Playoffs Offer Valuable Experience for Bridgeport Islanders

It was no surprise to see Austin Czarnik and Chris Terry leading the Bridgeport Islanders offensively in their two rounds of action in the Calder Cup Playoffs.
Czarnik posted an AHL-leading 10 points (3G, 7A) in six games in his fourth trip to the AHL postseason, which included a lengthy run with Providence in 2017. Terry recorded six points (2G 4A) in six games in this year's playoffs, upping his career total to 44 Calder Cup playoff games.

The two were especially good together in Bridgeport's 7-6 double-overtime loss to the Charlotte Checkers on Thursday night, combining for seven points (2G, 5A). Czarnik and Terry had the primary assist on each other's goals as Bridgeport rallied out of a 4-0 first period hole to eventually force OT. In Game 3, Czarnik assisted on a Terry goal as well.

"Terry is one of the best goal scorers there is," Bridgeport Head Coach Brent Thompson said. "Consistently being able to score 20 or 30 goals every year. He's got a great hockey brain. They talk, Czarnik's vision, he played the NHL and has that great offensive vision."
"They naturally have chemistry because they both think the game same way offensively," Thompson added.
In Game 2, the 33-year-old Terry and 29-year-old Czarnik were joined by Simon Holmström, who is less than two weeks away from turning 21. While he's one of the youngest Islanders, his AHL experience outsizes his age, as he just wrapped his third year in the league. Despite 138 regular season games under his belt, the 2019 first-round pick finally got his first taste of playoff hockey, since there were no postseasons in the past two AHL campaigns.

Holmström seemingly fit in seamlessly with Terry and Czarnik, one-timing a Czarnik feed to kickstart Bridgeport's comeback bid on Thursday. The youngster finished the game with a goal and an assist for his first playoff goal and point. Holmström scored two goals in Bridgeport's 3-2 win in Game 3 against the Checkers.
"His skating ability, poise with the puck, you saw tonight on two of the goals we scored how strong he is," Terry said of Holmström. "He's taking pucks off veteran players in this league and making plays. From start to finish this year, he's an elite player in this league and be hard not to see him in the NHL next year."
Holmström took a step forward in his third season, recording 43 points (12G, 31A) in 68 games, while also improving his penalty killing, per Thompson.
The Swedish forward wasn't the only Islander getting his first taste of the Calder Cup Playoffs. Arnaud Durandeau, the Islanders' 2017 sixth-round pick, made a splash in his AHL playoff debut, scoring the OT winner in a 2-1 win over the Providence Bruins in Game 1 of the first round series.

The French-Canadian forward plays with an edge, but that was beneficial in the postseason, as he was a constant fixture around the net. After splitting time between the AHL and ECHL in 2019-20, Durandeau seemed to get a foothold this past season, with 37 points (15G, 22A) in 64 games with the Islanders.
"I've seen an evolution quite honestly," Thompson said. "He's really more intense. He's playing a better 200-foot game. He's using his speed to his advantage and trusting his speed and going into the net harder and that's why he's getting more scoring chances… He's elevated his intensity level, which is why you're seeing him engaged and more physical."
The other noteworthy newcomer was Aatu Räty, who joined the Islanders after the conclusion of the Liiga season in Finland. Räty was only guaranteed two games, as Bridgeport was yet to clinch a playoff spot when he debuted on April 22, so the longer the Islanders played, the more North American experience he'd soak up.
"He works extremely hard," Thompson said of Räty after the Providence series. "He's been over here just over a week and he's picked up our structure very well. He's physical, he closes, he has good awareness of guys away from the puck. He has a good stick. He's pretty strong on his face offs, and he's ambidextrous, he can pull both ways. So there are a lot of positives that you can talk about and he just continues to get better and better and I'm excited to see him two years from now playing for the Islanders."

The early returns for the 2021 second-round pick (52nd overall) have been promising. Räty (1G, 3A) is tied with Holmström (3G, 1A) for third on the team with four points and his first goal in North America was the series-clinching OT-winner in Game 2 against the Providence Bruins, Bridgeport's first series win in 19 years. Räty had a point in Bridgeport's first four playoff games.
Bridgeport's season ultimately ended on Monday night in a Game 4 loss to Charlotte, but between winning a series and being involved in a trio of close - and at times very chaotic - games against Charlotte, these young Islanders are gaining valuable playoff experiences, which should only serve them going forward.