Recap: Islanders 3, Thunderbirds 1
Jan 31, 2024
Carsen Twarynski scored his first goal as an Islander on Wednesday, part of three unanswered goals in the third period, to lift the Bridgeport Islanders (12-24-5-0), American Hockey League affiliate of the New York Islanders, to a 3-1 win over the Springfield Thunderbirds (20-18-3-2) at Total Mortgage Arena.
The Islanders’ fourth line also came up big, as Jeff Kubiak and Cole Bardreau each scored once and added an assist, and Eetu Liukas recorded two assists. Jakub Skarek (4-16-4) turned aside 21 shots to backstop Bridgeport’s first regulation win since Dec. 22nd and its first at home since Nov. 26th.
The Islanders outshot the Thunderbirds 43-22 and reached a new season high in shots on target.
BOX SCORE
The Thunderbirds broke the ice 4:09 into the game when Matthew Peca tapped home a back-door feed while cutting through the left circle. Dylan Coghlan set up the scoring chance with a diagonal pass above the right circle. Wyatt Kalynuk was credited with the secondary assist on Peca’s 10th goal of the season.
Bridgeport failed to solve Malcolm Subban during the first and second periods despite 29 combined shots.
The Islanders finally found their offensive touch in the third, exploding for three unanswered goals in a span of seven minutes. Bridgeport got on the board at the 2:35 mark with Kubiak’s seventh goal of the season and fifth against Springfield. Bardreau let one fly from the slot and Kubiak found the rebound in the crease, shoveling it past Subban. Liukas recorded the secondary assist on the game-tying goal.
Bridgeport took the lead 9:17 into the period by capitalizing on the power play with Twarynski’s first goal with the team. William Dufour fed a nice back-door pass to Twarynski, where he whacked home a five-hole shot to make it 2-1. Karson Kuhlman was also credited with an assist on the go-ahead tally.
Bardreau extended the Islanders lead just 18 seconds later when he and Kubiak forced a turnover at center ice. Bardreau moved in on a breakaway and fired a shot low, glove side, past Subban. Kubiak and Liukas recorded assists on the insurance goal.
Bridgeport finished the game 1-for-4 on the power play and 4-for-4 on the penalty kill. The Islanders improved to 4-2-2-0 against the Thunderbirds this season and 3-0-1-0 in those games at home.
Next Time Out: The Islanders finish a three-game homestand with a 7 p.m. rematch against the Thunderbirds on Friday. The game can be seen live on AHLTV.com or heard for free via the Bridgeport Islanders Radio Network.