Recap: Islanders 4, Bruins 3
Jan 5, 2022Richard Panik had two points in the third period including the game-winning goal with just 1:52 left, pushing the Bridgeport Islanders (11-16-3-3), American Hockey League affiliate of the New York Islanders, to a 4-3 win against the Providence Bruins (13-9-3-1) at Webster Bank Arena.
The Islanders bounced back from a 2-0 hole in the second period and 3-2 deficit in the third to record their first win of 2022. Thomas Hickey, Cole Bardreau and Collin Adams also scored once, while Jakub Skarek (8-8-3) made 28 saves.
Bridgeport improved to 2-1-0-2 against the Bruins this season.
Sam Asselin put Providence on top 1-0 at 11:15 of the first period with his third goal of the season. Zach Senyshyn settled Jack Studnicka’s pass and worked towards the front of the net where Asselin buried a loose puck at even strength. Jesper Froden followed up with his sixth goal of the season and third on the power play just 1:59 later to give the visitors a 2-0 advantage.
The Islanders stormed back in the middle frame with back-to-back goals from Hickey and Bardreau to knot the contest after 40 minutes. Michael Dal Colle charged down the right wing at the 9:17 mark and dropped the puck for Koivula, who gathered it in the circle and sent a cross-ice pass to Hickey. The veteran defenseman finished on the left side for his first goal since Feb. 17, 2019. Dal Colle extended his point streak to four games and Koivula pushed his point/assist streak to three.
Bardreau tied the game at 2-2 with his fifth goal in 13 games, which occurred at the 18:50 mark. He and Arnaud Durandeau raced ahead, 2-on-1, from the Providence zone before a sequence of back-and-forth passes set up Bardreau below the hash marks for a forehand shot past a sliding Troy Grosenick.
Cameron Hughes guided the Bruins to 3-2 advantage just 1:41 into the third period, converting his seventh goal of the season from Froden and Steven Fogarty. However, Collin Adams answered with the Islanders’ only power-play tally at the 10:31 mark. All three of his goals in the AHL have come on the power play, including tonight when he stepped into a wrist shot from the left circle and beat Grosenick’s glove with Fogarty in the box for tripping.
The contest remained tied at 3-3 until the final two minutes, when Seth Helgeson wristed a shot into a crowd and Richard Panik finished off a scramble in front for his fourth goal of the season. Both Paul Thompson and Kyle MacLean nudged the puck near the crease, and both players recorded assists on the game-winner.
The Islanders outshot the Bruins 37-31 and finished 1-or-3 on the power play. Providence scored on its only man advantage. The win snapped Bridgeport’s four-game slide and the Bruins’ two-game win streak.
Next Time Out: The Islanders continue a three-game homestand on Saturday with Military Appreciation Night. The puck drops at 7 p.m. against the Charlotte Checkers at Webster Bank Arena. Fans can follow the action all season long via the Bridgeport Islanders Radio Network and AHLTV.