Recap: Penguins 3, Islanders 1

Jan 28, 2023

The Bridgeport Islanders (18-17-6-1), American Hockey League affiliate of the New York Islanders, went toe-to-toe with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (20-16-2-3) on Saturday but came up short in a 3-1 loss at Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza.

 

It snapped the Islanders’ three-game win streak on the road. Cole Bardreau recorded his 11th goal of the season early in the second period, while Jakub Skarek (5-10-3) made 18 saves.

 

RECAP

 

Valtteri Puustinen scored two goals for the Penguins and bookended the contest with his 15th and 16th goals respectively. He made it 1-0 at the 8:54 mark on a one-timer from the left circle during one of Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s four power plays. Alexander Nylander and Drake Caggiula had the assists.

 

Bardreau got the Islanders back even at 4:32 of the second, playing catch with Erik Brown across the top of the crease before letting go of a one-time blast from the left side. Jeff Kubiak also picked up a helper on the even-strength tally.

 

Ty Grover netted the eventual game-winning goal at 16:53 of the second period after the Islanders turned it over in their zone and Glover beat Skarek’s blocker from above the right hash marks. It was Glover’s second goal of the season.

 

Puustinen capped the 3-1 final with an empty-net tally in the final 43 seconds.

 

The Islanders went 0-for-4 on the power play and 3-for-4 on the penalty kill.

 

Next Time Out: The Islanders complete a three-game road trip on Sunday with a 3 p.m. matchup against the Hershey Bears at Giant Center. The game can be heard on the Bridgeport Islanders Radio Network or seen via AHLTV.