The Bridgeport Islanders played the Saturday night, Nov. 18 games against the Hershey Bears as part of a tripleheader. Following a 5-4 loss to the same team on the road, the Islanders lost again, this time in a lopsided 4-0 game.
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The loss moves the Islanders to 4-9-1, the worst record in the Eastern Conference in the American Hockey League (AHL). This game between the Islanders and the Bears, who are 12-4 this season, was reflective of where the two teams are in the standings.
Deflected Shots Doom Islanders
Islanders’ goaltender Ken Appleby wasn’t remarkable but didn’t have a bad start. He made 28 saves and was tasked with stopping a high-powered Bears offense that averages 3.20 goals per game. Yet, the Bears scored four goals on him, earning all four of them with puck control and good shots on the net.
The first goal came on great puck movement and a defensive breakdown by the Islanders, where Grant Hutton allowed an open look for Mike Vecchione to fire the puck past Appleby. The next two goals came on redirected shots from the blue line. The Bears got their shots through traffic, and suddenly, the score was 3-0 through two periods of play.
There wasn’t much the Islanders could do to stop the shots from the point and the Bears offense as a whole, which scored nine goals in a two-game span against them. Sure, the defense has to respect the shots from the blue line, but those shots rarely find the net. Instead, the goals were more of a testament to the Bears’ ability to play the high-danger areas and get into the shooting lanes. When there was a shot on the net, the skaters went to the shooting lanes, a sign of a well-coached team.
Islanders Hit a Wall in Stevenson
The Washington Capitals’ goaltending has been a question mark in recent seasons, but the same can’t be said about their goaltending duo at the AHL level. Hunter Shepard is having a strong season as the veteran goaltender, while Clay Stevenson looks like one of the best goaltenders in the AHL with a .916 save percentage (SV%) and a 2.00 goals-against average.
The Islanders saw firsthand how Stevenson can take over a game when he’s playing the puck well. He saved all 25 shots he faced and earned his third shutout of the season. There were a handful of instances where the Islanders looked like they would find the back of the net and make this game close, but Stevenson shut them down and secured the shutout, notably with a handful of big glove saves.
The question is, what is the avenue for Stevenson to the NHL? The 24-year-old has shown the talent to take the next step, but the Capitals will take their time with him. This is his first full season in the AHL, and he’ll need a strong showing throughout the season to prove he’s ready to take that next step. However, early on this season, he’s been one of the young goaltenders to watch, and the Islanders learned the hard way in the 4-0 shutout loss.
Islanders Power Outage Continues
The power play has been a weakness all season for the Islanders, scoring only 10.0 percent of opportunities. The Bears didn’t give them a lot of opportunities, another sign that they are a well-coached team, but the Islanders failed to score both times they were on the man advantage.
The power play isn’t creating a lot of chances, but when they establish a rhythm or an offensive zone presence, they fail to take advantage. When the unit looks hapless, a lot of eyes turn to William Dufour, who has a shot that can turn the unit around. His scoring touch made him one of the best prospects in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) as he led the Saint Johns Sea Dogs to the Memorial Cup title. Yet, he only has one goal this season and is a non-factor on the power play.
Likewise, the play from the point has let the power play down. Robin Salo will shoot the puck on the net, but there isn’t a lot of creativity, and the pucks are easily picked up by the opposition as there’s minimal traffic in front of the net. The Islanders’ power play continues to let them down, and unless there’s a chance, it will be one of the primary reasons this team remains in last place in the standings.
What’s Next for the Islanders
The Islanders will play a Sunday afternoon game (3:00 PM start time) against the Providence Bruins. The Bruins are 6-6-1 this season and are coming off a tough 2-1 loss to the Scranton Wilkes-Barre Penguins, and like the Islanders, they are eager for a bounce-back game.
The Islanders are trying to end the weekend and the week on a high note. They have lost three games in a row, and Sunday’s game will be their fourth game in six days. A win will get the Islanders back on track and allow them to slowly climb out of last place and salvage this season.
