It is no secret to those who follow the Bridgeport Islanders that they have struggled to find any momentum to speak of this season. They currently have the fewest points in the American Hockey League (AHL), and they have struggled to score all season. The goaltender who has started the most games for them in 2023-24 is Jakub Skarek, and he has won just four of the 26 games he has appeared in. While they face an uphill battle to make themselves relevant in the Atlantic Division playoff picture, they have started to turn things around on the backs of forward Matt Maggio and goaltender Henrik Tikkanen. The team has their first four-game point streak thus far this season and seems to be playing their best hockey yet in 2024.
Tikkanen on Fire
Tikkanen started his 2023-24 season in the ECHL as a member of the Worcester Railers, where he posted a pedestrian .896 save percentage (SV%) and 3.11 goals-against average (GAA). He was called up to the AHL and made his first start on Dec. 29, 2023 on the road against the Springfield Thunderbirds. His career got off to an up-and-down start at the AHL level, as he allowed five, three, two, and four goals in his first four starts respectively, winning two and losing two over that stretch.
After those first four games, something seemed to click for the 6-foot-8 goaltender from Finland; in his next six, he allowed one goal four times and two goals twice, posting an astounding .960 SV%. Over those games, Tikkanen went 3-1-2 (speaking to the lack of support he has gotten from his team offensively). Unless the Islanders can find offensive production somewhere quickly, they will need him to stay on his A-game if they hope to make a run at a playoff spot as we head into the final stretch of the season. Either way, it seems that the NHL club may have a steal on their hands with their seventh-round pick from 2020.
Maggio Heats Up
Maggio is another prospect Islanders fans should have an eye on down the stretch this season. The 21-year-old from Windsor, Ontario is playing his first full season in Bridgeport; he led the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) in points with 111 last season after being drafted by the Islanders in the fifth round of the 2022 NHL Entry Draft.
While Maggio’s nine goals and six assists on the season thus far do not necessarily jump off the page, he seems to be heating up as of late. He scored both of the Islanders’ goals in Sunday’s 2-1 overtime victory against the Laval Rocket, and he has five points in his last eight games (including an active three-game point streak). He seems to have as much potential as any of the prospects in the Islanders’ pipeline, and fans should have him on their radar as we close out the season.
Looking Ahead
The Islanders have a busy week ahead of them. They will head to Hartford for a Wednesday night matchup with the Wolfpack, who they have won just one out of seven matchups against this season. Next, they will head to Wilkes-Barre where they will take on a Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins team that currently sits in third in the Atlantic Division. Finally, they will return home on Sunday for an afternoon matchup with the Thunderbirds, whom they have won two in a row when facing.
The Islanders undoubtedly face an uphill battle in aiming to regain relevance in the Atlantic Division’s playoff picture, as they currently sit 14 points behind the Thunderbirds for a playoff spot. The team does, however, have 24 games to work with, exactly a third of their season; if they can continue to stymie opposing offenses and can somehow manage to pick up their goalscoring, getting hot to end the season is not out of the question.
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