Recap: Thunderbirds 6, Islanders 3

Dec 30, 2022

The Bridgeport Islanders (14-11-5-1), American Hockey League affiliate of the New York Islanders, scored twice on the power play and nearly tied the game in the final three minutes when Paul Thompson hit the post, but suffered a 6-3 loss to the Springfield Thunderbirds (13-13-1-4) at MassMutual Center on Friday.

Cole Bardreau collected his team-leading second shorthanded goal of the season, and Arnaud Durandeau and Otto Koivula each converted on the man advantage, while Ken Appleby (0-1-1) made 28 saves to close out 2022. Chris Terry had one assist to grab the lead in scoring (30 points) and pushed his point streak to a team-best five games.

Bridgeport’s winless streak was extended to seven games (0-5-1-1) and its skid on the road hit five entering 2023. Bridgeport is 3-2-1-0 against Springfield through six meetings. They will rematch again next Friday, Jan. 6th in Western Massachusetts.

BOX SCORE

Bardreau turned a Springfield power play into a 1-0 advantage at 10:08 of the first period, scoring the team’s fifth shorthanded goal of the season to break the early tie. He created a turnover in the neutral zone and raced to the right circle where he snapped a hard shot past goaltender Vadim Zherenko – unassisted for his seventh of the year overall. The Islanders now share the most shorthanded goals in the Eastern Conference.
 

The T-Birds answered with two goals in a 2:59 span to record a 2-1 lead at the first intermission. Drew Callin deposited his fifth goal of the season at the 14:23 mark before Will Bitten filtered a lengthy, and accurate stretch pass, from his own end to Hugh McGing for a breakaway goal.

Nikita Alexandrov scored twice on the night for Springfield, including his first of the evening and 10th of the season at 3:29 of the second. Austin Osmanski teed up a slap shot above the right circle that hit an Islander in front and dropped for Alexandrov’s simple finish around a displaced Appleby.

The Thunderbirds led 3-1 for much of the middle frame until Durandeau guided home his sixth goal of the season from the slot at 15:52, served on a platter from Terry on the power play. Four of Durandeau’s six goals have come on the power play. Jake Neighbours notched his seventh goal in his last eight games less than two minutes later on a jailbreak rush at 17:50.

Koivula tightened the gap with another power-play goal just 58 seconds into the third. Sam Bolduc sent a diagonal…