Three goals, three penalties with 2:42 left. Happy new year 2004! #BST
— Michael Fornabaio (@fornabaioctp) January 2, 2016
I kinda wish I’d thrown the “<3” after that
The game turned in the first period, when Brent Thompson saw no scoring chances at all but two goals against.
“Both ways,” no scoring chances, Thompson said after a question about generating more in the second. “I thought we did a good job breaking pucks out. (The goals came from the outside, ultimately), and all their other shots were outside. For me, there were no chances for either team.
“All the chances (in the second) came when we were sloppy with the puck.”
And then, Parker Milner was strong. But the Falcons already had a 2-0 lead on Stephon Williams.
“At the end of the day, we’ve got to find a way to score goals,” Thompson said, and we’ve heard this refrain a time or two. “We’ve got to manage the puck better, and we’ve got to shoot the puck a heck of a lot more.”
The power play had moments when it looked good, but it didn’t score and put just one shot on goal on two chances; the streak’s up to 20.
It’s not like it erases last weekend’s good feelings, especially since this has become the new Official Unofficial House of Pain for the Sound Tigers, where they’re 5-16-1-3 in the past 25 visits, beginning with the last trip in from 2009-10, with one shootout win. Thompson’s teams are 2-7-0-2 here.
But they’ll have to bounce back at home against a team that had tonight off.
….
Rochester tomorrow. I am absurdly excited about that.
Milner’s 10th AHL game. Four of them have been relief appearances. Maybe Start 7 tomorrow, now. See what happens with the Islanders, Jaro Halak and Christopher Gibson along the way, too.
For their first shifts of the third, Justin Vaive and Jared Gomes had swapped back: Gomes-Wright-Beck, Vaive-Jones-Josh Holmstrom. But then for their second, they reverted to the way they started Friday. And on his first shift back, Gomes scored a goal on a one-on-four effort.
“He’s a great utility player. He did a great job getting us a goal,” Thompson said. “He’s done a great job bringing us energy.”
Gomes said he tries to play his game, “play the way I know how, regardless of where (Thompson) decides to use me,” he said. “I try to bring a lot of energy to the table and play as hard as I can.”
Gomes got a couple of late shifts with Joe Whitney and Bracken Kearns, then.
“We wanted to generate some offense,” Thompson said. “He’s relentless on the puck on the forecheck, tracked the puck hard and was rewarded with a goal.”
Kevin Czuczman took Adam Pelech’s spot on the top penalty-kill pair, and after Bridgeport opened the third completing its only penalty kill, Czuczman stuck on Scott Mayfield’s left. That swapped him with Matt Finn, pairing Finn with Kyle Burroughs for the rest of the night. Ryan Pulock and Jesse Graham stayed together.
Marek Langhamer is the fourth Springfield goalie to play against the Sound Tigers this year in six games. Three of them have won four games, allowing a combined two goals.
Former Islanders assistant coach Scott Allen is the new head coach of the Portland Pirates; Tom Rowe was promoted to associate general manager.
Isles draft pick Michael Dal Colle got traded to a first-place team in the OHL, making it less likely he gets to Bridgeport this year. Had a good night tonight.
And RIP, Howard Davis, Natalie Cole and Wayne Rogers.