The Bridgeport Islanders needed a win desperately heading into their Jan. 31 game as they’d lost four in a row and only had 11 wins on the season. After struggling to score in two periods against the Springfield Thunderbirds, they finally got the puck to the net. Jeff Kubiak got the Islanders on the board and Carsen Twarynski scored the go-ahead goal on the power play to fuel a 3-1 victory.
Related: Islanders Prospect Henrik Tikkanen Taking Big Strides in AHL
Twarynski was acquired earlier in the season and until recently, has struggled to find a role. He’s only played in five games and his goal against the Thunderbirds was his first point this season. Despite his struggles, he still provides a lot to the Islanders’ forward unit and can help them turn a corner on a rough season.
“He’s been a great help for us. He provides a lot of energy, a lot of grit, and physicality,” Jeff Kubiak noted after the victory. Kubiak’s been a journeyman himself and a veteran in the American Hockey League (AHL) and along with knowing the league, he knows the roster can use another veteran presence. Twarynski adds another layer to the forward unit and notably his career path helps this Islanders roster.
Twarynski’s Journey Helps This Roster
The 26-year-old forward has moved around a lot in his career. He was drafted by the Philadelphia Flyers in the third round of the 2016 NHL Entry Draft and spent his first four seasons bouncing around between the Flyers and the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, their AHL affiliate. In the 2021 offseason, he was selected by the Seattle Kraken in the 2021 NHL Expansion Draft, hoping he’d be a young piece in the league’s newest franchise. He spent the next two seasons in the middle six on the Charlotte Checkers and the Coachella Valley Firebirds with the Kraken calling up other young skaters over the former Flyer.
Twarynski started this season out in the International Central European Hockey League (ICEHL) before the Islanders acquired him. The trip to Europe — specifically Vienna — was a quick stop and he’s back in the AHL where he’s spent most of his hockey career, something Kubiak acknowledged. “He knows how to be successful in this league” and his skillset is a particular benefit for this roster.
Twarynski Adds Depth Scoring
Last season, Twarynski scored 17 goals and added nine assists for 26 points with the Firebirds. His shot from the wings and ability to find the back of the net near the crease helped him stand out on a roster that was filled with talented young prospects. On top of that, his five goals in the Calder Cup Playoffs along with three assists helped the Firebirds reach the Calder Cup Final in 2023. While he can find open skaters, he’s a scorer first and a playmaker second.
Once Twarynski gets going, he’ll make a difference for an offense that needs it. The Islanders average 2.29 goals per game — the worst mark in the league — and while they have shooters, they lack finishers. Ruslan Iskhakov, William Dufour, and Otto Koivula can fire the puck on the net but when the rebounds are available, the team lacks a skater who can play the dirty areas and find the goal. Twarynski is back in the AHL and starting to feel comfortable again — once he builds that comfort, the goals are expected to follow.
Islanders Need Help on the Power Play
A struggling offense and a hapless power play go hand in hand. The Islanders have only scored on 15.6 percent of opportunities and the struggles continued in their recent game against the Thunderbirds. They failed to score in their first three power-play opportunities and Twarynski finally found the back of the net on the fourth opportunity. “We just tried to get the puck to the net,” Twarynski mentioned as it helped them finally score on the man advantage. “Power plays can be hot or cold it just depends on the circumstance and tonight we were fortunate enough to get one.”
The circumstances this time were Dufour on the wing with the puck and Twarynski skating to the net to find a lane to poke the puck into the goal. Six of Dufour’s 10 goals have come on the man advantage and his shot makes him a talented scorer. However, a centering pass gave the Islanders the 2-1 lead with Twarynski muscling the puck into the goal.
“You’re going to have to get gritty and get by the net and put pucks on the goal,” and that’s exactly what Twarynski was acquired to provide. Dufour already makes plays on the wing and the Twarynski looks like he can provide that needed net-front presence. At 6-foot-2 and 200 pounds, Twarynski’s not a towering presence but is one of the bigger skaters on the team and plays tougher and with more physicality than his size indicates. It makes him a reliable option for that finishing role on the power play.
Islanders’ Roster Looks Promising
The Islanders have a 12-24-5 record and trail the Phantoms, who have the second-worst record in the Atlantic Division, by 12 points in the standings. That shouldn’t take away from the talent on this roster, something Twarynski noted about this team. “The record doesn’t show what kind of team we have in this room. We have a lot of skilled players and a lot of guys that can play the right way,” he said.
They have 24 losses but 13 of those losses have come by one goal. The Islanders play in plenty of close games and a tough bounce or a bad break often puts them on the losing end. Kubiak said it best after the victory, a game where they outshot the Thunderbirds 43-22 but only won 3-1: “Sometimes hockey is a funny sport.”