Recap: Islanders 2, Phantoms 1

Mar 2, 2024

Matt Maggio and Ruslan Iskhakov connected on a thing of beauty early in the third period to push the Bridgeport Islanders (17-29-6-1), American Hockey League affiliate of the New York Islanders, past the Lehigh Valley Phantoms (22-22-5-2) in a 2-1 win at PPL Center on Saturday.

Maggio darted to the net, received Iskhakov’s pass, and flipped a backhand shot over Parker Gahagen (5-7-3) after Iskhakov successfully walked around defenseman Emil Andrae above the left circle. Maggio scored his 11th goal of the season at 2:30 of the third period, which also stood as his third game-winning tally. It was Iskhakov’s team-leading 23rd assist and 38th point.

William Dufour also recorded his 11th goal of the season on a career-high 10 shots-on-target. Jakub Skarek (5-18-5) made 28 saves, as the Islanders emerged victorious to begin a three-game road trip.

BOX SCORE

The Islanders set the tone early with 17 shots-on-goal in the first period alone, but Gahagen stood tall to keep the game scoreless. As part of that pressure, Gahagen and the Phantoms killed off 90 seconds of 5-on-3 Islanders’ power play time.

Dufour broke the ice 4:55 into the second period with his first goal since Jan. 21st and his team-leading eighth on the road. Otto Koivula created a turnover on the left side of the Phantoms’ zone and directed a pass to the right circle, where Dufour pulled the trigger and beat Gahagen’s blocker.

Bridgeport had a key opportunity to extend its lead shortly after, but couldn’t convert on a four-minute power play caused by J.R. Avon’s high stick that drew blood against Seth Helgeson. Instead, Lehigh Valley tied the game on a power play of its own at the 14:26 mark courtesy of Cooper Marody, who closed in on Skarek and scored his 14th goal of the season.

The 1-1 deadlock was decided in the third period when Maggio finished off a highlight-reel sequence from Iskhakov at 2:30.

The Islanders went 0-for-4 on the power play and 2-for-3 on the penalty kill. Tyce Thompson and Adam Ginning dropped the gloves with 30 seconds remaining in the second period, a spirited tilt that captured the intensity of the contest.   

The Islanders improved to 1-0-0-1 against the Phantoms this season. Bridgeport outshot Lehigh Valley 41-29.

Next Time Out: The Islanders continue a three-game road trip on Sunday afternoon with a 3:05 p.m. puck drop against the Springfield Thunderbirds at…