGHT
Seth Helgeson is expected to play his 369th game with the organization tonight, breaking Mark Wotton’s franchise record (2006-11) for all-time games played. Wotton was Bridgeport’s captain for five seasons and no one had come close to his 368 games played until now. Tonight marks Helgeson’s 587th career AHL game between Bridgeport and the Albany Devils. He is one of two players to participate in all 63 games so far this season (along with Jeff Kubiak). Helgeson made his Bridgeport debut on Oct. 7, 2017 and has 93 points (15g, 78a) since then.
QUICK HITS
Arnaud Durandeau has scored twice in back-to-back games for the first time in his pro career and has six goals this month... Durandeau is tied for third on the team with a career-high 19 goals this season... Ruslan Iskhakov is on a three-game point streak (1g, 2a) and ranks second among all AHL rookies with 49 points (17g, 32a)... He also shares second among rookies in assists... Andy Andreoff has scored at least one goal in five of his last six games and six of his last eight... Andreoff has 10 goals this month and a career-high 31 goals this season, currently second in the AHL… Iskhakov and Chris Terry lead all players in the series against Hartford with 13 points apiece.
AFFILIATES
New York Islanders (38-28-8): Last: 5-1 W vs. New Jersey, Monday -- Next: Tonight at Washington, 7:30 p.m. ET
Worcester Railers (32-30-3-0): Last: 2-1 L at Adirondack, Saturday -- Next: Tonight vs. Trois-Rivieres, 7:05 p.m. ET