The Bridgeport Report: Jan. 9, 2024

Ruslan Iskhakov extended his scoring streak to a career-high eight games this past week, recording two goals and two assists in three appearances at Total Mortgage Arena.

The Islanders (10-19-3-0) opened 2024 and a five-game homestand with a 1-1-1-0 record against the Hartford Wolf Pack and Charlotte Checkers. Otto Koivula also had points in each of the three games (two goals, one assist) to push his active point streak to a season-best five games.

Iskhakov, who was named the AHL’s Second Star of the Night on Sunday, tied the League’s single-season record with his fourth overtime goal to lift the Islanders to a 3-2 victory against Charlotte. The 2023 AHL All-Star scored twice in the game to extend his point streak to eight contests, with 11 points over that span (five goals, six assists). William Dufour collected his team-leading fourth power-play goal and Robin Salo had an AHL career-high three assists. Otto Koivula added one assist to extend his point streak to five games (two goals, six assists). Henrik Tikkanen (2-1-0) made 34 saves.

Less than 24 hours earlier, Salo scored once and added one assist in 4-3 overtime loss to the Checkers on Saturday. Koivula and Karson Kuhlman also lit the lamp, while Iskhakov had one assist. Jakub Skarek (3-13-3) turned aside 32 shots.

The Islanders began their stretch of three games in four days with a 3-2 loss to Hartford last Thursday. Koivula and Cole Bardreau both scored, while Brian Pinho had a game-high two assists to begin a five-game homestand. Tikkanen stopped 21 shots in his second AHL start.

Bridgeport continues its busy January with four games over the next week, hitting the halfway mark by Martin Luther King Day on Monday. The Islanders host the Springfield Thunderbirds (16-12-3-2) at 7 p.m. tomorrow night before resting up for a three-in-three series this weekend. Bridgeport hosts the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (18-12-4-0) on Saturday, visits the Providence Bruins (19-12-2-2) on Sunday, and returns home to face the league-leading Hershey Bears (29-7-0-0) at 3 p.m. Monday.

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

The Week Ahead:

Wednesday, Jan. 10th vs. Springfield (7 p.m.): The Islanders host the Thunderbirds at Total Mortgage Arena for the first time since Nov. 11th and the third time overall this season. Bridgeport is 3-2-1-0 against the St. Louis’ Blues affiliate and 2-0-0-0 in those games at home. Family Packs are available for every home game this season, which include four (4) tickets and meal vouchers for a hot dog, chips and soda/water starting at just $99.

Saturday, Jan. 13th vs. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (7 p.m.): The Islanders face the Penguins for the first time this season to open a three-in-three series against three of the top four teams in the division. It’s New York Islanders Night, featuring a Storm bobblehead giveaway to the first 2,500 fans and Isles-themed activities. Tickets are on sale now!

Sunday, Jan. 14th at Providence (3:05 p.m.): The Islanders travel to Amica Mutual Pavilion in Providence for the seventh of 12 meetings between the Isles and Bruins this season. It’s Bridgeport’s first trip to Rhode Island since Dec. 1st. The Bruins enter the week on a five-game winning streak and in second place in the Atlantic Division.   

Monday, Jan. 15th vs. Hershey (3 p.m.): It’s a Martin Luther King Day matinee at Total Mortgage Arena, featuring the fifth of six meetings between the Islanders and Bears. Tickets are available here!

Ice Chips:

Islanders Sign Twarynski: Bridgeport brought in big, physical forward Carsen Twarynski this week, signing him to an AHL contract on Monday. He is expected to join the team immediately. Twarynski, who was a third-round draft pick of the Philadelphia Flyers in 2016, has 82 points (40 goals, 42 assists) in 249 career AHL games with Lehigh Valley, Charlotte, and Coachella Valley. He recorded 17 goals in 71 regular-season games with the Firebirds last season and added eight points (five goals, three assists) in 26 playoff contests, helping Coachella Valley reach the 2023 Calder Cup Finals. Twarynski has one goal in 22 NHL games with the Flyers.

Rip-Roaring Ruslan: Ruslan Iskhakov scored two goals for the third time this season on Sunday, extending his scoring streak to a career-long eight games. The 22-year-old Russian forward, who was named the AHL’s Second Star of the Night, has five goals and six assists in his last eight games. Iskhakov also recorded his fourth overtime winner and tied the AHL’s single-season record for overtime goals. He leads the Islanders in goals (12), assists (16) and points (28) in 32 contests. He also paces the team in shots (79), multi-point games (9) and power-play points (8).

Five for the Fin: Nokia, Finland native Otto Koivula had points in all three games last week to extend his scoring streak to a season-best five games. He has two goals and six assists over that span. Despite missing the first eight games of the season due to injury, Koivula is second on the team in points (20) with eight goals and 12 assists in 23 games. His second-period goal on Saturday night was his 64th with Bridgeport, putting him one behind Travis St. Denis (2016-20) for fifth place on the team’s all-time goals list. He is second on the team’s all-time scoring list with 169 points in 250 games, chasing Jeremy Colliton for the franchise record (203 points).

Helping Hand: Robin Salo set an AHL career high with three assists on Sunday and now has eight assists in his last eight games. The 2017 second-round pick has five points in his last two games (one goal, four assists) and 10 points in his last nine (two goals, eight assists). He shares fifth on the team in scoring and is second in game-winning goals (3). Salo also set a new season high with a +3 rating on Saturday.

Quick Hits: Bridgeport’s power play has scored at least once in four of its last five games, going 8-for-21 over that span (38.1%)… The Islanders are 4-0-1-0 when playing on a Sunday this season… More than half of the Islanders’ games have been decided by just one goal (18-for-32, 56.3%)… Ruslan Iskhakov’s four overtime goals are the most for any Bridgeport player in a single season and just two behind Jeff Hamilton’s team career record.