Recap: Islanders 6, Wolf Pack 3
Feb 17, 2023
Chris Terry had one goal and three assists in his 900th professional game to lift the Bridgeport Islanders (20-19-7-1), American Hockey League affiliate of the New York Islanders, to a 6-3 win against the Hartford Wolf Pack (19-20-3-6) at XL Center on Friday.
He became Bridgeport’s first player to record four points in a game this season and increased his team lead in points (48) and assists (33). Ruslan Iskhakov chipped in three assists and Jimmy Lambert scored his first AHL goal with less than eight minutes to play, which stood as the game winner.
Jakub Skarek (7-11-3) made 34 saves.
BOX SCORE
Arnaud Durandeau’s fifth goal in the last five games put the Islanders ahead 1-0 at 8:10 of the first period. Terry guided a pass to Kyle MacLean on the right side, where he cut to the slot and ripped a shot off goaltender Louis Domingue’s leg pad. The rebound bounced back to the right circle and Durandeau scored from a tough angle for his 12th goal of the season and fourth against the Wolf Pack.
Hartford answered with each of the next two goals to take a 2-1 lead by the early stages of the second period. Ryan Carpenter converted a power-play tally with Erik Brown in the box for tripping to even the contest at 16:13 of the first. Tim Gettinger’s ninth goal of the season came on a redirection just one second after another power play expired 41 ticks into the middle stanza.
Terry sparked a three-goal surge to put the Islanders back out front, and Bridgeport scored five of the final six, improving to 5-2-0-0 against the Wolf Pack this season. The veteran forward altered Paul LaDue’s sweeping shot from the blue line at 7:34 for his 15th goal of the season, assisted by LaDue and Iskhakov. Terry then set up Jeff Kubiak on a rush in transition at the 14:51 mark to make it 3-2 after 40 minutes.
The Islanders continued to pile it on in the third period, scoring three times on eight shots including Lambert’s milestone goal at 12:17. Reece Newkirk, in his season debut with Bridgeport, drove to the net from the right circle before slipping a pass to Lambert in tight for his first AHL goal. It held up as the winner, making it 4-2 at the time.
In addition to his assist, Newkirk also dropped the gloves with Matthew Robertson late in the second period, adding to a rough and rowdy evening that featured 42 combined penalty minutes.
Tempers flared again in the final six minutes of the third when Cristiano DiGiacinto and Kyle MacLean ignited a scrum that included double minors (roughing) to each, along with a 10-minute misconduct accessed to DiGiacinto for continuing an altercation. Iskhakov took a slashing minor and Tanner Fritz was accessed a high-sticking penalty just three seconds later, and Hartford captain Jonny Brodzinski capitalized on the four-on-four sequence to make it 4-3.
That’s as close as the Wolf Pack could get. William Dufour pocketed a power-play goal with a sharp wrist shot past Domingue’s glove at 17:53, his 16th goal of the season, and Otto Koivula found an empty net with 45 seconds left.
The Islanders went 1-for-2 on the power play and 2-for-3 on the penalty kill. Bridgeport leaped over Hartford in the Atlantic Division standings and is now tied with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins for sixth place (48 points).
Next Time Out: The Islanders return to Total Mortgage Arena tomorrow night to face the Springfield Thunderbirds at 7 p.m. on First Responder's Night. The game can be seen via AHLTV.com or heard on the Bridgeport Islanders Radio Network starting with the pre-game show at 6:45 p.m.