Recap: Islanders 3, Thunderbirds 0
Mar 5, 2023Jakub Skarek was lights out on Sunday, making 34 saves for his second shutout of the season, as the Bridgeport Islanders (25-22-7-1), American Hockey League affiliate of the New York Islanders, earned a 3-0 win against the Springfield Thunderbirds (28-21-2-4) at Total Mortgage Arena.
Arnaud Durandeau broke a scoreless deadlock at 3:28 of the third period with his first goal since returning from the NHL. It was his 14th goal of the season, assisted by Chris Terry’s team-leading 52nd point. Cole Bardreau added two empty-net goals in the final 81 seconds.
With the win, the Islanders moved back into a tie with the Hartford Wolf Pack for sixth place in the Atlantic Division standings.
Bridgeport found its footing in the first period, recording 11 shots in the opening 20 minutes that were all snuffed by Springfield netminder Joel Hofer. Both teams saw power-play opportunities, but the game remained scoreless.
It stayed 0-0 after the second period as well with Bridgeport leading 21-18 in shots and both teams going 0-for-2 on the man advantage.
Durandeau capitalized on a Springfield turnover below its goal line early in the third period for the eventual game winner. He scored on a cross-crease feed from Chris Terry that snuck past a fully extended Hofer.
Bardreau got two empty-net goals in the final minutes with a 170-foot shot from behind his own blueline and an automatic goal that was given after being tripped while on a breakaway. Jeff Kubiak and Dennis Cholowski had the helpers on Bardreau’s initial insurance tally, while Seth Helgeson assisted on the last one.
Springfield challenged Skarek (10-12-3) and the Islanders in the third, outshooting Bridgeport 15-12 in the frame, but the 23-year-old goaltender stood tall for his first shutout since Jan. 29th at Hershey.
Next Time Out: The Islanders open a four-game road trip on Wednesday with a 7 p.m. matchup against the Charlotte Checkers at Bojangles Coliseum. Bridgeport and the Florida Panthers’ affiliate will square off for three in a row: Wednesday (7 p.m.), Friday (7 p.m.) and Saturday (6 p.m.). The game can be seen live via AHLTV.com or heard on the Bridgeport Islanders Radio Network.