The Bridgeport Report: Oct. 31, 2023

The Bridgeport Islanders made their first of two trips down to the Tar Heel State this past weekend, wrapping up October with a pair of games against the Charlotte Checkers. William Dufour and Samuel Asselin each scored on the power play, while Jakub Skarek and Ken Appleby shared time in the crease.

The Islanders (2-4-1-0) went 2-for-6 on the man advantage at Bojangles Coliseum on Friday, but suffered a 5-2 loss in their first meeting with the Checkers (4-3-0-0). Dufour and Asselin recorded their first goals of the season against Charlotte’s Ludovic Waeber, but the Swiss-born goaltender stopped the other 27 shots he faced in his AHL debut. Skarek (2-2-1) made 25 saves in his fourth straight start for Bridgeport. Ruslan Iskhakov had two assists.

The Checkers also took Saturday’s rematch by a 2-0 final, limiting the Islanders to just 23 shots against Darien native Spencer Knight. Appleby (0-2-0) was fantastic in his first appearance since Oct. 14th, making 31 saves including a highlight-reel stop on Gerry Mayhew’s shorthanded breakaway in the third period. The Islanders’ penalty kill was also solid, finishing the night a perfect 6-for-6. There were 19 combined penalties that totaled 44 minutes.

Bridgeport shares seventh place in the Atlantic Division with the Providence Bruins, collecting five standings points through its first seven games.

Following a six-day hiatus, the Islanders return to action this weekend to finish a three-game road trip against the Hershey Bears (6-2-0-0) at 7 p.m. inside Giant Center. Bridgeport hosts the Springfield Thunderbirds (4-4-0-0) at Total Mortgage Arena this Sunday afternoon at 3 p.m. All games can be seen live on AHLTV or heard for free on the Bridgeport Islanders Radio Network.

The Week Ahead:

Saturday, Nov. 4th at Hershey: The Islanders make their first trip to Chocolatetown to face Washington’s affiliate, the Hershey Bears, at 7 p.m. on Saturday. It marks the second of six meetings between the division rivals after Bridgeport’s 3-2 overtime loss to Hershey on Oct. 22nd. Tanner Fritz recorded his first goal back with the organization that afternoon, and Matt Maggio scored his second pro goal.  

Sunday, Nov. 5th vs. Springfield: The Islanders return home this Sunday afternoon for their first of 12 meetings against the Thunderbirds. Puck drop is scheduled for 3 p.m. Bridgeport went 6-2-4-0 against the St. Louis Blues’ affiliate last season and 4-1-1-0 in those games at home. Six of the 12 matchups went to overtime. Sunday is Kid’s Day at Total Mortgage Arena, featuring $10 tickets for kids 12 and younger. 

Ice Chips

The Killers: The Islanders’ penalty kill was busy but effective this past weekend, going 10-for-11 in two games against Charlotte. It was perfect through six situations on Saturday, including three consecutive 5-on-3 Charlotte power plays due to overlapping minor penalties. Bridgeport’s kill improved to 27-for-30 overall this season, good for fourth in the AHL (90.0%). It is the only perfect penalty kill on home ice in the Eastern Conference (7-for-7).

Rip-Roaring Ruslan: Ruslan Iskhakov was the only Islander to record multiple points in Charlotte, collecting two assists on Friday to boost his totals to a team-leading eight points and six assists. He also leads Bridgeport with three multi-point games. The 2023 AHL All-Star, who was named AHL Rookie of the Month last October, is tied for 20th in the league’s scoring race and shares 12th in assists. Iskhakov was the New York Islanders’ 43rd overall pick in 2018.

Dufour Drives One Home: William Dufour ranked fourth on the Islanders with 21 goals as a rookie last season. Eight of those came on the power play. So it makes sense that the 21-year-old winger scored the first goal of his sophomore season on the power play Friday night. It occurred on one of a team-high five shots in the game, and Dufour had another four shots in Saturday’s rematch, tying him with Jeff Kubiak. Dufour has a team-leading 23 shots-on-goal through seven games.
  
Quick Hits: Despite playing just once this past weekend, Jakub Skarek remains third among all AHL goaltenders in minutes played (304:04) and ranks 11th in saves (122)… Ken Appleby has made 64 saves in two appearances this season, no AHL goalie with only two starts has made more saves… Dennis Cholowski shares 12th among AHL defensemen with five points (one goal, four assists).