Jack Capuano thought they might have played together in Utah. James Sixsmith pointed out that the chronology precludes that as an explanation for the chemistry; he didn’t get to the Grizzlies until last year, when Tyler Haskins and Micheal Haley were AHL regulars.
No matter: That line has been pretty good the past two games, and Sixsmith was atop the first-star discussion until Munroe stood on his head for the last 40 minutes.
They combined for 10 of Bridgeport’s 24 shots. They drew the major power play when Pierre-Luc Leblond slew-footed Haley. They started that power play effectively. Haskins killed penalties sharply.
“Haskins is a good centerman,” Capuano said. “Sixsmith’s got some quickness. Haley adds a little toughness.”
And then you get goaltending like that, and what more can you ask?
(Well, a little better third period and a few fewer penalties, so you don’t need goaltending like that, but, hey, it’s a start…)
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Other slew-footing call in a Bridgeport game: April 3, 2004, Evgeny Artukhin on Graham Belak. Belak was the “aggrieved” party in two of the four match penalties ever assessed to Bridgeport opponents, and he memorably didn’t think either one intended for what happened to happen. (The other was Martin Grenier; Belak’s helmet was coming off, Grenier was throwing a punch, and the combination led to Grenier’s hitting Belak with the helmet.)
We await the triumphant return of No. 29. Still no announced timeline there.
No announced timeline on Jeremy Reich or Joel Rechlicz, either, though Rechlicz, Trevor Gillies and Matt Martin were watching some pretty good fights on the computer after the game.
Prescout. It’s a battle for fourth place (for the moment). The Sharks have won four in a row.
Minnesota called up Stratford’s Own Jaime Sifers.
Ovechkin, Backstrom and… Giroux.
Bob Sheppard makes it semi-official: he’s 99. Er, I mean, he’s pretty much retired. Seems like a nice man. Great voice. My greatest memory of my one MLB game in a press box was riding the elevator and hearing the Voice of God from the other side, busting chops as a woman handed out paychecks to her employees: “I hope you have a check there for me.” A long and healthy and happy retirement.