The Bridgeport Report: Week 2
Oct 26, 2021The Bridgeport Islanders welcomed fans back to Webster Bank Arena for the first time in more than 590 days this past weekend and earned back-to-back wins at home, their first two victories under the team’s new name.
Robin Salo had a team-high four points (one goal, three assists) in three games over the weekend, including the overtime-winning goal in an incredible come-from-behind victory in Bridgeport’s home opener on Saturday. The Islanders responded from a three-goal deficit more than halfway through the second period, scoring four straight goals including Salo’s first in the AHL at 4:50 of overtime against the Springfield Thunderbirds.
It was Bridgeport’s first win of the season, which came in the Islanders’ inaugural home game under the new moniker. Michael Dal Colle, Arnaud Durandeau and Chris Terry also lit the lamp to help complete the furious comeback.
Bridgeport also faced Springfield to open its second consecutive three-in-three on Friday night, falling 3-1 at the MassMutual Center. Grant Hutton collected his first goal of the season to begin the scoring, but the Thunderbirds had the next three tallies. Ken Appleby (0-1-1) made 35 saves to keep the Islanders close for much of the night.
Jakub Skarek (2-1-1) stole the show on Sunday afternoon in a 3-0 victory against the Laval Rocket. The third-year goaltender made an AHL-career high 37 saves on 37 shots to backstop his second North American shutout. On the opposite end, Anatolii Golyshev scored twice and Terry put the exclamation point on a solid team effort with his team-leading fourth goal of the season (empty net).
The Islanders return to action this weekend with a two-game set against the Providence Bruins (1-2-1-1) on Saturday night and Hartford Wolf Pack (3-1-1-0) Sunday afternoon, both at Webster Bank Arena. Sunday’s contest completes a four-game homestand. Fans can follow all of the live action via the Bridgeport Islanders Radio Network and AHLTV.
The Week Ahead
Saturday, Oct. 30 vs. Providence (7 p.m.) - The Islanders face the Boston Bruins’ top affiliate for the second time this season and their first of six matchups at home. Saturday’s game begins Hallo-Weekend, where the Webster Bank Arena Plaza will be transformed into a haunted fright fest! Walk along the concourse (if you dare) and visit the haunted maze to see some of your favorite horror movie characters come to life. Tickets are on sale now!
Sunday, Oct. 31 vs. Hartford (3 p.m.) - Bridgeport hosts the New York Rangers’ AHL affiliate for the first time this season to cap Hallo-Weekend on Sunday! Bring the family out for a costume contest and a trick-or-treat themed kids’ zone on the concourse. Tickets are just $10 for kids 12 and younger. Get yours now!
Ice Chips
Skarek’s Strong Weekend: After rotating with Ken Appleby for the first five games of the season, New York Islanders prospect Jakub Skarek made back-to-back starts on Saturday and Sunday, making 66 saves on 69 shots (.957), including a 37-save shutout against Laval. Skarek is 2-1-1-1 with a 1.94 goals-against-average and .933 save percentage in four starts this season and currently leads all AHL goalies in minutes played (247:33). He is third in total saves (111).
Anatolii GOAL-yshev: Consistent with his last name, former fourth-round draft pick Anatolii Golyshev has been a goal-scoring machine early on in his North American career. He second on the team with three goals in four games (behind Chris Terry) and he leads Bridgeport with an impressive 42.9% shooting rate. Golyshev spent each of the last eight seasons with Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL), scoring 103 goals and 208 points in 366 career games.
Koivula Extends Scoring Streak: Otto Koivula has an assist in each of his last four games, the Islanders’ longest scoring streak of the season so far. It’s also the longest current assists streak in the AHL and tied for the longest overall (Tyler Angle, Cleveland). Koivula helped set up Golyshev’s second tally of the game on Sunday and earned a plus-2 rating. This is tied for the fourth-longest scoring streak of Koivula’s AHL career and his longest since Feb. 5, 2019 – Feb. 16, 2019 (six games).
Quick Hits: Chris Terry has scored in four of the Islanders’ first five games and paces the team in goals (four) and points (five)… Terry played his 800th professional game last Friday… Michael Dal Colle has two goals and two assists in four appearances and is tied for second on the team in scoring… Captain Seth Helgeson played his 240th game with Bridgeport on Sunday, tying him for 11th place on the team’s all-time games played list (with Justin Mapletoft)… Samuel Bolduc made his season debut on Saturday and finished the weekend with five shots-on-goal and a plus-1 rating.
Team Leaders
Goals: Chris Terry (4)
Assists: Austin Czarnik, Otto Koivula (4)
Points: Chris Terry (5)
Plus/Minus: Michael Dal Colle (+4)
Penalty Minutes: Erik Brown (9)
Shots: Andy Andreoff (23)
Games Played: Many Tied (6)
Across the Sound: The New York Islanders (3-2-1) have points in four straight games following consecutive wins against Arizona and Vegas. Ilya Sorokin become the first goaltender in club history to record shutouts in each game of a back-to-back series (last Saturday and Sunday), which earned him NHL “Third Star of the Week” honors. Former Bridgeport forward Josh Bailey leads New York with four points (one goal, three assists) in six games, while Mat Barzal and former Bridgeport forward Oliver Wahlstrom co-lead the team in goals (three). The Isles continue a record-setting 13-game road trip to open the season with a 1:30 p.m. tilt against the Nashville Predators this Saturday.