The Bridgeport Report: Week 21
Mar 6, 2024
The Bridgeport Islanders won two of their three games last week, including back-to-back wins on the road to open March. By pocketing four standings points, the Islanders closed to within 12 points of a playoff spot in the Atlantic Division. They have 18 games remaining.
The Islanders (18-29-6-1) scored three times in the first period and never looked back in a 4-1 win against the Springfield Thunderbirds at MassMutual Center on Sunday. Matt Maggio, who led Bridgeport with two goals last week, scored for the second straight contest and 12 different Islanders recorded one point. Carsen Twarynski, Brian Pinho, and Karson Kuhlman also lit the lamp. Henrik Tikkanen (7-3-1) made 24 saves for his third straight win. He is 4-0-1 in his last five starts.
On Saturday, Maggio and Ruslan Iskhakov connected on a thing of beauty early in the third period to push the Islanders past the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, 2-1, at PPL Center. Maggio darted to the net, received Iskhakov’s pass, and flipped a backhand shot over Parker Gahagen (5-7-3) after Iskhakov successfully walked around defenseman Emil Andrae above the left circle. Maggio scored his 11th goal of the season at 2:30 of the third period, which also stood as his third game-winning tally. William Dufour added his 11th goal of the year on a career-high 10 shots. Jakub Skarek (5-18-5) made 28 saves.
Bridgeport began the week with a 4-0 loss to the Laval Rocket at Total Mortgage Arena on Wednesday. Laval goaltender Jakub Dobes recorded his first professional shutout with 35 saves. It was Bridgeport's first home regulation loss in more than a month - since January 27th against Providence. It also snapped a six-game point streak at home (4-0-1-1).
Up next, the Islanders tackle their fourth and final “three-in-three” series this weekend. Bridgeport visits Springfield (25-24-3-2) for a 7:05 p.m. rematch at MassMutual Center this Friday before returning home to face the Hartford Wolf Pack (28-17-6-1) on Saturday and the Lehigh Valley Phantoms (23-22-5-2) on Sunday.
All of the action this season can be seen live on AHLTV or heard for free through the Bridgeport Islanders Radio Network, beginning with the Connecticut Lottery Pregame Countdown 15 minutes prior to puck drop.
The Week Ahead:
Friday, Mar. 8th at Springfield (7:05 p.m.): The Islanders face the Thunderbirds for the 12th and final time this season, looking for their fifth consecutive win in the series. Bridgeport is 7-2-2-0 against Springfield this season and has points in seven straight meetings. The Islanders are 2-2-1-0 at MassMutual Center following Sunday’s victory, in which Carsen Twarynski recorded his second game-winning goal. Both game winners, and all three of his goals this season, have come against the T-Birds.
Saturday, Mar. 9th vs. Hartford (7 p.m.): The Islanders host the Wolf Pack for the final time this season on “Hockey & Hops” at Total Mortgage Arena. Through a special ticket package, all fans 21 and older are welcome to attend a pre-game beer tasting from 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. featuring live music and local breweries such as Two Roads, Black Hog, Charter Oak, and more. In addition, the first 2,500 fans will receive a free Storm bobblehead when doors open at 6 p.m. Click here for tickets and more information.
Sunday, Mar. 10th vs. Lehigh Valley (3 p.m.): The first 2,500 kids will take home a free Bridgeport Islanders youth jersey when doors open at 2 p.m. for the weekend finale. It’s the third of six meetings between the Islanders and Phantoms this season, and the second of three at Total Mortgage Arena. Bridgeport has earned points in each of the first two matchups (1-0-0-1). Tickets are on sale now.
Ice Chips:
Maggio Remains Red Hot: Matt Maggio has scored a goal in back-to-back games for the second time in his last seven contests, and now ranks second on the team with 12 goals this season. Maggio has five goals over that span and 12 points (eight goals, four assists) in his last 14 appearances. Maggio is tied for sixth on the Islanders in scoring (20 points) during his rookie campaign. Bridgeport is 7-3-1-0 when Maggio scores a goal and 2-0-0-0 when he records a multi-point performance.
Kowalsky Eyes 300: Rick Kowalsky (pictured) enters the weekend one victory shy of his 300th win as an AHL head coach. The 51-year-old Simcoe, Ont. native will likely become the 26th individual to ever reach that mark. Kowalsky was named Bridgeport’s ninth head coach on July 13, 2023, after spending the past two seasons as an assistant coach under Brent Thompson. Previously, Kowalsky spent eight seasons as head coach with the AHL Devils from 2010-18, guiding those teams to three Calder Cup Playoff appearances, in 2014, 2016 and 2017, and in 2015-16 he earned the Louis A.R. Pieri Award as the AHL’s outstanding coach. He owns a head-coaching record of 299-278-43-46 in the AHL.
Shots, Shots, Shots: The Islanders have outshot their opponents in six straight games dating back to Feb. 21st, earning an impressive 231-171 margin during that span. The Islanders have fired a minimum of 30 shots over that stretch and have only been outshot in 21 games this season (38.9%). Ruslan Iskhakov and William Dufour lead the Islanders with 129 shots-on-goal apiece, including Dufour’s career-high 10 shots last Saturday against Lehigh Valley.
Quick Hits: Islanders captain Seth Helgeson is expected to play his 700th professional game between the AHL and NHL on Friday… Otto Koivula played his 300th pro game in North America last Sunday… The Islanders are 7-1-2-0 when playing on a Sunday this season, but 9-21-3-1 on Fridays and Saturdays… Henrik Tikkanen has won each of his last three starts, most in a row for any Bridgeport goaltender this season… He has a .953 save percentage over his last nine appearances combined.
Across the Sound: The New York Islanders (27-20-14) won their fourth straight game on Tuesday with a come-from-behind victory over the St. Louis Blues, 4-2, at UBS Arena. Bridgeport grad Adam Pelech was named the Second Star of the Game, as the Islanders closed to within four points of the Philadelphia Flyers for a playoff spot. New York also has two games-in-hand on the Flyers heading into a four-game road trip. The Islanders battle the San Jose Sharks in northern California on Thursday night at 10:30 p.m. ET.
By Alan Fuehring | Bridgeport Islanders