In addition to the nine-game unbeaten-in-regulation streak that ended last night, the Wolf Pack’s win ended Bridgeport’s year-old 5-0-2-2 streak against Hartford and a 5-0-2-0 streak at Hartford that dated to the start of last season.
There is, though, Bridgeport’s 7-0-1-1 home streak that’s on the line against Springfield. The Sound Tigers are 8-4 here against the Thunderbirds (though that’s 4-6-2-0 from their perspective, a perpetual concern in these days).
(The other streak goes on the line Wednesday in Springfield. You know the one.)
Last night’s blenderization produces a new set of lines today, including the return of Ryan Hitchcock, whose last AHL game was that last loss in Springfield. Yannick Rathgeb also gets in; Parker Wotherspoon and Jeff Kubiak are out.
BRIDGEPORT
F: C.Bourque-Jones-Sislo
Dal Colle – Koivula – Ho-Sang
Bellows-St. Denis-R.Bourque
Eansor-Hitchcock-Bernier (A)
D: Toews-Burroughs (C)
Vande Sompel-Aho
Helgeson (A)-Rathgeb
(Casto-scratch)
G: Gibson
Smith
SPRINGFIELD
F: Byron-Zolnierczyk (A)-Thompson (C)
Lowry-Borgstrom-Hawryluk
Horvat-Ang-Greco
Turgeon-Horton-Farnham (A)
D: MacDonald-Bystrom
Stillman-Melchiori
McCoshen-Mangene
G: Montembeault
Driedger
R: Markovic, O’Donnell. L: N.Briganti, E.Ernst.
Bridgeport scratches (believed healthy unless noted): Casto, Wotherspoon, B.Holmstrom (veteran), Kubiak.