Sound Tigers Win Third Straight on Saturday
Apr 24, 2021The Bridgeport Islanders (6-13-1-0), American Hockey League affiliate of the New York Islanders, extended their winning streak to three games with a 4-3 victory against the Hartford Wolf Pack (11-8-1-0) at the XL Center on Saturday.
The Sound Tigers scored four times for the third straight contest and Blade Jenkins and Bobo Carpenter led the way with two points each (one goal, one assist). Cole Coskey and Tom Kuhnhackl also scored. It’s the longest winning streak for Bridgeport since Nov. 23, 2019 - Nov. 29, 2019.
The Sound Tigers struck first for the fourth straight game when Jenkins capitalized on a breakaway at 7:14 of the opening period. Carpenter poked the puck to Parker Wotherspoon in his own zone and Wotherspoon advanced a long stretch pass to Jenkins behind Hartford’s defense. Jenkins received the pass and guided a wrist shot past Adam Huska’s reaching glove for his second professional goal.
Hartford answered with its only power-play tally of the afternoon 14 minutes into the second period to make it 1-1. With Cole Bardreau in the box for holding, Tim Gettinger settled the puck behind Ken Appleby’s net and directed a pass to the right circle where Greco sent a one-time shot blocker side.
Coskey’s third tally of the season and second on the power play kicked off a five-goal third period that ultimately sent Bridgeport to a narrow victory. Simon Holmstrom cut in from the right wing and tried to force a shot under the Wolf Pack netminder, but Huska turned the initial chance away. The rebound eluded his stick and Coskey cleaned it up below the hash marks exactly one minute in.
Kuhnhackl gave the Sound Tigers their largest lead of the contest when he scored his third goal of the season at the 5:05 mark to make it 3-1. Jeff Kubiak blocked a shot in his own zone and then skated the puck down the right wing after receiving a pass from Bardreau. He brushed a backhanded centering feed to Kuhnhackl in front, who made a flashy move and beat Huska’s glove.
Zach Giuttari cut Bridgeport’s lead to 3-2 with his third goal of the season on a long wrister that beat Appleby’s blocker. An initial shot was blocked by Jenkins near the blue line, but he converted on the second chance at 13:13 of the third period.
Carpenter responded less than four minutes later with the eventual game-winning goal at 17:06. Jenkins centered a pass to Kyle MacLean’s stick, where he was denied from the doorstep, but Carpenter jammed home the rebound for his fourth goal of the year and second in as many trips to Hartford.
Justin Richards got the Wolf Pack back to within one in the final 12 seconds, but the Sound Tigers held on and improved to 4-6-0-0 in the series.
The Sound Tigers finished the contest 1-for-5 on the power play and 5-for-6 on the kill. Appleby (3-2-0) made a season-high 30 saves on 33 shots, while Huska (7-3-0) turned aside 21 of the 25 chances he faced. The contest also included one fight when MacLean and Paul Thompson dropped the gloves at 19:01 of the second period.
Next Time Out: The Sound Tigers return to Webster Bank Arena next Tuesday, Apr. 27th for a 1 p.m. rematch against the Wolf Pack. Fans can follow all of the live action via AHLTV or the Sound Tigers Radio Network, beginning with the pre-game show at 12:45 p.m.