Weekend Preview: Islanders Wrap Up Road Schedule
Apr 15, 2022
The Bridgeport Islanders (29-28-7-4, .507), American Hockey League affiliate of the New York Islanders, hit the road for the final time during the regular season, sitting in a virtual tie for the Atlantic Division’s final playoff spot with four games remaining. The seventh-place Isles tangle with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms (27-30-7-4, .478) and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (31-29-4-4, .515) in a back-to-back set of games that begins tonight at the PPL Center (7:05 p.m.).
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LAST TIME OUT
Kyle MacLean’s spectacular effort on a shorthanded goal in the final two minutes last Sunday proved to be the difference in a 4-2 victory against the Phantoms at Total Mortgage Arena. Cory Schneider (12-10-4) made 42 saves, two shy of his AHL career high, while Andy Andreoff, Austin Czarnik and Simon Holmstrom also scored for the Islanders.
ISLANDERS VS. PHANTOMS
Tonight’s game is the sixth and final meeting between the Islanders and Phantoms this season, and the third of three in Allentown, Penn. Bridgeport is 3-1-1-0 against the Philadelphia Flyers’ affiliate this season and 1-0-1-0 in those games at PPL Center. Austin Czarnik leads all players in the series with three goals and five points in three appearances, while Cory Schneider is 3-0-0 with a 1.33 GAA and .957 save percentage against Lehigh Valley. The eighth-place Phantoms are .029 percentage points behind the Islanders and are coming off a 2-1 win against the Hershey Bears on Wednesday. Alex Kile and Maksim Sushko each scored in third period in the comeback victory.
ISLANDERS VS. PENGUINS
The Islanders play their final road game of the regular season at 6:05 p.m. on Saturday, facing the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins for the third time inside Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza. The Islanders are 2-3-0-0 against the Pittsburgh’s affiliate this season and 0-2-0-0 in those games on the road. The fifth-place Penguins are just .008 percentage points ahead of Bridgeport in the standings and enter the weekend on a two-game losing streak. Filip Hallander scored the Pens lone goal in a 4-1 loss to the Charlotte Checkers on Wednesday.
ROAD RAGE
The Islanders look to snap a two-game slide away from Total Mortgage Arena as they play their 35th and 36th road games of the season. Bridgeport’s road record is 12-15-5-2, but the club has won five of its last eight on the road dating back to Mar. 12th (5-2-1-0). Chris Terry has scored a goal in three straight games away from the Park City, tied for the longest active streak in the AHL.
SEVEN UP
Speaking of Chris Terry, the five-time All-Star enters the weekend on a seven-game point streak (seven goals, two assists). It is one game shy of Bridgeport’s longest point streak of the season (Andy Andreoff, Feb. 15th - Mar. 5th). Terry, who turned 33 on Thursday, continues to lead Bridgeport in many offensive categories: goals (28), points (55), power-play goals (9), power-play points (20), multi-point games (14), shots on goal (194), and game-winning goals (5). The Islanders are 11-1-1-1 when Terry records at least two points in a game this season.
SALO’S POINT STREAK
Robin Salo, the New York Islanders’ 46th overall draft choice in 2017, recorded an assist in all three games last weekend. His three-game point streak matches his longest in the AHL (Nov. 7th - Nov. 12th). Salo is second among Bridgeport defenseman with 19 points (four goals, 15 assists) despite playing just 38 games.
SCHNEIDER KEEPS ROLLING
Cory Schneider is 5-0-2 in his last seven starts with a 1.84 GAA and .951 save percentage during that span. He has faced 30 or more shots in each of those games and at least 40 shots in four of them. Schneider is sixth among all AHL goaltenders with a .922 save percentage in 27 appearances this season. He is 18th in the AHL with a 2.68 GAA.
QUICK HITS
Austin Czarnik has 18 points (five goals, 13 assists) in 14 games since he was reclaimed off waivers from the Seattle Kraken… Simon Holmstrom had three points (one goal, two assists) in three games last weekend… The Islanders are 9-1-0-0 when Holmstrom scores a goal this season… Chris Terry’s 28 goals are the most for any Bridgeport player in a single season since Nino Niederreiter had that many in 2012-13… Seth Helgeson played his 300th game with Bridgeport on Saturday (fourth on the team’s all-time list)… Andy Andreoff’s goal on Sunday was his 100th pro goal.
AFFILIATE UPDATE
New York Islanders (34-30-9); Last: 6-3 L at Pittsburgh, last night -- Next: Tonight at Montreal, 7 p.m. ET
Worcester Railers (32-31-4-2); Last: 3-0 W at Trois-Rivieres, Wednesday -- Next: Tonight at Trois-Rivieres, 7 p.m. ET