Recap: Islanders 4, Checkers 3 (SO)
Nov 1, 2022The Bridgeport Islanders (6-1-1-0), American Hockey League affiliate of the New York Islanders, kickstarted another win streak with a 4-3 shootout victory against the Charlotte Checkers (4-1-1-1) at Total Mortgage Arena on Tuesday.
The win extended Bridgeport’s unbeaten in regulation streak to seven games (6-0-1-0) and pushed its winning streak at home to three (3-0-0-0). Brent Thompson earned his 300th win as an AHL head coach, becoming just the 22nd individual to reach that mark and the fourth active head coach.
The Islanders scored twice on the power play and Cory Schneider made 32 saves to remain perfect (5-0-0). His five victories lead all AHL goaltenders.
William Dufour ended the contest with a goal on his first professional shootout attempt.
Vincent Sevigny started the scoring just 6:10 into the game with his first professional goal, assisted by Jeff Kubiak and Erik Brown. Kubiak retrieved the puck behind Charlotte’s net and despite losing his balance, guided a pass to the left circle, where Sevigny stepped into a wrist shot and beat goaltender Alex Lyon.
Checkers’ defenseman John Ludvig evened the score just 52 seconds later with his first tally of the season, sending a loose puck past a sprawled-out Schneider following Grigori Denisenko’s blast. Less than six minutes later, Charlotte took the lead on Zac Dalpe’s third goal of the season. He capitalized on an Islanders’ turnover in their own end and made it 2-1 at the 12:16 mark.
Bridgeport went 0-for-2 on the man advantage in the first period, but bounced back with a strong, two-goal second period to make it 3-3 entering the third. Aatu Raty skated to the crease and deflected Dennis Cholowski’s long shot from the blue line for his second goal in as many games at 2:11.
Ethan Keppen’s first pro goal for the Checkers made it 3-2 at the 6:51 mark, but Andy Andreoff answered with his league-leading fifth power-play goal at 18:09 (and his 200th career AHL point). Andreoff has now scored in four straight games (all on the power play) and has points in six straight (5g, 6a). In addition, Samuel Bolduc earned the primary assist to extend his scoring streak to six games (1g, 9a). He leads all AHL defensemen in assists and is tied for second overall.
Neither team found the back of the net in the third period or overtime, despite the Islanders enjoying another late power play after Checkers’ rookie Justin Sourdif was called for interference with 27 seconds left.
Dufour notched the only goal in the ensuing three-round shootout, giving Bridgeport its sixth win in its last seven games.
The Islanders went 2-for-6 on the power play and 2-for-2 on the penalty kill. Lyon (1-1-1) made 33 saves for Charlotte.
Next Time Out: The Islanders continue a three-game homestand this Saturday with a 7:05 p.m. puck drop against the Hartford Wolf Pack at Total Mortgage Arena. The contest can be heard live online through the Bridgeport Islanders Radio Network, or seen via AHLTV, beginning with the pre-game show at 6:45 p.m.
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