Power down: Syracuse postgame

There was that brief surge from the power play last night, and now maybe we’ll see if it was a temporary one or not.

One PPG, just one, and who knows where things go from there. Brent Thompson has said they’ve liked the looks they’ve gotten, liked the chances. Not sure there were as many tonight — Syracuse got sticks in lanes pretty well, limited chances hugely in what was basically a triple minor in the first — but there were chances here and there.

“All year has been like that,” Ryan Pulock said. “We get some good looks on the power play at times, and we haven’t been able to capitalize. It’s a big part of the game. It can change games. We had a chance tonight, down one goal: If we get a power play goal we’re right back in the game. It’s a completely different game.”

Not to pile on, but they specifically had six chances tonight down one goal. And they were 0-for-6.

Thompson thinks it’s taking steps in the right direction. And, to be sure, it basically scored twice last night; Tanner Glass is all of one second out of the box when Joe Whitney scores the last goal against Hartford.

It’s still 27th in the league at the latest refresh, 2-for-38 in the past 10 games. The personnel makes you think that can’t last, and yet it sorta has.

…….

Playing a team that was off the night before. Intense rivalry game the night before for you. Recipe for flatness? “I think that’s an excuse,” Thompson said. “I don’t believe that last night’s game had any effect on tonight’s. Last night is done. If you want to be a good hockey team in this league, a great hockey team, you’ve got to be prepared every game.”

Either way, practice tomorrow now.

The only line that stayed intact in the third period was Whitney-Kearns-Collberg. You had Wright-Quine-Beck, Vaive-Holmstrom Florek and Johnston-Gomes-Halmo. “Just (looking for) energy,” Thompson said. “Just wanting to get energy, get some offensive opportunities. I believe in this group. The whole game, whether 10 minutes, five minutes, 40 minutes left in the hockey game, I believe our team has an opportunity to pull off a win every night. I was just trying to shuffle things up.”

Fun stat that was even more stark before that four-on-three goal in the second: The Sound Tigers’ goals-against averages in the past 16 games: When they’re on the power play, 0.57 (logical; one short-handed goal). When they’re at even strength: 2.70 (includes three empty-netters; take them out, it’d be 2.45*). When they’re short-handed: 2.29 (what). (They were 0.63, 2.62 and 1.91 coming into the day.)

Bridgeport’s all-time leader in points-per-game, 12-or-more-games-played division, was in town today. (Played well, did Jeff Tambellini; sounds happy. Was nice to see him. Story on him and his brother sometime this week, I should think.) Bridgeport’s all-time leader, 11-or-fewer, Josh Bailey, plays his 500th NHL game tomorrow. I echo Brian Compton’s thoughts, though I tend to think that about a lot of things lately.

Further down on the farm, Missouri has won 12 in a row. Jesse Root has 13 goals.

Luke Curadi, ex-Notre Dame-West Haven defenseman, was suspended for today’s Adirondack (ECHL) game. Check out the reason.

And RIP, Mickey Corcoran.

*-Monday-morning edit: To be clearer, that includes the time spent with the goalie pulled. Your preferences on that may vary.

Michael Fornabaio