Preview: Islanders at Penguins
February 7, 2025 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Bridgeport Islanders News Release
WILKES-BARRE, Penn. (February 7, 2025) - The Bridgeport Islanders (10-30-2-2) exit the AHL All-Star break and conclude a three-game road trip tonight, facing the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (24-11-4-0) at 7:05 p.m. inside Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza. The Islanders are hoping the brief hiatus provided a much-needed reset, as Bridgeport looks to snap a four-game slide this evening. The Islanders entered the break with back-to-back 5-4 losses in Hershey last weekend, despite goals for Isaiah George, Sam Bolduc, Chris Terry, and Eetu Liukas on Saturday. Terry brings a five-game point streak into tonight's contest (5g, 3a) and is tied for fourth in the AHL's scoring race with 40 points (14g, 26a) in 43 appearances.
ISLANDERS VS. PENGUINS
Tonight's game is the fourth of six meetings between the Islanders and Penguins this season, and the last of three in Pennsylvania. Bridgeport is 1-1-0-1 against Wilkes-Barre/Scranton so far, but suffered a 5-0 loss on the road Nov. 22 (most recent meeting). Brian Pinho had three points (1g, 2a) and Cole Bardreau scored two empty-net goals in a 5-2 win on Nov. 16, and the Islanders earned one point in a 4-3 shootout loss on Oct. 30 at home. Pinho leads all players in the series with five points in three games (2g, 3a).
VIEW FROM WILKES-BARRE
The Penguins are fourth in the Atlantic Division with 52 points, but return from the All-Star break second in points percentage (0.667), having played just 39 games - at least three fewer than any other team. Head coach Kirk MacDonald's team has won four of its last five games and outscored opponents 21-7 over that span, including a 9-0 win against Hershey on Jan. 29. Last time out, the Penguins earned a 3-2 win in Charlotte on Saturday when John Gruden broke a 2-2 tie at 10:17 of the third period. Rookie forward Ville Koivunen was held quiet for the first time in four games, but has nine points in his last five games (5g, 4a). Koivunen leads all AHL rookies in scoring with 36 points (15g, 21a) in 39 games.
BACK IN THE AHL, BACK ON THE SCORESHEET
Twenty-year-old defenseman Isaiah George returned to the AHL on Saturday following a 33-game stint with the New York Islanders. He made an immediate impact, scoring Bridgeport's earliest goal on the road this season just 2:11 into the contest. He also logged an assist for his first professional multi-point game. George, the Islanders' fourth-round draft pick in 2022, has four points (2g, 2a) in five AHL games and five points (1g, 4a) in 33 NHL appearances. He made his NHL debut on Nov. 5 against Pittsburgh and scored his first NHL goal on Dec. 21 at Toronto.
BOLDUC BRINGING OFFENSE
Sam Bolduc scored his fifth goal of the season on Saturday, his first since Jan. 18 and just his second since Nov. 15. However, Bolduc has been piling up assists lately, and has 12 points in the last eight games (2g, 10a). He has four multi-point efforts over that span. The 24-year-old leads Bridgeport defensemen and shares 15th among all AHL blue-liners with 23 points (5g, 18a) in 41 appearances this season.
QUICK HITS
The Islanders scored a power-play goal in seven straight games before going 0-for-1 Saturday night in Hershey... Yet, the Islanders enter the weekend with 13 power-play goals in their last 14 games, raising their success rate to 18.0% on the season (30-for-167, 16th in the AHL)... Bridgeport is 17-for-87 on the road (19.5%, 11th in the AHL)... Chris Terry ranks second in the AHL with 19 power-play points, one behind Charlotte's Trevor Carrick.
AFFILIATES
New York Islanders (25-21-7): Last: 2-1 W vs. Vegas, Tuesday -- Next: Tonight at Winnipeg, 8 p.m. ET
Worcester Railers (19-19-2-4): Last: 3-2 W vs. Atlanta, Wednesday -- Next: Tonight vs. Atlanta, 7:05 p.m. ET
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