Preview: Islanders at Thunderbirds
Oct 28, 2022
THE STORY COMING IN
The Bridgeport Islanders (4-1-0-0) look for their fifth straight win tonight as they open a brief, two-game road trip at 7:05 p.m. against the Springfield Thunderbirds (2-3-0-0). The Islanders are 2-1-0-0 on the road this season, while the T-Birds are 0-2-0-0 at MassMutual Center. Last time out, Bridgeport used a strong effort on special teams in a 5-2 win over the Hartford Wolf Pack on Sunday. The Islanders went 1-for-2 on the power play and 4-for-4 on the penalty kill, including their first shorthanded goal of the season from Kyle MacLean. Andy Andreoff, Paul Thompson, Hudson Fasching and Cole Bardreau also scored, while Cory Schneider made 34 saves.
LISTEN LIVE: https://bit.ly/BridgeportIslanders
WATCH: AHLTV.com
GAME AT A GLANCE
Tonight’s game is the second of 12 meetings between the Islanders and T-Birds this season, and the second of six in Massachusetts. Bridgeport is 1-0-0-0 in the series following a 3-2 victory on Oct. 15th. Chris Terry scored the eventual game-winner just 16 seconds into the second period, while Otto Koivula and Ruslan Iskhakov (first AHL goal) also lit the lamp.
VIEW FROM SPRINGFIELD
The Thunderbirds are on a two-game win streak after dropping each of their first three. Springfield has been off since last Saturday when they completed a three-game Canadian road trip with a 3-2 victory at Belleville. Nathan Todd, who leads the team in goals (4) and points (5), joined Will Bitten and Dmitrii Samorukov as the goal scorers, while Joel Hofer (1-3-0) made 22 saves. Springfield plays three games in three days this weekend, ending with a home-and-home series against the Providence Bruins.
FOUR SCORE
Forwards Hudson Fasching and Ruslan Iskhakov are both on a four-game point streak entering the weekend. Iskhakov has one goal and four assists over that span and leads the Islanders with six points through the first five games (2g, 4a). Iskhakov also shares third place among all AHL rookies in points and assists.
FASCHING’S FAST START
In addition to his four-game point streak, Hudson Fasching has scored a goal in three straight games and currently leads Bridgeport in that category. It is tied for the longest goal streak of his seven-year pro career (also goals in three straight Nov. 15, 2019 - Nov. 20, 2019 with Tucson). Fasching shares fifth on the team in points (3g, 1a) and is third in shots (12) after a game-high six on Sunday.
SCHNEIDER STAYS PERFECT
Cory Schneider is 3-0-0 with a 2.63 goals-against-average and .908 save percentage to begin the year. The veteran goaltender re-signed a one-year deal in September to return to the organization for a third straight season. He went 3-2-0 with a .927 save percentage during the 2022 Calder Cup Playoffs and finished the 2021-22 regular season with a .921 saves rate in 30 games, fifth best in the league.
QUICK HITS
Brent Thompson is two wins away from becoming the 22nd AHL head coach to reach 300 victories (all with Bridgeport)… The Isles are 4-0-0-0 when scoring first and 3-0-0-0 when leading after 20 minutes… Bridgeport has a chance to win five straight games for the first time since Feb. 16, 2018 - Mar. 3, 2018 (seven games)… The last time Bridgeport scored five or more goals in three straight games was Nov. 3, 2018 - Nov. 10, 2018 (four games)... Samuel Bolduc has five points from the blue line (1g, 4a), tied for fourth among all AHL defensemen.
AFFILIATES
New York Islanders (3-4-0); Last: 3-0 W vs. NYR, Wednesday -- Next: Tonight at CAR, 7 p.m. ET
Worcester Railers (3-0-0-0); Last: 6-3 W at TR, Wednesday -- Next: Tomorrow at ADK, 7 p.m. ET