Tomorrow, the number of teenagers on Bridgeport’s roster drops by one when Jakub Skarek turns 20. It was going to drop to two, leaving just Bode Wilde and Simon Holmstrom, but Oliver Wahlstrom showed up today to boost it back up. Asked Brent Thompson, who still has a teenager himself, what it’s been like coaching them.
“It’s fun. It’s a good experience,” Thompson said. There’s a little more work that goes in, to make sure they’re prepared for the games. I think it’s just a timing thing. We’ve got a good group of guys. That’s the biggest thing, is our leadership’s excellent. We can have these really young kids here, because there’s good mentors.”
Wahlstrom came down before the Islanders’ win this afternoon over Florida; Otto Koivula (who’d warmed up and is in tonight; show dough for an AHL game) and Cole Bardreau (who played today and is not in tonight) were sent down afterward. Wahlstrom now has No. 26 both up top and here; he’d been No. 16 here to start, but Andrew Ladd has that number now here (and had his LTIR conditioning stint extended two games). Josh Ho-Sang is now assigned 40, for what it’s worth.
Thomas Hickey, who has been limited to about seven periods so far this season, returns after missing 10 games. With that, a tweak to the defense pairs. And for the first time this season: Winning streak on the line.
BRIDGEPORT
F: Ladd-Lorito-S.Holmstrom
St.Denis-Koivula-Schilkey
Bellows-Kubiak-Wahlstrom
R.Bourque-Pierog-McDonald (A)
D: Wotherspoon-Burroughs (C)
Hickey-Aho
Helgeson (A)-Quenneville
(Cornell-apparent scratch)
G: Gibson
Skarek
PROVIDENCE
F: Carey (C)-Studnicka-Steen
Shen-Gaunce-Lantosi
Fitzgerald-Frederic-Hughes
Conway-Woods (A)-Koppanen
D: Breen (A)-Zboril
Vaakanainen-Didier
Lauzon-Petrovic
(Sherman-apparent scratch)
G: Lagace
Keyser
R: Kelly, Menniti. L: Colby, Cooke.
Bridgeport scratches (presumed healthy unless noted): Coreau, Hutton (lower), MacKinnon, Wilde (ankle), Bardreau, Bernier (upper), Brown (lower), Durandeau, Fritz (lower), Jobst, Ho-Sang, Stevens (upper), Thomson, apparently Cornell