Preview: Islanders vs. Thunderbirds
Apr 4, 2023THE STORY COMING IN
The Bridgeport Islanders (31-27-7-1) host the Springfield Thunderbirds (36-23-2-5) in front of a sold-out crowd this morning for their annual Healthy Habits School-Day Game at Total Mortgage Arena. Puck drop is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. The Islanders have six games left in the regular season and are looking to gain ground on the sixth-place Hartford Wolf Pack, who hold the Atlantic Division’s final playoff spot by three points. Bridgeport has one game in hand. On Sunday, the Islanders came up short in a 3-2 loss to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms at home. Chris Terry and Grant Hutton each scored, while Cory Schneider (18-10-3) made 22 saves.
LISTEN: https://bit.ly/BridgeportIslanders
WATCH: AHLTV.com
GAME AT A GLANCE
Today’s game is the 12th and final meeting between the Islanders and Thunderbirds this season, and the sixth matchup in Connecticut. It’s the only game in the American Hockey League today. Bridgeport is 5-2-4-0 in the series, but 3-1-1-0 in those games at Total Mortgage Arena, including back-to-back wins Feb. 18th and Mar. 5th. Jakub Skarek earned his second shutout of the season with 33 saves and Cole Bardreau scored two goals in their last meeting on Mar. 5th. Today’s event is Bridgeport’s second and final morning game this season. They beat Charlotte in a shootout at home Nov. 1st by a 4-3 final.
VIEW FROM SPRINGFIELD
The red-hot Thunderbirds have won four straight games including a three-game sweep of the Charlotte Checkers in North Carolina last week, vaulting to third place in the division. They can clinch a playoff berth with a regulation win today. Last time out, Springfield earned its second straight overtime victory against the Checkers when Nikita Alexandrov scored his second goal of the night at 3:26 of OT on Saturday. Alexandrov has 17 goals in just 35 AHL games this season. Martin Frk leads the team with 64 points (30g, 34a) in 61 games, while Joel Hofer (25-14-4) has 25 wins in 43 AHL appearances this season, tied for third most. Hofer is second in shutouts (4) and third in minutes played (2,538:48), saves (1,227) and save percentage (.920).
POWER UP
Success on the power play is always important, but the man advantage could be the difference today. Both Bridgeport and Springfield rank inside the top four in the AHL in power-play percentage, with the Islanders sitting fourth at 22.7%. The T-Birds are second in the league at 23.4%. In fact, Springfield has scored a power-play goal in six straight games and is 8-for-25 over that span (32.0%). The Isles’ man advantage has slowed a bit, going 1-for-11 over its last four games, but still very dangerous.
SCHOOL-DAY SELLOUT
Today’s game marks the first sellout at Total Mortgage Arena this season with 7,653 fans expected to attend, mostly comprised of local students and faculty. More than 50 school groups and youth organizations from Fairfield County, New Haven County, and as far north as New Milford, CT will be on hand. Fans will learn about healthy eating, exercising and fitness habits, as well as math, science, and teamwork lessons surrounding the game of hockey.
QUICK HITS
Chris Terry has three goals and four points (3g, 1a) in his last two games, jumping to sixth in the AHL’s scoring race... He is five points from his career high set in 2017-18 with Laval, when he won the John B. Sollenberger trophy as the league’s top scorer... Andy Andreoff has three goals in his last five games and eight goals in the last nine, remaining second in the AHL behind Calgary’s Matthew Phillips (34)... Arnaud Durandeau has four assists in the last two games and is sitting on 99 career AHL points… The Islanders are 10-3-0-0 this season when puck drop is prior to 5 p.m.
AFFILIATES
New York Islanders (39-30-9): Last: 2-1 L at Carolina, Sunday -- Next: Thursday vs. Tampa Bay, 7:30 p.m. ET
Worcester Railers (33-31-4-0): Last: 3-1 L vs. Adirondack, Saturday -- Next: Tomorrow vs. Maine, 7:05 p.m. ET