The Bridgeport Report: Week 2
October 26, 2022 – American Hockey League (AHL) – Bridgeport Islanders News Release
BRIDGEPORT, Conn. – The Bridgeport Islanders (4-1-0-0), American Hockey League affiliate of the New York Islanders, scored 15 times in three games last weekend and have won four in a row against four different opponents.
Ruslan Iskhakov was one of three Islanders’ players with a five-point weekend, earning one goal and four assists to give him sole possession of the team lead in scoring (six points). Andy Andreoff (two goals, three assists) and Samuel Bolduc (one goal, four assists) also had five points last weekend, while Iskhakov and Hudson Fasching are each on a four-game point streak. Fasching has scored a goal in three straight games.
The Islanders began their impressive weekend with a 5-4 overtime win against the Providence Bruins (3-1-1-0) on the road Friday. William Dufour gave Bridgeport an early lead with his first pro goal just 1:32 into the game, but the Islanders and Bruins went back and forth for all three periods, heading to overtime 4-4. Dufour added his second goal of the game in sudden death to send Bridgeport back to Total Mortgage Arena with the victory. Cory Schneider (3-0-0) made 25 saves on 29 shots.
The Islanders hosted their home opener on Saturday night and celebrated a 5-2 win against the Laval Rocket (1-3-1-0) in front of 5,673 fans. Chris Terry, Simon Holmstrom and Andreoff combined for eight points, while Jakub Skarek (1-1-0) made 28 saves. Terry (one goal, two assists) and Andreoff (three assists) each had a trio of points, while Holmstrom scored his first two goals of the season.
Bridgeport finished its three-game, three-win weekend on Sunday afternoon with another 5-2 victory against the Hartford Wolf Pack (0-2-1-1) at Total Mortgage Arena. The Islanders used a strong performance on special teams to win their fourth straight game, going 1-for-2 on the power play and 4-for-4 on the penalty kill, including their first shorthanded goal of the season from Kyle MacLean. Andreoff, Fasching, Paul Thompson and Cole Bardreau also scored. Schneider stopped 34 shots.
Bridgeport opens a brief, two-game road trip on Friday with a 7:05 p.m. matchup against the Springfield Thunderbirds (2-3-0-0) at MassMutual Center. Twenty-four hours later, the Islanders square off against the Lehigh Valley Phantoms (2-1-1-0) at PPL Center before returning to Bridgeport for a three-game homestand that begins Tuesday morning against the Charlotte Checkers. Fans can follow all of the live action via the Bridgeport Islanders Radio Network and AHLTV.
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The Week Ahead:
Friday, Oct. 28th at Springfield: The Islanders have a five-day break from games before hitting the road to play the Springfield Thunderbirds on Friday night. It marks their second of 12 meetings this season. Last time out, Bridgeport notched a 3-2 victory on Oct. 15th with Otto Koivula, Ruslan Iskhakov and Chris Terry finding the back of the net.
Saturday, Oct. 29th at Lehigh Valley: Bridgeport battles the Philadelphia Flyers’ affiliate for the first time this season on Saturday night at PPL Center. The Islanders won the 2021-22 season series 4-1-1-0. This weekend marks the first of eight meetings between the division rivals.
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Ice Chips
Four Score: Forwards Hudson Fasching and Ruslan Iskhakov are both on a four-game point streak entering the weekend. Iskhakov has one goal and four assists over that span and leads the Islanders with six points through the first five games (two goals, four assists). Iskhakov also shares third place among all AHL rookies in points and is tied for second in assists.
Fasching’s Fast Start: In addition to his four-game point streak, Hudson Fasching has scored a goal in three straight games in currently leads Bridgeport in that category. It is tied for the longest goal streak of his seven-year pro career (also goals in three straight Nov. 15, 2019 – Nov. 20, 2019 with Tucson). The 27-year-old shares fifth on the team in points (three goals, one assist) and is third in shots (12) after a game-high six on Sunday.
Going Streaking: Aside from Fasching and Iskhakov, Chris Terry, Andy Andreoff and Samuel Bolduc are also off to strong starts. Each have points in three straight games. Andreoff and Bolduc had five points in three games last weekend alone, including two power-play goals from Andreoff (leads team). Bolduc has five points from the blue line (one goal, four assists), ranking fifth among all AHL defensemen.
Schneider Stays Perfect: Cory Schneider is 3-0-0 with a 2.63 goals-against-average and .908 save percentage to begin the season. The veteran goaltender re-signed a one-year deal in September to return to the organization for a third straight season. He went 3-2-0 with a .927 save percentage during the 2022 Calder Cup Playoffs and finished the 2021-22 regular season with a .921 saves rate in 30 games, fifth best in the league.
Quick Hits: Brent Thompson is two wins away from 300 as an AHL head coach (all with Bridgeport)… The Islanders are 4-0-0-0 when scoring first and 3-0-0-0 when leading after 20 minutes… Seth Helgeson is three games shy of tying Kyle Burroughs for third on the team’s all-time games played list (313)… Bridgeport has a chance to win five straight games for the first time since Feb. 16, 2018 – Mar. 3, 2018 (seven games)… The last time Bridgeport scored five or more goals in three straight games was Nov. 3, 2018 – Nov. 10, 2018 (four games).
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Across the Sound: The New York Islanders (2-4-0) host the New York Rangers at UBS Arena tonight, looking to erase a three-game slide. The Isles beat San Jose last Tuesday, Oct. 18th before setbacks to the New Jersey Devils, Tampa Bay Lightning and Florida Panthers. Anders Lee (four goals, three assists), Brock Nelson (six assists), and Mathew Barzal (six assists) are each at or above a point-per-game pace through six contests.
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