The Bridgeport Islanders played a low-scoring, uneventful game against the Charlotte Checkers. That is, until the third period. The two teams scored three goals, with one coming with only 1.1 seconds left on the clock to force overtime. Ultimately, that last-second goal allowed the Checkers to force overtime and eventually win the game 4-3.
Related: 3 Takeaways From Bridgeport Islanders’ 3-2 Loss vs Wolf Pack
For the Islanders, the point was one they desperately needed. They moved to 9-19-3 and slowly gained ground in the Atlantic Division. That said, they remain in last place in the standings, and the loss particularly stings since it was a game that was there for the taking. They came back in the third period with the help of one of the best playmakers putting them in the driver’s seat for an upset win. Yet, they ended up on the losing end of the third consecutive game.
Salo Steps up From the Point
A lot of the Islanders’ offense runs through the point. With the forward unit struggling to create scoring chances, the offensive zone scoring comes from the defensemen shooting the puck on the net and hoping for a lucky bounce. It’s how Robin Salo scored a goal and an assist in the third period to help the team earn a point in the game.
Salo flipped the puck to the goal with the team trailing 2-1, and it found Brian Pinho near the crease, allowing him to finish off the scoring chance. In the final three minutes of action, the puck squirted free to the point, and Salo fired it past Checkers’ goaltender Spencer Knight to give the teams the 3-2 lead, which was their first and only lead of the game.
The two-point night gives Salo five goals and nine assists on the season. His future with the Islanders is complicated as he’s 25 years old and entering the prime of his career, yet remains in the American Hockey League (AHL). That said, he remains the team’s top producer from the point and a key part of the offense. On a team that is eager to turn their season around, he plays a big role in helping them start to climb in the standings.
Skarek’s Strong Night Goes South
Jakub Skarek is having a rough season in the net, as the 23-year-old goaltender was hoping to establish himself as the top goaltender on the team. Instead, with a .862 save percentage (SV%) and a 3.51 goals-against average (GAA), he remained on the roster while Ken Appleby was called up to the NHL to fill in for the injured Semyon Varlamov. The game against the Checkers looked like one where he proved that he could’ve been the goaltender to get the call-up over Appleby.
He allowed two goals in the first two periods of play but faced a surplus of shots in the process. He saved 10 shots in the first period and 20 after two, keeping the Islanders in striking distance. By the end of the game, he had made 32 saves, and somehow, the game felt like another devasting, gut-wrenching one for Skarek. While he made more than enough stops to help the Islanders win the game, the one shot he wanted to have back was the one that cost them in the end.
The Checkers played with an empty net and desperately started putting the puck on the net. Skarek made the initial save on a shot from the slot, but it provided Gerry Mayhew with a juicy rebound to bury the puck to the back of the net. The clock only had 1.1 seconds left, and the silence from the crowd, while telling, paled in comparison to the expression Skarek had lying on the ice in defeat as the Checkers skaters celebrated. He gave the team a chance to win this game, and somehow, despite his efforts, was the reason they ended up on the losing end.
Penalties Kill the Islanders
Skarek allowed four goals, and the defense didn’t do him any favors, yet the penalties were the primary reason the Islanders ended up losing this game. The Checkers scored the first goal of the game on the power play after Kyle MacLean took a high-sticking penalty. While the third-period goal wasn’t on the power play, it came shortly after the Islanders killed off a delay of game from Matthew Maggio, which forced them to close out the game down two skaters. The result was an exhausted group left on the ice for the Checkers to tie the game late. Maggio signed an entry-level contract this offseason, hoping to make an impact this season, yet 24 games in, it’s clear that he’s still adjusting to the speed and skill of the AHL game.
The overtime was then defined by two penalties, both of which came from the same player. Otto Koivala, who has been one of the better skaters on the offensive end of the ice, took a holding penalty and, out of frustration, slashed the Checkers on the backcheck to tack on another two-minute penalty. That was the dagger in the game. The Islanders win this game without the penalties, and the lack of discipline is reflective of a last-place team.
Iskhakov Adds Another Assist
Ruslan Iskhakov has become the leader of the Islanders offense. He led the team with 10 goals and 16 assists, and he added another one to kickstart the scoring for the team. He created a turnover with a poke check and darted up the ice for a breakaway, taking advantage of his speed. Iskhakov operates best when he has room to work with and find open skaters, and that’s what he did, finding Koivala to get the Islanders on the board.
Other Takeaways From the Islanders’ Loss
- Koivala scored his eighth goal of the season and trails only Iskhakov for the most on the team. He scored in the 3-2 Jan. 4 loss to the Hartford Wolf Pack and is starting to form a great connection with Iskhakov in the forward unit to help out an otherwise struggling offense.
- The Islanders’ second goal was scored by Brian Pinho, who found a rebound near the net and finished the scoring chance. The team lacks finishers, and Pinho is one of the skaters who can start to become one in the offense.
What’s Next for the Islanders?
The Islanders face the Checkers on Jan. 7 on Sunday afternoon in a rematch of the recent overtime game. They’ll have a chance to even up the score and, more importantly, start to make up ground within the division. The losses continue to mount for the Islanders, and it makes the hill seem impossible to climb. However, a hot streak would put them back into the playoff conversation. The five-game homestand has gotten off to a rough start with two losses in a row, but the next three games can see them turn a corner on the season.