Sens inch closer to playoff spot with shootout victory over Bears
Published on April 4, 2008 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Binghamton Senators News Release
BINGHAMTON, N.Y. - Alexander Nikulin assisted on both of the Binghamton Senators goals in regulation, and then sealed the victory with a shootout goal as the Sens topped the Hershey Bears 3-2 in a pivotal matchup Friday night at the Broome County Veterans Memorial Arena. Netminder Jeff Glass turned away 27 shots in regulation and overtime before stopping all four shootout attempts by the Bears.
By earning the extra point Binghamton moves one point closer to catching Hershey (38-30-1-6, 83 pts.) for the fourth and final playoff spot in the East Division. The B-Sens (34-29-8-5, 81 pts.) are two points back with five games remaining.
After a scoreless first period, Kyle Wilson gave the Bears a lead early in the second frame with a power-play goal. The Sens fired back just over three minutes later when Nikulin picked up his first assist on the night. Nikulin fed the puck back to Lawrence Nycholat who fired a shot from inside the right point that was redirected past Bears netminder Frederic Cassivi by Scott May.
The Bears jumped out in front again at 6:32 of the final stanza, when Chris Bourque snuck a wrist shot through traffic and past Sens goalie Jeff Glass. Binghamton would answer back again, this time Nikulin stickhandled through a crowd and tapped the puck to the front of the net where defenseman Matt Kinch slid a backhander past Cassivi.
After nothing was settled in the five minute 4-on-4 portion of overtime, the two teams went to a shootout, where Glass stopped all four Bears shooters to earn his 15th win of the year. Niko Dimitrakos added the second shootout marker for Binghamton, tying him for the league-lead with eight shootout goals.
The pair of helpers for Nikulin make him the B-Sens second leading scorer (50 pts) behind captain Denis Hamel (54 pts). Also, with his goal tonight May extends his scoring streak to six games (4+4=8) and now has 10 points in the nine games since he returned from injury.
The B-Sens will take on the Springfield Falcons tomorrow night at the Broome County Veterans Memorial Arena for a 7:05 contest. Good tickets still remain for this matchup. For ticket information, please call the Binghamton Senators at (607) 722-SENS or visit www.binghamtonsenators.com
American Hockey League Stories from April 4, 2008
- Third Period Shorty Helps Moose Beat Marlies - Manitoba Moose
- Houston defeats Griffins 4-1, remain third in West Division - Houston Aeros
- Phantoms Calder Cup Playoff Tickets On Sale Monday - Adirondack Phantoms
- Crawford, Hogs Blank The Flames 3-0 - Rockford IceHogs
- Bridgeport Takes 6-5 OT Win, But Phantoms Join Sixers and Flyers In Postseason - Adirondack Phantoms
- No. 1 Power Play Burns It Up - Manchester Monarchs
- Sens inch closer to playoff spot with shootout victory over Bears - Binghamton Senators
- Engelhardt posts hat trick in 'Dogs shootout loss - Hamilton Bulldogs
- Devils Powered Down By Monarchs, 7-3 - Albany Devils
- Rats Slip Past Admirals - Norfolk Admirals
- Griffins Fall 4-1 Before Another Sellout Crowd - Grand Rapids Griffins
- P-Bruins Defeat Wolf Pack 4-3 in Shootout - Providence Bruins
- Penguins clinch sixth straight playoff birth - Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins
- Sharks Attack Pirates in Overtime With 2-1 Victory - Worcester Sharks
- River Rats Discharge Admirals 5-2 - Albany River Rats
- Canucks Re-Assign Hansen To Moose - Manitoba Moose
- Canadiens Return Winger Matt D'Agostini To Bulldogs - Hamilton Bulldogs
- Kurt Kleinendorst Named Assistant Coach Of 2008 U.S. Men's National Team - Albany Devils
- Binghamton Adds Goaltender Joel Martin - Binghamton Senators
- Crunch Sign Three Players From College Ranks - Syracuse Crunch
- Leighton Named As AHL First Team All-Star - Albany River Rats
- Albany Signs Josh Engel To Amateur Contract - Albany River Rats
- Individual River Rats Playoff Tickets On Sale - Albany River Rats
- Rockford Rolls Into Quad City Tonight - Rockford IceHogs
- Blackhawks Draft Pick Aliu Signs On With Rockford - Rockford IceHogs
- Purcell Honored As AHL Rookie Of The Year - Manchester Monarchs
- River Rats Down Penguins In Shootout - Albany River Rats
- Final Countdown- Apprentice Task #3 - Iowa Chops
- Manchester's Purcell Named AHL's Outstanding Rookie For 2007-08 - AHL
- Rivermen Prepare For Stars Tonight - Peoria Rivermen
- Senators Recall Left Wing Nick Foligno - Binghamton Senators
- AHL Quick Hits- 4/4/08 - AHL
- Admirals Sign Defenseman Dane Crowley to ATO - Norfolk Admirals
- Aeros continue road test in Grand Rapids tonight - Houston Aeros
- Admirals Have a Heros Weekend on Tap - Milwaukee Admirals
- Aeros Make Rare Visit to the Van - Grand Rapids Griffins
- Monarchs Release Darling - Manchester Monarchs
- AHL First and Second All-Star Teams Announced - Peoria Rivermen
- Micflikier and Bisaillon Join The Stockton Thunder - Springfield Falcons
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
