Nino Niederreiter has led Bridgeport in scoring, whether outright in points or on the goals tiebreaker, since Bridgeport’s second goal of the season. Casey Cizikas scored the first one off Travis Hamonic’s and Niederreiter’s assists, so Cizikas, technically, was the Sound Tigers’ leading scorer. That lasted 110 seconds before Niederreiter scored the second from Kirill Kabanov to take the lead at two points. The third goal, just 73 seconds after that, was Cizikas’ second, but Niederreiter assisted to go to 1-2-3. And no one has passed him since.
He and Brock Nelson were tied a few times within games after opening night, as early as the Brandon DeFazio short-handed goal in the home opener, which made Nelson 1-2-3 as well. Niederreiter scored a goal later on. The last time anyone was tied with Niederreiter in-game was Nov. 16, before he got an assist to go to 7-7-14. The game before, Nov. 11 vs. Hartford, Nelson scored a second-period power-play goal to join Niederreiter at 7-5-12; they both assisted on a Hamonic goal later that period.
Nelson scored just one point in eight games to fall behind, but he had points in five out of seven before his broken jaw, trailing Niederreiter just 26-22. By the time he came back, Niederreiter had 34.
Ever since, Nelson has closed the gap. Niederreiter has 26 goals, 19 assists. Nelson has the exact opposite. Niederreiter, without a point in five games, leads. But it’s by a tiebreaker as they enter this game this morning.
…
But I’ve buried the lead. Jeff Smith works his first Bridgeport game since Feb. 20, 2011. It’s breathtakingly early in the morning and a bunch of kids are here for the franchise’s 1000th game (including playoffs).
David Ullstrom returns. Turnabout being fair play or something like that, Bridgeport wears darks at home today, making everything right with the world and putting the A’s on Wishart and Riley instead of Landry and McIver. It sounds like they’ve talked Andrey Pedan into going with his name’s actual pronunciation, but either way you say it, appears he’s the scratch. Brennan appeared to be out for Worcester, whose lines and pairs are switched up quite a bit from the other night.
BRIDGEPORT
F: Diamond-Nelson-Strome
Persson-Sundstrom-Niederreiter
Ullstrom-Watkins (C)-Backman
DeFazio-Campbell-Riley (A)
D: Donovan-Wishart (A)
Ness-Landry
Keenan-McIver
(Pedan-scratch)
G: DiPietro
Nilsson
WORCESTER
F: Tarasov-Kearns (A)-Stalberg
Nieto-Matsumoto-Sivak
McCarthy (C)-Hamilton-Livingston
Pelech (A)-Oleksuk-Walters
D: Comrie-Acolatse
Joslin-Doherty
Petrecki-DeMelo
(Brennan-scratch)
G: Sateri
Stalock
R: J. Smith, Kaval. L: Simeon, Briggs.