Bridgeport has dropped all the way from first to third in the (wait, what’s it again? Ah, yeah) Atlantic Division. Two games mean a lot. Sort of. Kind of. (Percentage points!) We’ll be listening to Brian Rogers (audio here or via “listen live” link at the team’s site/pay-per-view). Follow the Telegram’s guys, Brendan McCarthy and Robin Short, and of course Bridgeport and the IceCaps.
The box should be here. Same officiating crew.
Prescout from last night; Bridgeport will be in Springfield on Wednesday (NHL-style schedule this week, Wednesday, Friday, Sunday).
Elsewhere, Kevin Poulin cleared waivers. A lot can happen in five weeks… but Syracuse’s only visit to Bridgeport is five weeks from today.
More closer to game time.
–RIP, Flip Saunders.
–The IceCaps posted their lineup as a TwitPic. Zach Fucale again for them. Brian and Brendan said it’s Christopher Gibson for Bridgeport.
–Nope, says Brendan, Dustin Tokarski goes. Some interesting things off the hop: Jesse Graham scratched, along with Jared Gomes and Sebastian Collberg. Ben Holmstrom starts in the spot that had been Mike Halmo’s. Have to see what the rest of the lines look like. Assuming Finn goes with Carkner, but we’ll see.
–By the way, he says all hepped up about lineup changes, that means Connor Jones makes his Bridgeport debut.
–Pardon me: Holmstrom in Petrov’s spot. Halmo-Quine-Holmstrom.
–Looks like a right-wing rotation:
BRIDGEPORT
F: Halmo-Quine-Holmstrom (C)
Whitney (A)-Kearns (A)-Petrov
Vaive-Wright-Beck
Johnston-Jones-Florek
D: Pelech-Mayfield
Czuczman-Pulock
Finn-Carkner
G: Gibson
Williams
ST. JOHN’S
F: Andrighetto-Hudon-Holloway (A)
Carr-McCarron-Thomas
de la Rose-Dumont (C)-Scherbak
Crisp-Eisenschmid-Gregoire
D: Barberio (A)-Ellis
Hanley-Dietz
Bennett-Lernout
G: Tokarski
Fucale
R: Schlenker. L: Maynard, Vail.
–Bridgeport has shown up with some pep. A somewhat early power play got a few shots on Tokarski — Vaive couldn’t slip one past him from in tight — and the Sound Tigers have had occasional chances since, including a Halmo post. Shots are 8-2 about 14 minutes in, but it’s scoreless.
–The IceCaps had a little more zone time late, but the first period ends scoreless with a 9-6 Bridgeport shots edge.
–A Pulock shot hurts Eisenschmid about four minutes into the second period. He tries to fight through it, but the IceCaps finally get him off the ice with an icing. Brian and Brendan note that he tried to just stay on the bench but finally went down the runway to, they said, try to walk it off.
–A decent power play early in the second period, and then a great shift follows after St. John’s ices it at the end of the PK. Dustin Tokarski and another Cap were without sticks, but Tokarski made a big save and veteran-move got the left post off its moorings. Hudon gets the IceCaps’ first shot of the period, a little over 10 minutes in, on a partial breakaway on the shift that followed.
–Don’t hold me to it, but it seems Rog is not a fan of ref Chris Schlenker.
–No score after two. Shots that period were 17-2 for the Sound Tigers; 26-8 overall.
–Jones’ sweater still has the initial on the nameplate.
–The IceCaps have their best chance in a long while on a two-on-one as Hudon hustles up the left side, but Brendan suggests he may’ve gotten caught in between a shot and a pass to Nikita Scherbak and doesn’t quite get either. About 15 minutes left in regulation.
–Czuczman for delay of game, backing up into his own zone and flipping it up into the crowd. A bit over 11 minutes left, and the IceCaps’ first power play.
–Three shots or so on that advantage. St. John’s is up to 13 shots with 9:07 left; Bridgeport’s record is 14 allowed in 2011 in a loss to Hershey.
–Bridgeport’s on the board with 7:31 to go. Kearns put it into the left corner, Petrov drew two players to him, and Kearns retrieved it below the goal line and fed Joe Whitney for his fifth goal. Petrov does get the second assist on the first goal of the day.
–The IceCaps tie it at four-on-four with just over five minutes left, Mark Barberio on a rebound to cap a couple of scrambles on that shift. 1-1.
–And Bridgeport reclaims the lead with 2:45 left on the rush. Kearns puts it ahead to Whitney, who puts it back into the slot to Kearns for a shot high-glove. 2-1 Sound Tigers.
–The IceCaps tie it with a second and a fraction left. Bridgeport won the draw, but Mayfield got triple-teamed behind the net, and the puck came to the front to McCarron to punch in the tying goal. Wow. 1.1 second, reports Rog. Off to overtime for the first time this season.
–#dryscrape #pointsforall etc.
–Whitney breaks up a Barberio rush, and Barberio gives him a whack in retaliation. Bridgeport gets an overtime power play.
–Kept in most of the minor, and after the clear, Gibson fires it back up to set up a Beck shot from the left circle that Tokarski holds. The IceCaps call time out, then get through the penalty. The first whistle afterward comes with 48.0 seconds left, so 1:28 of four-on-four in overtime. Old school.
–A milestone: Bridgeport goes to the shootout for the first time since Dec. 7 of last year. It’d gone 59 games without the bonus round.
–It takes nine flippin’ rounds, but Connor Jones beats Tokarski with a wrister stick-side to get it done. Bridgeport 3, St. John’s 2 (SO). Much-needed second point after giving up the late goal.
Assuming they’re off tomorrow, so more Tuesday, most likely.
–Actually, one more note, just looking back: Bridgeport’s longest three-man shootout was also nine rounds… one year ago today… at St. John’s. (Kichton won it for the Caps.) G’night.