His past four games, Christopher Gibson has a .922 save percentage. He’s gone from a 4.34 goals-against to 3.51, and from an .854 save percentage to .880. He made a season-high 32 saves in this one. Didn’t end the way he wanted, but the result could’ve been a lot worse.
“I still have things to work on, for sure, but I’m getting better and better,” Gibson said. “I have to keep it going.”
He stopped a two-on-none, a three-on-two, breakaway, through traffic, upstairs, downstairs. One squeaked into the crease and he grabbed it before Dawson Leedahl got there.
One breakaway and one shot through a screen got through, then another “breakaway” did in the bonus round.
“Every night, we want to leave with two points. We battled as a group,” Gibson said. “We scored two good goals at the beginning of the game, then we couldn’t score again. That’s how the game goes.”
……
The first period was mostly solid; they rolled four lines for 10 minutes, were doing OK at even strength. They scored two power-play goals.
Hartford’s desperation sure seemed to pick up in the second. A penalty parade didn’t help; Hartford went 1-for-4 in the period, 1-for-6 overall.
“We did some good things on those kills. We’ve got to use that momentum to roll into five-on-five play,” Kyle Burroughs said. “The pace of the game changes when it’s like that. Guys are getting cold or getting used a lot more.”
There were chances both ways to take charge of this thing that didn’t happen. See how tomorrow goes.
Two extra-attacker goals against in the past three games to tie it. Brent Thompson talked about learning to shut the door. “There were a lot of positives,” Thompson said. “I don’t want to take away from the positives, but when you lose in a shootout, it’s disappointing.”
Alan pointed out that Bridgeport’s home winning streak had reached seven, which is in the franchise stratosphere. This is only the fifth that long, and the first in six years. There are only two longer, and none in 11 years. (It’s so long ago that four of the teams they beat in their franchise-record nine-game streak, January-February 2007, no longer exist in that incarnation: Albany River Rats, Worcester Sharks, Lowell Devils, Binghamton Senators.) The Sound Tigers are still 7-0-1-1 in nine both overall and at home.
Thought it was one of Mike Sislo’s more engaged games at both ends of the ice. “It was a good game for Sislo, Bourque and Saint,” Thompson said. “They’re starting to build a chemistry.”
Elsewhere, it’s been so long since we checked in with each other that Jan Kovar went from maybe leaving to not (yet at least) leaving the Providence Bruins.
Crazy. Love it.
Worcester lost to Manchester. Ryan Hitchcock, back healthy, had two assists and eight shots. Mitch Gillam is back in the lineup, though he didn’t start tonight. The Railers are off to Brampton, Ontario, for games Sunday and Tuesday morning.
Good thoughts for Ryane Clowe.
Tip of cap (again) to Gary Stevens.
Horrible news about Mick McGeough. We loved to give him grief in New Haven, but by all accounts a great guy. Thoughts to him and his family.
And RIP, Dan Maloney and Bob McNair.