BRIDGEPORT—The Bridgeport Sound Tigers (1-5-2-1) are
trying to fight off their early-season
Bridgeport placed 30 shots on target in Tuesday’s game
against Providence but couldn’t solve goaltender Max Lagace in a 4-0 loss at
home. It was Lagace’s second shutout in five games to start the season and the
first time the Sound Tigers had been silenced since March 27. Captain Kyle
Burroughs accounted for a team-high four shots-on-goal, while Jared Coreau made
29 saves for Bridgeport.
Three days later, Bridgeport completed its homestand against
the Thunderbirds, who came into the contest having beaten a few of the top
teams in the Atlantic Division the previous week. Steve Bernier scored his
first two goals of the season, but the Sound Tigers couldn’t keep pace with
Springfield in a 7-4 loss at Webster Bank Arena. Burroughs and Sebastian Aho
also found the back of the net, helping the Sound Tigers reach the four-goal
mark for the second time this season. Owen Tippett and Dominic Toninato each
scored twice for the T-Birds.
A home-and-home series with the Wolf Pack highlighted the
weekend and provided the Sound Tigers with their best measuring stick of the
young campaign. As the early front-runner in the division, Hartford is
certainly off to a strong start (8-0-0-1), but Bridgeport managed to get a
point on Sunday in a 2-1 overtime loss at home. Grant Hutton had the only goal
and Coreau made 28 saves. However, the Wolf Pack were in full control on
Saturday, earning a 4-1 victory at the XL Center thanks to a multi-point
performance from Danny O’Regan (1g, 1a). Islanders prospect Jakub Skarek made
his AHL debut in that contest and made 30 saves on 34 shots.
The Sound Tigers navigate their second straight “3-in-3”
this weekend against the Syracuse Crunch (3-2-2-0) and Lehigh Valley Phantoms
(3-1-1-2). The series begins on Friday with a 7 p.m. road matchup in Syracuse,
N.Y., before Bridgeport returns home for a Saturday-Sunday doubleheader against
the Phantoms. Fans can follow all of the live action via the Sound Tigers Radio Network and AHLTV, beginning with the pre-game show
15 minutes before each game.
The Week Ahead:
Friday, Nov. 1 at Syracuse (7 p.m.): The Sound Tigers
face their first opponent outside of the division on Friday as they travel to
Upstate New York for the first of four matchups with the Crunch. Tampa Bay’s
affiliate has earned points in back-to-back games entering the weekend
(1-0-1-0) and currently ranks sixth in the North Division.
Saturday, Nov. 2 vs. Lehigh Valley (7 p.m.):
Philadelphia’s affiliate comes to Webster Bank Arena for the first time this
season on Scout
Night! All scouts (boys and girls) can receive a free ticket to the game by
contacting Sound Tigers representative John Reis at 203-345-4848 or John.Reis@harboryardse.com.
Post-game photos on the ice are also available! Saturday’s game will feature
the first of six meetings between the Sound Tigers and Phantoms this season.
Sunday, Nov. 3 vs. Lehigh Valley (5 p.m.): The
Phantoms will spend the night in Bridgeport as daylight savings time rolls
back, setting up for a 5 p.m. rematch this Sunday. The Sound Tigers went
3-2-1-0 against Lehigh Valley last season and 2-1-0-0 in those games at Webster
Bank Arena. Sunday
4-Packs are also available, featuring four (4) tickets, four (4) hot dogs
or pizza slices, four (4) bags of chips, four (4) soft drinks and a pair (2) of
autographed official game pucks for just $89.
Notes & News:
Brotherly Love: Parker and Tyler Wotherspoon could
potentially suit up against each other for the first time ever this weekend.
Tyler is in his first season with the Phantoms after signing a two-year deal
with Philadelphia in July. Both brothers, who are separated in age by four
years, have two points (2a) so far this season. Parker, the younger of the two,
is in his third full season with the Sound Tigers after signing a three-year
entry-level deal with the Islanders in 2016. Parker and Tyler have not faced
each other in the pro ranks, juniors or youth hockey.
Feels Like the First Time: 19-year-old Czech
goaltender Jakub Skarek made his AHL debut on Saturday after being reassigned
from the Worcester Railers (ECHL) two days prior. Skarek, the Islanders’
third-round pick in 2018, made 30 saves on 34 shots in Hartford. He was very
impressive in the ECHL before his recent call-up, recording a 1.42
goals-against-average and a .941 save percentage in Worcester.
Offensive Woes: The Sound Tigers are determined to
climb the ladder in several offensive categories this weekend. Bridgeport is
last in the AHL in shots per game (25.89) and 29th on the power play
(3-for-37), which is a big reason why the team is 28th in goals scored per game
(1.89). The Sound Tigers have been outscored 35-17 in their first nine games of
the season.
Quick Hits: The Sound Tigers have scored first in
four of their nine games this season, but have yet to win when doing
so…Bridgeport went 9-4-2-1 against North Division opponents last season…Steve
Bernier is four points away from his 400th as a pro.
Team Leaders:
Goals: Matt Lorito (3)
Assists: Travis St. Denis, Seth Helgeson (3)
Points: Matt Lorito, Sebastian Aho (4)
Plus/Minus: Jeff Kubiak (+1)
Penalty Minutes: Seth Helgeson (22)
Power Play Goals: 3 tied (1)
Shots: Sebastian Aho (26)
Wins: Christopher Gibson (1)
Affiliate Report:
The New York Islanders (8-3-0) have extended their
winning streak to an NHL-best seven straight games, an achievement the
organization hasn’t accomplished in nearly 30 years. The Isles collected a pair
of 4-2 wins over both Arizona and Ottawa last week, and then beat Philadelphia
on Sunday. Former Sound Tiger Cole Bardreau dished out an assist against his
previous employer (first NHL point) as part of a 5-3 victory over the Flyers.
In addition, former Sound Tiger and current Islanders captain Anders Lee came
up big with a multi-point night. New York will try to extend its win streak to
potentially nine this weekend as they face Tampa Bay at home and Buffalo on the
road. The Sabres currently lead the Atlantic Division.
The ECHL’s Worcester Railers (3-3-0-0) navigated
their own “3-in-3” last weekend with mixed results against the Adirondack
Thunder and Brampton Beast. On Friday, the Railers earned a 4-1 victory at Cool
Insuring Arena in Glens Falls, New York, backstopped by 25 saves from Linus
Soderstrom in his North American pro debut. AHL contracted Nic Pierog also
scored twice to lead the offensive side. However, the next two days would be
see losing efforts in 5-2 (Saturday) and 6-0 (Sunday) setbacks. The Railers are
back in Worcester this weekend with matchups against the Newfoundland Growlers
and Adirondack.
—Staff Reports
#soundtigers / @TheSoundTigers / #AHL / @TheAHL
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