Including Playoff Elimination Day, Bridgeport has lost five in a row in this barn, and somewhat crazily since Jack Capuano’s last visit here they’ve had six winless streaks of three or more in this building.
Brent Thompson agreed that he thought he saw some frustration out there at times. I was thinking more about missed chances or turnovers; he mentioned a goal against.
“It’s being consistent,” Thompson said. “It’s not letting that faze you. It’s a learning lesson. If they score, or if we don’t score, it’s about the next shift.”
A couple of turnovers sent Anthony Greco — and why can’t Bridgeport find guys like this? — in short-handed. He scored on his own rebound from an awful angle after it bounced around a bit. A turnover and a defender falling down sent Thomas Schemitsch up two-on-one for the Thunderbirds, and he wristed one through Kristers Gudlevskis. Greg Chase’s wrister glove-side made it 3-1. Mikkel Aagaard made it 4-1, left open amid three guys early in the third.
“We lost D-side positioning — we haven’t given up that many Grade-A chances in a while where we lost D-side positioning,” Thompson said.
“I never doubt our work ethic,” he said later. “Sometimes, we don’t work smart.”
On the bright side, they only come here once more this year.
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One guy who’d looked frustrated was Ryan Bourque, who’d had just three assists in 11 January games. He scored two goals in the third period. “The first period, I think I had a few good chances, even a few chances I would’ve liked to shoot the puck,” Bourque said. “The third period, I just think both goals were from each person on the ice working hard, going to the hard areas.”
Thompson swapped Casey Bailey and Josh Ho-Sang at the end of the second period, just looking to change something up and generate something, he said. The Jones twins, playing with Ho-Sang, combined for five third-period shots, though not sure of the breakdown. Eansor-St. Denis-Bailey were credited with none in the third. See how the lines shape up tomorrow.
Solid social-media-ing on the first Bridgeport goal.
Cool bit: David Desharnais played his 500th NHL game last night for the Rangers. Sat around and went through hockeydb.com: Looks, from that too-quick look, like he’s the eighth to play 500 in the Show after playing for the Sound Tigers. Travis Hamonic’s about a dozen away from also joining Frans Nielsen, Blake Comeau, Kyle Okposo, Raffi Torres, Matt Martin, Josh Bailey (who’d played a bunch before Bridgeport, too, but still makes it) and Andrew MacDonald. (Trent Hunter and Sean Bergenheim didn’t miss 500 by much.) Desharnais, though, is the only undrafted former Sound Tiger to do that.
Prescout. The Bears are winless in seven. Bridgeport could open up nine points between the teams, or Hershey could compress it some more. (Bridgeport is two points and the tiebreaker behind Charlotte, while we’re mathing. Speaking of the Checkers, they kept Hartford from winning a fourth in a row in overtime: Wolf Pack needed the bonus round this time, those slackers.)
Worcester won 5-2 at home behind a couple of Matty Gaudreau goals and three points for Barry Almeida. Jeff Kubiak had an assist. They play Quad City again tomorrow.
And Aaron Portzline in the Athletic (subscription) writes that Cam Atkinson, back from a broken foot, dedicated last night’s game-winner to Nico Mallozzi, the New Canaan boy who died of the flu recently on the way home from a hockey tournament.