- Who, when, whatever: Bridgeport at Toronto, Coca-Cola Coliseum, Sunday, 4 p.m.
- Not Ricoh?: Life is much more fun when you’re refreshed.
- Watch: AHLTV pay-per-view… or the NHL Network, since this is one of those games it’s borrowing from Canadian television.
- Listen: Mixlr audio
- Twitters: Alan / the Sound Tigers / the Marlies / Todd Crocker
- Box score: Why not (R: Sandlak, Burchell; L: T.Baker, Flemington).
- Storyline: Bridgeport has been remarkably healthy on the blue line. It has used only 10 defensemen, one of them Thomas Hickey on rehab for two games, one of them Mike Cornell for one. But it had to call for Cornell and Ryan MacKinnon yesterday morning. Not sure what’s up with Parker Wotherspoon, who practiced the other day but sat out Friday night; Alan said he’s upper-body. Chris Casto was shaken up chasing a two-on-one with 6:13 left in the second; not 100 percent sure what happened, as it happened behind a couple of other bodies on video. He played a few more shifts but appeared to sit out the whole third. Either way, that wasn’t much of a night for Bridgeport, which gave up two sets of quick goals to fall behind. Seven-game winning streak, ten-game points streak: done. (Didn’t let Victor Olofsson beat them this time, though.) Mitch Gillam made his AHL debut in relief. (The organizational depth took a day-to-day ding, though, as Evan Buitenhuis left last night’s big Railers win very early, but at least he wasn’t there to see the linesmen muck up what should have been a three-minute major, one of my favorite weird rules. (There were only 12 seconds left, so I guess I don’t blame them for just getting the heck out of there.)) Anyway, a great time, then, to run into Toronto, one of many teams in this AHL that have been hot over the past couple of months.
- Magic numbers: Magic numbers? Yeah. To clinch a finish ahead of idle WBS, 21; Lehigh Valley, 22; Providence, 25; Hershey, 26. That is, at this instant, Bridgeport’s magic number to clinch a playoff spot is 22 (but can’t get below 19 today), and to clinch home ice is 26.
- Meh, what else is going on: Scholar signin’ season: UConn goalie Adam Huska signed with the Rangers yesterday and went down the hall to join the Wolf Pack, for whom he’s starting today. Lots more high school hockey yesterday and the rest of this week. Was at Bennett yesterday for the end to Ridgefield’s unbeaten season. Pop the corks, 1983 Enfield. Congrats to the New Canaan girls, and Rich Bulan, whom we’ve known since the Westhill days. Tip of cap to the Belisles.
- Aren’t you supposed to be doing something else: Middle Sunday of the high school tournament. I get a day off every once in a while. (Which probably means I’m forgetting something.)
- Did you set your clocks ahead: Think I got them all.
- RIP, Hall of Famer Harry Howell.
- If this were a regular blog post, what word or phrase would most likely follow “More” at this point: maybe in a bit. Might be in and out on this one.
–Apparent Bridgeport lineup, without Travis St. Denis for the first time since Dec. 16, 2017 (healthy, says Alan), ending 111 consecutive games:
F: C.Bourque – Koivula – Ho-Sang
Lorito-Fritz-Sislo
R.Bourque-Stevens-Bernier (A)
Jones-Kubiak-Bellows
D: Aho-Burroughs (C)
Helgeson (A)-Rathgeb
Vande Sompel-Cornell
G: Smith
Gillam