'It's the game of hockey'

Jesse Joensuu had two hat tricks tonight, you notice? He had three minor penalties that produced power plays. (One for five seconds, but still.) Oh, yeah, and he scored three goals, too; first time for that for a Bridgeport player in 369 days.

Good timing, especially after he talked this week about how rough a time he has had.

“We’ve had some dialogue this week, for sure,” Jack Capuano said. “He’s still learning. That goal late in the third period, the weak-side forward, he’s got to realize (where his man is). But the width and depth of his forecheck, limiting turnovers, playing within the team structure, he was a lot better.”

He got himself open for the game-winner, which Reich recovered after Friesen’s dump-in as McKenna tried to move the puck along. Reich got it and fed Joensuu for the second of three times.

It was the perfect, desperately needed bounce-back after Lowell tied it.

“They would have clinched tonight if they won, and we’re fighting to get in,” Reich said. “Every game from here on is a playoff game. I liked the atmosphere. I thought the boys did a good job.”

So the getting-in picture becomes simple: Bridgeport clinches a playoff spot of some sort with one more point: either of their own Saturday or Sunday, or if Norfolk loses in any fashion Saturday. As referenced during the week, this win gives the Sound Tigers the season series against Lowell. All they have to do is play the Devils even*, and they’ll finish in fourth place. Two wins guarantees that. Now, the *: were Bridgeport to lose both games in overtime, and Lowell won one, that’d give the Devils one more win and the advantage. It’d be unusual, but not crazy.

Wilkes-Barre clinched a playoff spot and third place, but of course, not the third seed. It becomes slightly tougher for an Atlantic team to take the third seed away (just because that team has to finish ahead of Wilkes-Barre in points yet behind its division mate), but obviously not impossible. The top three Atlantic seeds remain undetermined.

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No early word who up front may be going up to the Islanders.

That second Lowell goal came off a pileup around Lawson’s net, and Lawson was not happy at all. Capuano said it looked more innocent on the video than it did live-action, so probably a good no-call.

All Bridgeport hope is gone for the overtime record. Pop the champagne, Milwaukee Admirals.

In attendance was former Sound Tigers forward Mike Souza. He’s been playing in Italy for the past few years and said hi on the way to visit his former Cortina teammate, Louis Robitaille.

Last call for the Fake Team Awards. Balloting closes at 11 p.m. Saturday night. (Give or take. Whenever I sit down to tally them, that’s the real deadline.)

We always bring up the shootout points, but give Hershey this: If they beat Norfolk in regulation or overtime Saturday, the Bears will have “really” won 57 games, which, yep, ties 1992-93 Binghamton.

Beautiful moments last night in Dallas, where Mike Modano may have played his last home game. Mike Heika has some notes and quotes; Puck Daddy has some video links.

I have been making this drive, taking the World’s Longest Right Turn**, for nine years; dozens of times, to Portland, to Manchester, to Lowell. Somehow, not until the past couple of weeks has “Boxboro” looked wrong on the highway signs. (I think it’s because there’s a sign for a hotel that reads “Boxborough,” and that made it click.) And now they all look wrong: Marlboro, Northboro. Surely elsewhere, there’s “Foxboro.” Triboro, Interboro… No, those are definitely wrong.

And finally, tip of cap to Justice John Paul Stevens, and RIP, Malcolm McLaren.

**–Or left turn, going home

Michael Fornabaio