Preview: Islanders at Bruins (original) (raw)

Bridgeport Islanders

PROVIDENCE, R.I. - The Bridgeport Islanders (7-21-2-2) return to action this evening with a 7:05 p.m. matchup against the Providence Bruins (17-12-3-1) at Amica Mutual Pavilion. It's the Islanders' first road game of 2025, and their only road contest this weekend before opening a season-long four-game homestand on Sunday. Bridgeport is looking to win its third straight road game following a 4-1 victory in Charlotte (Dec. 22) and a 7-5 win in Springfield (Dec. 28). Brian Pinho, who was named to the 2025 AHL All-Star Classic this week, has 17 points (10g, 7a) in 16 road games this season.

Watch tonight's game live: AHLTV on FloHockey

Listen to tonight's radio broadcast: Mixlr

LAST TIME OUT

The Islanders are coming off a 5-1 loss to the Hartford Wolf Pack at Total Mortgage Arena last Sunday. Brian Pinho scored his team-leading 16th goal of the season and fifth on the power play, while Jakub Skarek (4-10-1) made 28 saves. Riley Piercey made his AHL debut after he was promoted from the Worcester Railers (ECHL) on New Year's Day.

ISLANDERS VS. BRUINS

Tonight marks the eighth of 12 meetings between the Islanders and Bruins this season, and the fourth of six in Rhode Island. Providence has won each of the first seven meetings in regulation including a 4-1 final at Total Mortgage Arena on Dec. 27. In their last tilt at Amica Mutual Pavilion, the Islanders could not recover from allowing four goals in the first period en route to a 5-3 loss on Dec. 13. Bruins forward Vinni Lettieri leads all players in the series with 10 points (3g, 7a) in seven meetings. Lettieri is tied for fifth among all AHL scorers with 32 points (12g, 20a) on the season.

VIEW FROM PROVIDENCE

The Bruins are looking to snap a two-game slide (0-1-0-1) as they return home following a four-game road trip. Providence enters the weekend fourth in the Atlantic Division, three points behind Charlotte and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, and one point ahead of Lehigh Valley. Last time out, Max Jones scored his sixth goal of the season 1:20 into the first period, but Boston's affiliate suffered a 5-1 loss to Hershey on Sunday. Brandon Bussi (6-8-1) made 28 saves. Bruins captain Patrick Brown recorded an assist and is currently riding a five-game point streak (2g, 3a). Goalie Michael DiPietro and defenseman Michael Callahan were named to the AHL All-Star Classic this week.

CALIFORNIA DREAMIN'

Brian Pinho will represent Bridgeport at the 2025 AHL All-Star Classic presented by Spotlight 29 Casino on Feb. 2-3, 2025 at Acrisure Arena in Palm Desert, California. It marks his first AHL All-Star selection. The 29-year-old leads Bridgeport and is tied for sixth among all AHL players with 16 goals this season. He also paces the club in shots (88) and power-play goals (5), and shares the team lead in scoring with Chris Terry (25 points). His three shorthanded goals are tied for second in the AHL.

QUICK HITS

Grant Hutton was recalled by the New York Islanders on Tuesday... Liam Foudy has three goals in the last three games and four goals in the last five... Tyce Thompson has four points in the last six games (2g, 2a)... Chris Terry notched an assist for the second straight game on Sunday, his team-leading 21st helper on the season... Terry is tied for seventh among all AHL players in assists and his 10 power-play helpers are tied for second... Terry's assist on Sunday was his 164th career point with Bridgeport, passing Rob Collins (2003-06) for third place on the team's all-time scoring list... He is 15 points behind Otto Koivula (2018-24) for second... The Islanders will play 12 games over the next 23 days, which leads into the All-Star break.

AFFILIATES

New York Islanders (16-18-7): Last: 4-0 W at Vegas, last night - Tomorrow at Utah, 9 p.m. ET

Worcester Railers (13-17-1-3): Last: 3-1 W vs. Reading, Saturday - Next: Tomorrow at Wheeling, 7:10 p.m. ET

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