Recap: Islanders 3, Bruins 1
Nov 19, 2023Eetu Liukas registered his first American Hockey League goal on Sunday afternoon, which stood as the game winner to lift the Bridgeport Islanders (5-9-1-0), American Hockey League affiliate of the New York Islanders, to a 3-1 victory against the Providence Bruins (6-7-1-2) at Total Mortgage Arena.
Brian Pinho and Karson Kuhlman also scored, while Tanner Fritz and Dennis Cholowski each tallied two assists. Jakub Skarek (3-6-1) was sensational between the pipes, making 29 saves.
The Islanders took the lead 11:32 into the contest, capitalizing on the power play with Pinho’s hard wrist shot from the right circle. Cholowski and Ruslan Iskhakov set up the power-play tally – the only goal for either team until 7:34 of the third period.
After a scoreless middle frame, Bridgeport extended its lead with Liukas’ first AHL goal. His one-time slap shot from a tough angle squeaked through Brandon Bussi’s pads to make it 2-0. Cholowski and Fritz both got credited with assists.
With time winding down in the third, Joey Abate had a golden opportunity on a slam dunk near the crease to get the Bruins on the board, yet Skarek had other ideas. The Islanders’ goaltender stretched across the crease with his right pad for a spectacular, highlight-reel save.
Kuhlman found himself on a breakaway at 11:53 of the third period, going forehand-to-backhand for his second goal of the weekend, extending Bridgeport’s lead to 3-0. Fritz executed the stretch pass to find Kuhlman in alone, tallying the primary assist.
Just 43 seconds later, the Bruins ended Skarek’s potential shutout, as John Farinacci tapped home a Justin Brazeau feed in the crease.
Bridgeport held on during the final minutes of regulation for the win, relying on more heroics from Skarek. The Islanders finished the game 1-for-2 on the power play and 2-for-2 on the penalty kill.
Next Time Out: The Islanders return to the road for their next contest on Wednesday night, facing the Springfield Thunderbirds at MassMutual Center in Springfield, Massachusetts. The puck drops at 7:05 pm and the game can be seen live on AHLTV.com.