Hadn’t even realized how long it had been for Bentivoglio. He didn’t have a goal since Oct. 25.
Well, he and his line put together a good one today.
Shifted some things around in the three-stars box, but you could have gone with Hennigar as your unsung hero. (My initial reaction was Jamie Fraser, who was creating with his speed more than he had in a while.) That third line was forechecking, was creating some things. They had four of Bridgeport’s nine even-strength shots in the second period.
Long week; maybe they could’ve folded after falling behind by two twice after last night’s debacle. They didn’t. They kept coming, Mannino settled in, they tied it up late, they stole a couple of points out of here*.
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You have to love the several times the past couple of nights that Bridgeport has put out a six-man crew with all single digits, thanks to that Tambellini (7)-Walter (9)-Joensuu (6) line. You had Kohn (5) and MacDonald (2) as a pair last night, and then Fraser (3)-Wotton (4) today, with Mannino (1) in net.
Was wondering if Bentivoglio had fought since the playground. Actually, not since junior, he said, which puts it at least in 2003.
How come “1-0 Joe” Franke wasn’t the emergency backup? “I sold my stuff,” Franke said with a laugh. Brett Abel, by the way, is no longer working for Itech after Bauer bought them out. “I had some time on my hands,” he said, though it’s an unfortunate reason.
Capuano said they’d see how Lawson is doing (and makes out at the doctor) before they make any moves in goal; they’re not leaving for Norfolk until Thursday, anyway. He said he talked to Lawson this morning, and Lawson was feeling better. I’d have to do some checking on this, but I’m not sure they can send Danis down with only two healthy goaltenders up top. Regardless, the Islanders were leaving today for tomorrow’s game in Toronto.
As announced, the three stars were Davis, Murphy and Salmela. I had the same thing… when it was 3-1.
Frederick L’Ecuyer has worked three Sound Tigers games this season and called only 12 power plays. There was stuff today where maybe another ref might’ve just thrown his arm up out of force of habit; not L’Ecuyer, thankfully. (And that’s part of why this thing took just 129 minutes.) Bridgeport came 17.4 seconds away from its first penalty-free game ever. Here’s the box from its only zero-PP-against game. It was the first game after Wilkes-Barre ended the 20-game unbeaten streak. The only Sound Tigers penalty in that game was a Graham Belak fight against Mike Hoffman.
Alex Giroux got called up, too. As if it mattered. The Bears have won a storied-franchise-record 11 in a row since the Sound Tigers beat them a month ago in Bridgeport. In only one of the 11 have they so much as needed overtime, let alone the bonus round; they’ve outscored opponents 54-15, including those two 9-0 games. Yikes.
Nice story on Bingo’s video coach. The Penguins have been “the Traveling Wilkes-Barres.”
And a big night for goalies last night in the Q.
*-A: 1,117. Fill in the punchline.