The Bridgeport Report: Week 18
Feb 21, 2023Six different players recorded at least three points over the weekend as the Bridgeport Islanders (22-19-7-1), the American Hockey League affiliate for the New York Islanders, swept a trio of Atlantic Division opponents to jump back into a playoff spot.
Bridgeport holds the Atlantic’s sixth and final post-season position with 52 points in 49 games. There are 23 games and 53 days left in the 2022-23 regular season.
The Islanders tackled their final “three-in-three series” this past weekend, beginning with a 6-3 win against the Hartford Wolf Pack at XL Center on Friday. Chris Terry showed out in his 900th pro game, tallying a goal and three assists for the club’s first four-point night of the season. Ruslan Iskhakov matched his career high with three assists and sparked a seven-point weekend overall (two goals, five assists). Arnaud Durandeau, Jeff Kubiak, Jimmy Lambert (pictured, first AHL goal), William Dufour and Otto Koivula all found the back of the net, while Jakub Skarek (8-11-3) made 34 saves.
Bridgeport’s lone home contest of the weekend was a wild, 5-4 overtime win against the Springfield Thunderbirds on Saturday. Springfield held a 4-1 lead through the opening 23 minutes, but Bridgeport stormed back to stun the Thunderbirds in front of more than 4,500 energetic fans. Durandeau’s first-period tally was his sixth goal in six games, while Samuel Bolduc and Iskhakov brought the contest within one at the end of the second, making up for Martin Frk’s first-period hat trick. Dennis Cholowski picked the perfect time for his first goal of the season, tying the game with 55.7 seconds left before Koivula ended it in OT on a slick no-look backhand. Cory Schneider (14-5-3) made 22 saves.
The winning streak continued Sunday with a 2-1 victory over the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins at Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza. All three goals came in the first nine minutes of play, as Terry capitalized just 39 seconds in and Iskhakov’s 11th of the season were all Bridgeport needed. Skarek dazzled again, making 30 saves on 31 shots faced, for his first two-game win streak this season.
The Islanders close out February with three home games in four days against the Belleville Senators (Thursday), Charlotte Checkers (Saturday), and Lehigh Valley Phantoms (Sunday). It also begins a season-long, six-game homestand that runs through Mar. 5th. All games can be seen via AHLTV.com or heard on the Bridgeport Islanders Radio Network. Tickets for all games can be purchased here.
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The Week Ahead
Thursday, Feb. 23 vs. Belleville Senators (7 p.m.): It’s the first of two meetings between the Islanders and Senators this season, and the only matchup in Connecticut. They will meet again in Belleville, Ontario on Mar. 24th. Bridgeport went 0-2-0-0 against Belleville last season with both games ending in regulation by a 3-2 count. In fact, the Ottawa Senators’ affiliate has won each of the last four meetings. Bridgeport’s last victory came on Mar. 23, 2019 when Steve Bernier and Scott Eansor scored in a 2-1 win at home.
Saturday, Feb. 25 vs. Charlotte Checkers (7 p.m.): The Checkers visit Total Mortgage Arena for the third and final time before a three-game series in North Carolina next month. The Islanders are 1-1-0-0 in two meetings this season including a 4-3 shootout win on Nov. 1st and a 4-1 loss on Nov. 18th. The first 2,500 fans in attendance will take home a “Storm” mascot bobblehead and the Islanders will sport their new third-jersey, “Fisherman” design for the very first time!
Sunday, Feb. 26 vs. Lehigh Valley Phantoms (5 p.m.): Round six between the Islanders and Philadelphia Flyers’ affiliate is Sunday night at 5 p.m. Bridgeport will look to improve its 2-2-1-0 record in the series following a 3-0 setback in Pennsylvania on Feb. 13th. Sunday is also Kid’s Day, featuring $10 tickets for all kids 12 and younger at the Total Mortgage Arena Yale New Haven Health Box Office or online.
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Ice Chips
Arnaud-geddon: Arnaud Durandeau scored his 13th goal of the season, and sixth in his last six games, on Saturday night against Springfield, putting himself in a great spot to earn his first promotion to the NHL. That call officially came after minutes after the game ended when he was emergency recalled by the New York Islanders. Durandeau, who has 86 points (37 goals, 49 assists) in 147 AHL games, made his NHL debut on Monday night in Pittsburgh, where he drew two penalties, recorded four shots on net, and finished with a plus-1 rating in 14:09. He became the sixth Bridgeport player to make his NHL debut this season, most since 2013-14 (nine).
Rookie Report: With a seven-point weekend (two goals, five assists), AHL All-Star Ruslan Iskhakov moved into sixth place in rookie scoring with 38 points (11 goals, 26 assists) in 46 games… Iskhakov is second among all AHL rookies in assists… William Dufour tallied four points (one goal, three assists) over the weekend including a three-assist performance on Saturday... His 16 goals on the season share eighth most among all AHL first-year players.
Otto in OT: Otto Koivula scored twice and had four points last weekend including the overtime winner just 1:15 into the extra session on Saturday. It was his 12th goal of the season and his second game winner. It’s also 56th career goal with Bridgeport, tying him with Mike Halmo (2011-16) for ninth on the team’s all-time list. He is tied for fifth on the team’s all-time points list (149) and ranks fourth in assists (93).
Are You Surprised?: Chris Terry scored his 16th goal of the season just 39 seconds into Sunday’s game against the Penguins, Bridgeport’s quickest goal to start a game this season. He registered his team-leading 13th multi-point performance, and his first four-point effort of the season on Friday, all while playing his 900th professional game between the NHL, AHL and KHL. The 33-year-old veteran continues to lead the Islanders in points (49), assists (33), and shots on goal (150). He is tied for 10th among all AHL players in points and ranks ninth in assists. Terry has 12 points (five goals, seven assists) in his last eight games and is 32nd on the AHL’s all-time scoring list.
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Team Leaders
Goals: Andy Andreoff* (20)
Assists: Chris Terry (33)
Points: Chris Terry (49)
Shots: Chris Terry (150)
Plus/Minus: Parker Wotherspoon* (+12)
Penalty Minutes: Seth Helgeson (67)
Power-Play Goals: Andy Andreoff, Arnaud Durandeau (8)
Wins: Cory Schneider (14)
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Across the Sound: With points in three of their last four games, the New York Islanders (29-24-7) have risen to fourth in the Metropolitan Division and first in the Eastern Conference Wild Card race. The Islanders host two of their next three games, playing Winnipeg on Wednesday night and Los Angeles on Friday before heading to Winnipeg on Sunday. Bo Horvat has continued his hot start on Long Island, tallying six points (four goals, two assists) in eight appearances, including a goal and assist in a 4-2 win at Pittsburgh on Monday.