The Bridgeport Report: Week 3

The Bridgeport Sound Tigers (3-3-1-0), proud AHL affiliate of the New York Islanders, earned four points in a trio of games last week as the team navigated through its busiest stretch of the season thus far.
Islanders prospects Michael Dal Colle(two goals, one assist) and Devon Toews (one goal, two assists) each collected three points, while Christopher Gibson (2-2-0) backstopped his first two wins of the season in efforts that lasted longer than 60 minutes. Steve Bernier (two goals), Yannick Rathgeb (one goal, one assist) andParker Wotherspoon (one goal, one assist) also made an impact in Bridgeport's first of eight "3-in-3's" this year.

The Sound Tigers opened the weekend on Friday night with a thrilling rally that resulted in a 4-3 overtime victory. Down twice in the third period, Bridgeport clawed back late in regulation and sealed their first home win of the season against the Providence Bruins (2-4-1-0) at Webster Bank Arena. Mike Sislo, who signed a one-year deal with the Islanders on July 2, scored his second goal of the season 32 seconds into the extra frame, while Wotherspoon's first of the year tied the game with less than 41 seconds left. Gibson made 30 of 33 saves between the pipes for his first win of 2018-19.

In addition, Dal Colle and Rathgeb each scored once and added an assist. Dal Colle now leads the team with eight points (three goals, five assists), while Rathgeb was impressive in his AHL debut. Toews added two assists for Bridgeport.
Sislo extended his goal streak to three games on Saturday, but the Sound Tigers suffered a 5-2 loss to Providence at Dunkin' Donuts Center in Rhode Island. Trent Frederic scored twice for the Bruins, including the eventual game-winner midway through the second period, while Jeremy Smith (1-1-1) turned back 32 of the 37 shots he faced.
Less than 24 hours later, the Sound Tigers finished the weekend with a resilient 4-3 shootout win over the Lehigh Valley Phantoms (3-2-0-1) at Webster Bank Arena. Bernier scored twice to help the Sound Tigers battle back from an early two-goal deficit and Toews also logged his first goal of the year. Chris Bourque netted the winner in a three-round shootout and Gibson made 29 saves on 32 shots, including eight magnificent stops during the five-minute overtime.
Bridgeport returns to action this weekend with a pair of road matchups against divisional opponents. The Sound Tigers will travel to the XL Center on Saturday (7:30 p.m.) to face their Nutmeg State rivals, the Hartford Wolf Pack (4-3-1-0) for the first time this season, before moving east to rematch Providence at Dunkin' Donuts Center on Sunday (3:05 p.m.). Fans can follow all of the action online via the Sound Tigers Radio Network and AHLTV, beginning with the pre-game show 15 minutes before each listed start time.

The week ahead:
Saturday, Oct. 27 at Hartford Wolf Pack (7:30 p.m.): The Sound Tigers most bitter rival will host the first of 10 meetings between the two clubs. Bridgeport went 7-1-1-1 against Hartford last season, including a 4-0-1-0 mark in Connecticut's capital city.
Sunday, Oct. 28 at Providence Bruins (3:05 p.m.):The Sound Tigers and Bruins will meet this Sunday for the third of 12 matchups this season - and the third meeting in a 10-day span. It will also mark the second of six matchups in Rhode Island, where the Sound Tigers went 3-2-0-1 in 2017-18.
News and Notes:
Dal Colle's Delight: Michael Dal Colle is off to a strong start in the third and final year of his entry-level deal with the New York Islanders. The former fifth overall pick leads the Sound Tigers in scoring with eight points (three goals, five assists) through six games and also paces the club with three multi-point efforts this season. He had just four multi-point outings in 2017-18. Dal Colle scored two goals last weekend - his 24th and 25th tallies in the AHL.
Free Hockey Frenzy:The Sound Tigers have gone past regulation in three of their last four games, including twice last weekend when the club captured an overtime and shootout win. Bridgeport is 2-1 beyond 60 minutes of play this season after finishing last season 7-8 in those situations. The only other teams who have gone to overtime more this season are the Milwaukee Admirals and Ontario Reign (four times).

King of the Crease: Christopher Gibsonwon each of his two starts last weekend and played more than 60 minutes in both games. On Sunday, Gibson not only defeated a high-powered Lehigh Valley offense, but he did so making eight miraculous saves in overtime and not allowing a goal on three shootout attempts. The 2018 AHL All-Star is in his fourth season with the Sound Tigers and currently ranks fourth all-time in games played with Bridgeport (90) and fifth in team wins (46).
Quick Hits: Mike Sislo saw his three-game goal streak come to an end on Sunday… It was the 10th time in his eight-year AHL career that he scored in at least three straight contests (Sislo had an eight-game goal streak from Feb. 6, 2016 - Feb. 24, 2016 while playing for the Albany Devils)… The Sound Tigers' penalty kill is 11th in the AHL (82.8%), but it's 11-for-11 on the road specifically, one of just three perfect teams along with the Colorado Eagles and Laval Rocket… Bridgeport recalled Jeff Kubiak from the Worcester Railers (ECHL) prior to Sunday's game and the rookie forward logged his first career AHL assist on Devon Toews' second-period tally… Brent Thompson is eight wins away from his 200th as Bridgeport's head coach… Chris Bourque is five points away from his 700th in the AHL.

Team Leaders
Goals:Steve Bernier (4)
Assists:Michael Dal Colle (5)
Points:Michael Dal Colle (8)
Plus/Minus:Steve Bernier (+2)
Penalty Minutes: Connor Jones (17)
Power-play goals: Steve Bernier (2)
Shots: Mike Sislo (21)