Weekend Preview: Islanders visit Checkers
Oct 27, 2023
THE STORY COMING IN
The Bridgeport Islanders (2-2-1-0) return to the road this weekend for a two-game set against Florida’s affiliate, the Charlotte Checkers (2-3-0-0), at Bojangles Coliseum. Puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Friday and 6 p.m. on Saturday. The Islanders have been off since Sunday when Tanner Fritz notched his first goal back with the organization and Matthew Maggio scored for the second straight game in a 3-2 overtime loss to the Hershey Bears. Jakub Skarek (2-1-1) made 19 saves during his third consecutive start, and his second straight at home.
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GAME AT A GLANCE
Friday's game marks the first of eight meetings between the Islanders and Checkers this season, and the first of four in North Carolina. The Islanders return to the Queen City for another two-game set on Dec. 15-16. Bridgeport went 3-3-0-0 against the Checkers last season and 2-1-0-0 in those contests at Bojangles Coliseum.
VIEW FROM CHARLOTTE
The Checkers enter the weekend on a two-game slide and tied for sixth in the Atlantic Division. They let a 3-1 lead in the final six minutes slip away in a 4-3 regulation loss to the Rochester Americans on Wednesday. Former Hartford forward Patrick Khodorenko registered his team-leading third goal of the season that night, while rookies Jake Wise and Michael Benning also scored. Rasmus Asplund had two assists and goaltender Spencer Knight (1-2-0) made 21 saves. Charlotte is led by head coach Geordie Kinnear, who enters his fourth season with the Checkers.
SCARY SEASON
Fifth-year goaltender Jakub Skarek, nicknamed “Scary” by his teammates, has gone the distance in four of Bridgeport’s first five games. In fact, Skarek leads all AHL goalies in minutes played (244:20) and ranks sixth in saves (97). The 23-year-old enters the weekend with a 2-1-1 record, a 2.46 goals-against-average, and .907 save percentage.
LEADING THE WAY
Ruslan Iskhakov set up Matthew Maggio’s power-play goal in the second period on Sunday, giving him a team-best six points through five games. The 2023 AHL All-Star also shares the team lead in goals (2) and assists (4), and is tied for 21st in the league’s scoring race. Iskhakov, the New York Islanders’ 43rd overall pick in 2018, ranked third among all AHL rookies with 51 points in 69 games last season. His 34 assists ranked third on the club and were second-most among AHL rookies.
MAGGIO MAKING IT HAPPEN
Twenty-year-old winger Matthew Maggio enters the weekend with goals in back-to-back games - his first two professional goals. His first pro goal came 9:31 into the second period on Saturday, a bar-down blast in his seventh pro game. Maggio, a fifth-round draft pick of the big club in 2022, has two goals and three assists in eight games with Bridgeport. He is the defending Ontario Hockey League Player of the Year, winning the Red Tilson Trophy as the OHL’s Most Outstanding Player last season. Maggio led the league with 54 goals and 111 points in 66 games as Windsor Spitfires captain.
QUICK HITS
Kyle MacLean enters the weekend with four points in his last three games (2g, 2a)... Tanner Fritz has points in back-to-back games and continues to climb up many franchise records… With a goal on Sunday, Fritz moved into a tie for ninth place on the team’s all-time scoring list with 137 points (47g, 90a)… He is sixth on the team’s all-time assists list, one behind Josh Ho-Sang (2016-20) for fifth… The Checkers are outscoring opponents 6-1 in second periods, but are being outscored 10-5 in thirds.