By: Alan Fuehring, Bridgeport Islanders
BRIDGEPORT, Conn. (October 30, 2024) – The Bridgeport Islanders (1-5-1-1), an American Hockey League affiliate of the New York Islanders, racked up three goals in the second period but fell to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (5-2-0-0), 4-3 in a shootout, at Total Mortgage Arena on Wednesday.
Brian Pinho led the Islanders’ offense, scoring a goal for the fourth straight game and his league-leading third goal shorthanded. He had two points (one goal, one assist), while Samuel Bolduc and Fredrik Karlstrom also notched one goal each. Jonathan Gruden had two goals for the Penguins.
The Penguins dominated the first three minutes of play, as Ville Koivunen and Gruden buried the puck past Marcus Hogberg (0-4-1), who was busy overall and ended the night with 38 saves. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton carried its early lead into the second period before the Islanders responded.
Bridgeport exploded offensively in the middle frame by tallying three goals to take a 3-2 advantage. It started after Justin Lee was sent to the box for interference, and Bolduc fired a wrister near the blue line past goalie Tristan Jarry, a power-play tally for his first of the season. At the 12:30 mark, despite being a man down, Pinho blasted a sharp-angle shot that slipped past Jarry’s glove side, knotting the game at 2-2.
With less than five minutes left in the second, Karlstrom took a pass from Julien Gauthier and put it into the back of the net for his fourth goal of the season and the Islanders’ only goal at even strength on Wednesday.
The Penguins struck back at 13:24 of the third when Gruden let a wrister fly and tied the game at 3-3. Despite both sides having additional opportunities late, the remainder of regulation and a five-minute overtime session went scoreless.
In the shootout, both Emil Bemstrom and Koivunen capitalized. Despite Matt Maggio scoring and a Hogberg stop, the Islanders could not tie it and only recorded one point in the setback.
The Islanders went 1-for-4 on the power play and 5-for-5 on the kill.
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