The Islanders sent Bracken Kearns, Alan Quine and Ross Johnston back down tonight. Insert your “too late” joke here.
“We know we can’t do that again,” Mike Halmo said. “We’ve got three games to the playoffs. We need a couple of points to get into the playoffs.”
It was a flat start, if not a terrible one, that included a 1-0 Phantoms lead on a power-play goal. The shots after one were 16-4, and though the Phantoms had a decided edge, it didn’t feel that lopsided.
By the end of the second it was 3-0, shots were 31-9 and it felt a lot more lopsided.
“It’s always easier to play with a lead. You always want to score the first goal,” Ben Holmstrom said. “You’ve got to be able to play up one or down one.”
It took 13 seconds in the second period for the Sound Tigers to be down two.
Double-edged special teams issues: Allowing two (“One was a bad goal. Another was on the rush, we got backed in,” Thompson said. “The structure, how we play in-zone, was good. It takes a lot of energy. Three-in-three, you need all the energy you can have”) and scoring none. They took more penalties than they’d like (three of them Matt Carkner’s; more in a bit), and Thompson’s old line about needing discipline in the playoffs came up again.
This is probably where the cynic mumbles that Hartford’s magic number is 11.
“They outworked us. They deserved the win,” Thompson said. “That’s the bottom line.”
……
Team’s off tomorrow. See if there are any other moves.
So. Three games left for everyone. Wilkes-Barre and Providence are tied at 89, Portland’s at 87 and Bridgeport is at 85. The conference’s last playoff spot comes down to Bridgeport and Hartford. Bridgeport needs two points. Utica is one point behind Bridgeport, in the crossover spot. The Sound Tigers do have a game apiece against Portland and Providence, but it’ll need to make up the other two (at least) points against the Bruins and can’t win a tiebreaker with the Pirates.
Hartford goes to Toronto and then St. John’s for two. Bridgeport could clinch idly Wednesday or clinch while they’re on the ice in Portland on Friday. (Or, who knows.) This is the last playoff spot left to be determined in the Eastern Conference.
Only ’cause we didn’t do this last night:
| Rank | Name | GP | G-A-Pts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 13 | Rhett Rakhshani | 120 | 44-69-113 |
| 14 | Mike Halmo | 211* | 56-55-111 |
| 15 | Jesse Joensuu | 177 | 42-69-111 |
| 16 | Mark Wotton | 368 | 22-88-110 |
*-Through April 10
Matt Carkner’s raining down on Danick Martel put him in the record book. Carkner hit Martel, Martel got up with a spear, and Carkner started throwing punches, continuing even with Martel down. Carkner got an instigator (in the last five minutes, which carries a game misconduct and a one-game suspension), a fighting major (which, as an aggressor, includes a game misconduct) and another game misconduct (for his second fighting major). With his earlier fight and a double minor (the second for talking), that’s 46 penalty minutes, one better than the old team record held by Kip Brennan and Eric Godard. So at least that was historic.
Johnston=599.
Here’s Missouri’s first-round schedule. They start up Saturday-Sunday at home, then head to Moline.
A pretty wild Richard Bachman save for Utica today against Bud Holloway and St. John’s. That was about all St. John’s didn’t get today. Ryan Johnston was plus-6.
Joshua Ho-Sang and Niagara are up 3-0 on Kingston and Michael Dal Colle.
And RIP, NFLer Will Smith.