By: Alan Fuehring, Bridgeport Islanders
BRIDGEPORT, Conn. (December 27, 2024) – The Bridgeport Islanders (6-19-2-2), American Hockey League affiliate of the New York Islanders, suffered a 4-1 loss to the Providence Bruins (16-11-3-0) in their final home game of 2024 at Total Mortgage Arena on Friday.
Liam Foudy scored the Islanders’ lone goal early in the third period, but Riley Tufte (two goals, one assist), Fabian Lysell (one goal, two assists), and John Farinacci (three assists) each had a trio of points for the Bruins. Bridgeport had little answers for Michael DiPietro (11-4-2), who made 31 saves for his fifth consecutive win. It was also his fifth straight victory in the series.
Foudy’s goal was his seventh of the season. He has found the back of the net in two straight games for the first time as an Islander.
The Bruins got on the board when Lysell brought the puck into the offensive zone and sniped a wrist shot from the right circle. It sailed into the top left corner of the net, giving Providence the 1-0 advantage at 10:17.
At 2:34 of the second, Lysell picked up another point when he gained control off the boards and backhanded a cross-ice pass to Tufte, crashing the net. Tufte buried a quick shot in transition past Jakub Skarek’s (4-9-1) glove to double the Providence lead.
The Islanders cut their deficit in half early in the third. At 5:50, Tyce Thompson guided a backhand shot into DiPietro’s right pad, forcing a rebound and scramble near the crease. Thompson and Foudy both jammed away within the chaos, and Thompson flipped the puck over DiPietro’s shoulder. Foudy tipped it into the back of the cage for the Islanders’ only goal on 32 shots.
The Bruins fought back and added insurance midway through the frame, scoring two goals in a span of 2:07. At the 8:59 mark, Tyler Pitlick launched a wrist shot through traffic and past Skarek from the left circle, putting Providence back up by two. Shortly after, Tufte tallied his second goal of the contest and his ninth of the season, going bar-down from distance at 11:06.
Bridgeport’s penalty kill had a strong performance, erasing all three Providence power plays. Despite the loss, the Islanders led in shots, 32-31.
Next Time Out: The Islanders return to action tomorrow night with their final game of the calendar year. Bridgeport faces the Springfield Thunderbirds at 7:05 p.m. inside MassMutual Center. The game can be heard for free via the Bridgeport Islanders Radio Network or seen live on AHLTV on FloHockey, beginning with the Connecticut Lottery Pregame Countdown at 6:45 p.m.
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