The Bridgeport Report: Mar. 19, 2024

Julien Gauthier scored two goals and Ruslan Iskhakov added one goal and one assist, as the Bridgeport Islanders played three games north of the border this past week.

The Islanders (20-33-6-1) dropped a trio of games in Canada while completing their season series’ against the Laval Rocket and Belleville Senators.

The Islanders opened a five-game road trip on Wednesday with a 5-1 loss to the Rocket at Place Bell. Gauthier, a Quebec native, notched a power-play goal midway through the second period, but Laval scored five times in the first 28 minutes to end Bridgeport’s season-long three-game winning streak on the road.

Iskhakov earned his team-leading 16th goal of the season at Place Bell on Friday night, but the Islanders suffered a 3-1 loss in the rematch. Robin Salo and Tyce Thompson collected the assists, while Jakub Skarek (6-19-5) made 23 saves.

Bridgeport finished the week with a 4-2 loss to the Senators at CAA Arena on Saturday. Gauthier and captain Seth Helgeson each scored once, while Henrik Tikkanen (7-5-2) made 20 saves. The Islanders fell to 0-3-0-0 to begin their five-game trek, which continues next weekend in Utica and Lehigh Valley.

The Islanders visit Utica’s Adirondack Bank Center for the final time this season on Friday, facing the Utica Comets (26-24-4-4) at 7 p.m. The road trip ends on Saturday with a 7:05 p.m. puck drop against the Lehigh Valley Phantoms (26-24-5-3). The Phantoms hold the sixth and final playoff spot in the Atlantic Division, 13 points ahead of the Islanders.

All of the action this season can be seen live on AHLTV or heard for free through the Bridgeport Islanders Radio Network, beginning with the Connecticut Lottery Pregame Countdown 15 minutes prior to puck drop.

The Week Ahead:

Friday, Mar. 22nd at Utica (7 p.m.): The Islanders battle the Comets for the third time this season, and the second of two matchups at Adirondack Bank Center. The series is knotted 1-1-0-0 following an overtime win in Bridgeport’s home opener, courtesy of Robin Salo on Oct. 21st, and a 4-1 loss in Utica on Dec. 8th. Otto Koivula scored the Islanders’ lone tally that night. Utica is the AHL affiliate of the New Jersey Devils.  

Saturday, Mar. 23rd at Lehigh Valley (7:05 p.m.): The Islanders complete a five-game road trip on Saturday with their second trip to Allentown, Penn. It’s the fourth of six meetings overall and the second of three at PPL Center. Bridgeport is 1-1-0-1 against Philadelphia’s affiliate this season, including a 2-1 victory to begin the month. The road team has won each of the first three games.

Ice Chips:

Gauthier Gets into Gear: Julien Gauthier scored two goals in three games this past week, giving him six points (3g, 3a) through his first 12 games with Bridgeport. All six of his points have come on the road, and no Bridgeport player has more points on the road since he joined the team in early February. Gauthier played his 200th career AHL game on Saturday and collected his 111th point (74g, 37a) between Bridgeport, Hartford, and Charlotte. The 26-year-old also has 41 points (19g, 22a) in 180 NHL games with the Islanders, Rangers, Ottawa Senators, and Carolina Hurricanes.

Captain Crunch: After missing Friday’s game in Laval, captain Seth Helgeson returned to the lineup in Belleville and scored his first goal of the season at 16:36 of the third period. In fact, it was Helgeson’s first goal in well over a year - since Oct. 29, 2022 at Lehigh Valley. Helgeson has 98 points (16g, 82a) in 654 career AHL games dating back to his professional debut on April 13, 2013 with Albany. His absence on Friday snapped a streak of 157 consecutive games in the Islanders’ lineup.

Leading the Way: Ruslan Iskhakov collected points in two of the three games this past weekend and continues to pace the Islanders in most offensive categories. He scored his team-leading 16th goal and 42nd point just 1:57 into Friday’s game, acrobatically deflecting Robin Salo’s distant shot from between the circles. The two-time AHL All-Star also leads Bridgeport in assists (26), power-play points (12), game-winning goals (4) and shooting percentage (11.3%) during his second AHL campaign.     

Quick Hits: Tyce Thompson has four points in his last seven games (2g, 2a)... William Dufour has five points in seven games this month (3g, 2a)… Of the remaining 12 games this season, five are on the road and seven are at Total Mortgage Arena.