The Bridgeport Report: Week 7
Nov 30, 2022By Dalton Rice | Bridgeport Islanders
Arnaud Durandeau (one goal, five assists) and Chris Terry (one goal, five assists) had six points each to help the Bridgeport Islanders (11-3-4-0) compile 17 goals over their last three games, going 2-1-0-0 during that span.
The Islanders are tied with Hershey for second place in the Atlantic Division with 26 points.
Bridgeport hosted the Hartford Wolf Pack (5-7-1-4) for the third time this season last Wednesday and improved to 3-0-0-0 against the Rangers’ affiliate with a 6-3 win. Following the trend of the last two visits, the Islanders lit the lamp six more times. Otto Koivula (two goals, one assist), Jeff Kubiak (one goal, one assist), Terry (one goal, one assist), Cole Bardreau, and Samuel Bolduc had the goals, while Durandeau added three assists. Cory Schneider (8-1-1) made 24 saves.
The Islanders traveled to Rochester, N.Y. on Friday for the first of two contests against the Americans (10-6-1-1). Andy Andreoff earned his second career hat trick, and his first AHL hat trick since December 17, 2014, in a back-and-forth game that Bridgeport miraculously sent to overtime before falling 6-5. Kubiak and Durandeau also scored for the Islanders, while Terry recorded three assists. Jakub Skarek (3-2-3) had 21 saves as Bridgeport outshot the Buffalo Sabres’ affiliate, 33-27.
Bridgeport returned home on Sunday and defeated the Springfield Thunderbirds (7-8-0-4) in a 6-4 final. The St. Louis Blues’ affiliate opened the scoring just 2:25 into the first period before the Islanders took over with a four-goal second. Andreoff’s second goal in as many games broke a 4-4 tie late in regulation and went down as his league-leading seventh on the power play. Schneider made 30 saves and Bridgeport finished a perfect 2-for-2 on the man advantage.
The Islanders have three games in a five-day span this week, with the first coming tonight at home against the Providence Bruins (7 p.m.). The game can be seen on AHLTV.com and heard via the Bridgeport Islanders Radio Network.
The Week Ahead
Wednesday, Nov. 30 vs. Providence (7 p.m.): Bridgeport hosts the Boston Bruins’ affiliate (12-2-3-2) tonight for the fifth of 12 meetings this season. The Atlantic Division leaders are also the only AHL team without a regulation loss on the road this season. Bridgeport is 2-2-0-0 against Providence, with both wins coming in overtime at Amica Mutual Pavilion. Will Dufour has scored three goals in four games against the Bruins.
Saturday, Dec. 3 at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (6:05 p.m.): The Islanders head to Wilkes-Barre, Penn. for the first time this season to face the Pittsburgh Penguins affiliate’ Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (10-5-1-1) on Saturday. The Penguins visited Bridgeport on Nov. 19th, where the Islanders earned a 4-2 win.
Sunday, Dec. 4 vs. Springfield (3 p.m.): The Islanders host the Springfield Thunderbirds for the second time in as many Sundays. Bridgeport is 2-1-0-0 against the T-Birds this season following its 6-4 win at home last weekend. This Sunday is “Retro Night”, featuring more than 20 retro arcade games available to play for free on the concourse.
Ice Chips
Mr. 700: Chris Terry played his 700th regular-season game in the AHL on Sunday. The 32-year-old winger had one assist to extend his scoring streak to three games (one goal, five assists). Bridgeport’s goals and points leader from 2021-22 is tied for fourth on the team in scoring this season, and shares second in assists. He sits 37th on the AHL’s all-time scoring list with 627 points (266g, 361a) in 700 games.
Scoresheet Stuffers: Seventeen different Islanders have tallied points in the last three games. The usual suspects, those who have floated at the top of the team’s leaderboard all season, shined. Samuel Bolduc (three goals, 15 assists) remains the top dog after a four-point week (one goal, three assists).
Middle Frame Mayhem: The Islanders matched a season high with four goals scored in the second period on Sunday. The team has now scored 26 times in the middle frame and leads the AHL with a +12 differential in second periods.
Century Mark: Samuel Bolduc is expected to play his 100th professional game tonight (all with Bridgeport). The 2019 second-round draft pick is on a five-game point streak (one goal, five assists) and leads all Islanders’ players with 18 points (three goals, 15 assists) this season. He’s second among all AHL defensemen in scoring and tied for second in assists (15). Bolduc has already set new career highs in points and assists. The 2021 Atlantic Division All-Star has 11 goals and 28 assists in 99 career games.
Quick Hits: On Friday, Andy Andreoff recorded the first Bridgeport hat trick since Otto Koivula did so on Jan. 12, 2020… Robin Salo tallied his first AHL point of the season with an assist on Aatu Raty’s second-period goal on Sunday… Cory Schneider has won three straight games… He is third among AHL goalies in wins (eight), 14th in save percentage (.916) and 16th in goals-against-average (2.56).
Team Leaders
Goals: Andy Andreoff (10)
Assists: Samuel Bolduc (15)
Points: Samuel Bolduc (18)
Plus/Minus: Parker Wotherspoon (+10)
Penalty Minutes: Seth Helgeson (28)
Power-play Goals: Andy Andreoff (7)
Shots: Andy Andreoff (53)
Wins: Cory Schneider (8)
Across the Sound
The New York Islanders (15-9-0) sit second in the Metropolitan Division and have the third-most wins in the Eastern Conference. New York had won four straight games dating back to Nov. 21st until falling to Philadelphia, 3-1, last night on the road. Simon Holmstrom, who recorded five points in 15 games with Bridgeport to begin the season, made his National Hockey League debut last Wednesday in a 3-0 win against Edmonton. He earned his first NHL point (assist) in his second game on Friday, a 3-2 win at Columbus. The Islanders return to action this Friday with a 7:30 p.m. matchup against Nashville at UBS Arena.