Bridgeport Briefs: Mixed Results, Mitchell's Big Weekend
Every week, our pal George provides Islanders fans with the latest out of Bridgeport.
The Bridgeport Islanders have been playing much better hockey as of late.
After a sweep two weekends ago, Rick Kowalsky’s squad went 1-1-0-1 this past weekend, playing three straight days.
They were blanked on the road by Wilkes-Barre 5-0 on Friday and lost in a shoutout to Charlotte 3-2 on Saturday before taking down their in-state rival Hartford 4-1 on Sunday.
Bridgeport, now 5-10-1-2, now trails Springfield by four points for the last playoff spot in the Atlantic Division.
Our man George, otherwise known as @Notaburneraccou on X, gives us the Bridgeport rundown in his latest Bridgeport Briefs:
Bridgeport Briefs: Mixed Results, Mitchell's Big Weekend
Top Performer: Travis Mitchell
Whatever Mitchell did during his one week of practice with the (NY) Islanders worked. He came out on fire this weekend, scoring goals against both Charlotte and Hartford.
The 2 goals he scored this weekend were more than he had during the entirety of last season in 34 games (note that he already had a goal before this weekend, too). These 2 goals weren't your prototypical shots from the blueline through traffic, either. Mitchell roofed a Frederik Karlstrom rebound from in close against Charlotte. Against Hartford, he even more impressively stripped Fairport, NY native Nathan Sucese during a 4-on-4, flew down the left wing, then cleanly beat Domingue glove side to give Bridgeport the early lead.
Frankly, he did not look like a stay-at-home defenseman this weekend, with both of his goals coming from a willingness to jump up in the play.
Hogberg Stays Hot Between The Pipes
Hogberg had another strong weekend, going 24-for-25 in the win against Hartford and 32 for 34 against Charlotte while also going 3 for 4 in the shootout.
He earned back-to-back starts after Skarek was shelled in Wilkes-Barre on Friday (28 for 33). Goaltending altogether has been strong the past 2 weeks, with the goaltending tandem posting .900+ SV% in 4 of the 5 most recent games.
The Rookie Racks Up A Few Points
Rookie Justin Gill recorded 2 helpers this weekend, which now brings him up to 4 in 6 total games. Gill, who started the season with Worcester (ECHL), has settled in on Bridgeport's second line with Frederik Karlstrom (with Maggio and Gauthier also playing on it in different games) this weekend.
Gill was no stranger to the scoresheet in juniors last season, finishing 2nd in the entire QMJHL with 98 points, a feat fellow Islander William Dufour also accomplished in the 2021-22 season. There is no shortage of Islanders who tore up juniors on this current team, as Maggio finished first in the OHL with 111 points in the 2022-23 season, too.
Oh, Captain, My Former Captain
Seth Helgeson made his season debut (on a PTO) this season against Hartford. While it was a quiet night for him, with only 1 shot, his presence was certainly welcome.
Bridgeport ceded only 25 shots against the 8-7-1-1 Wolf Pack in their win, where Helgeson drew the start, paired with Wyatt Newpower. He did not anchor the PK as he typically did last season.
With Helgeson, there are now 9 defensemen on the roster; since Bridgeport usually carries no more than 8, there is a chance that one of Cam McDonald or Christian Krygier could be reassigned back to Worcester next week. Both of them started the season there, and Bridgeport has only 2 games this upcoming weekend.
Both Krygier and McDonald played a game apiece this weekend, with Krygier minus-3 against Wilkes-Barre and McDonald going minus-1 against Charlotte.
Special Team Story
Kowalsky seemed to prefer PK units of Foudy and Bardreau, plus Pinho and Gatcomb up front (Gauthier subbed in for Pinho when he was in the box). On the backend, it was a sophomore pairing of Aidan Fulp and the aforementioned Mitchell, while the other pairing was a more seasoned duo of Sam Bolduc and Wyatt Newpower. The penalty kill was strong this weekend, successfully killing 5 shorthanded situations.
The power play was not particularly strong. Gauthier netted their lone powerplay goal against Charlotte, resulting in a 1-for-11 weekend overall, including going 0-for-6 on 3 double-minors (per X-user Joey_Mcauliffe8). Kowalsky ran Thompson-Gauthier-Gill-Maggio-Bolduc and Karlstrom-Jefferies-Pinho-Terry-Newpower units during the Saturday and Sunday games.
Extra Stats
Brian Pinho notched his team-leading 11th goal late against Hartford. He is now 2 over his total of 9 (in 72 games) last season.
Gatcomb had a strong Sunday, posting a goal and an assist at the XL Center (Hartford), a rink he frequently played in during his time at UConn. The Woburn, MA native moves up to 7 goals and 2 assists in 18 games.
Bridgeport takes on Belleville (7-3-0-4) twice next weekend. They split last year’s season series with 1 game going to each side. Mineola, NY native Garrett Pilon had helped pace Belleville's offense this season, posting 1 goal and 12 assists in 14 games.
Gauthier Goes Down
Julien Gauthier was hit high late in the 2nd period of Sunday's game and did not return. Should he miss time, William Dufour could have an opportunity to reinsert himself into the lineup and perhaps earn back some power-play time. Dufour, also a hard-shooting, big-bodied winger hailing from Quebec, was on the 4th line against Wilkes-Barre on Friday before being scratched on Saturday and Sunday. With just 4 points in 15 games, he has had a tough start to the season.
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