The Bridgeport Islanders took on the Charlotte Checkers in the first of back-to-back games between the two teams on Friday (Mar. 29) at Total Mortgage Arena. The Islanders were looking for their third consecutive win, the Checkers their fourth. Coming into the game, the Islanders sat 11 points out of a playoff spot with 10 games remaining in the season, so Friday was a must-win game. Unfortunately for fans of the home team, the Islanders came out flat-footed, losing the game by a score of 4-1. Here is what you need to know.
Helgeson’s Costly Penalty
Five minutes into the game, the Islanders went to the penalty kill after Robin Salo committed a tripping penalty in his defensive zone. The Islanders were able to clear the puck less than a minute into the power play, however Seth Helgeson got into a scuffle behind the play, getting called to the box for interference and giving the Checkers over a minute of 5-on-3. Jakub Skarek stopped the first would-have-been goal of the Checkers’ two-man advantage, making a spectacular glove save on a close-range shot on a half-open net. But it was all for nothing as Checkers’ defenseman Michael Benning found the back of the net just moments later.
The Checkers were not done there. With nearly a minute of power play remaining after their first goal, they built sustained offensive zone pressure, and forward Casey Fitzgerald beat Skarek as time expired in the power play. The remainder of the period went scoreless; however, the Islanders’ early hole seemed like a steep hill to climb for a team that had not surpassed two regulation goals in their last seven games. Though Bridgeport is in the bottom third in the American Hockey League in penalty minutes, Helgeson leads the team in the statistic, so this was certainly one he would want back, as his team was hit hard on the scoreboard by his lack of discipline.
A Frustrating Rest
After being outshot 17-6 in the first period, the Islanders looked to rebound in the second. The frame ended up being slower than the first, with the Islanders looking better defensively but no less lethargic offensively. After killing a Ruslan Iskhakov tripping penalty, they found themselves on a power play of their own halfway through the period, an opportunity to swing momentum back in their favor. The Islanders have struggled on the power play thus far this year. Their 13.5% success rate is the lowest in the AHL, and their showing in this particular man-advantage was about as poor as it has been all season. The team’s zone entries came on dump-and-chase plays, and they were unable to muster up a shot on goal in the two minutes. Just seconds after the power play ended, Wilmer Skoog beat Skarek five-hole to extend the Charlotte lead to 3-0. The frustration became visible for the Islanders, as Cole Bardreau and Robin Salo were two of several players visibly upset on the bench, slamming their sticks into the boards.
Related: Poor Shot Quality Has Doomed Bridgeport Islanders’ Season
The Islanders were able to score late in the third period on a ricochet off the back boards, which hit Checkers’ goalie Magnus Hellberg and found the net on a Matt Maggio shot. However, it was not enough. The Checkers netted a goal with Skarek pulled, and the game came to an end with a score of 4-1.
Looking Ahead
The Islanders will look to rebound as they take on the Checkers again on Saturday (Mar. 30). A player to keep an eye on in that matchup is Alex Jeffries’ the Islanders’ fourth-round pick from 2020, who is slotted to play in his fourth professional game. Matt Kopperud is in a similar boat. The Arizona State graduate is on an amateur tryout (ATO), with Friday his first professional game. The Islanders currently sit 13 points out of a playoff spot with just nine games to go, a deficit that unfortunately appears insurmountable for the team from Connecticut.
