COMETS SQUARE OFF WITH BRIDGEPORT FOR FIRST TIME THIS YEAR
Jan 11, 2019UTICA COMETS (20-17-2-1) vs. BRIDGEPORT SOUND TIGERS (21-11-4-2)
Adirondack Bank Center, 7 p.m.
Watch Live: AHLTV | Listen Live: 94.9 K-ROCK
Follow and Interact Live: Twitter | Hashtag: #BRIvsUTI
Tonight’s Game: The Utica Comets take on the Bridgeport Sound Tigers for the first time this season. Puck drop is at 7 p.m. The first 1,000 fans through the doors will receive a Thatcher Demko bobblehead.
Last Game: Tanner Kero scored twice but the Utica Comets saw their four-game winning streak come to a close after suffering a 6-3 setback at the hands of the Toronto Marlies on Wednesday night at Coca Cola Coliseum. Brendan Gaunce also scored for Utica. Ivan Kulbakov made 23 saves in the loss.
Head-to-Head: This is the first meeting between the Comets and Sound Tigers this season. The teams split last year’s season series, with each team winning one game. The Comets are 4-2-2-0 in the last five seasons against Bridgeport.
Scouting the Sound Tigers: Bridgeport comes in with a record of 21-11-4-2 and sits in second place in the Atlantic Division. They most recently fell to the Binghamton Devils 3-2 last Saturday. Otto Koivula leads the active roster with 25 points, followed by Sebastian Aho with 24 points. Jeremy Smith is the leading netminder with an 11-6-2 record, a 2.70 goals-against average, and a .907 save percentage.
White Hot: Tanner Kero is a man on a mission. Kero has five goals in his last two games, including a hat trick this past Sunday. He also has six points in his last four games and is six points shy of tying his career best of 39 points. The forward has put up 33 points (15-18-33) in 40 games this season.
Just Killin’ It: The Comet’s penalty kill is back on the upswing after a rough stretch. Utica has killed off five straight penalties and nine of their last 10 overall. The Comets penalty kill ranks 11th in the AHL at 82.4%.
Bounce Back: After breaking a rare two-game slump, Reid Boucher has rebounded nicely. Boucher has five points (1-4-5) in his last four games overall as well as four points in his last two home games. Boucher leads the Comets with 34 points (17-17-34) in 28 games this year.
Offensive Explosion: A big factor in the Comets’ recent success can be attributed to their ability to score. Utica has scored at least three goals in five straight games, including five and six-goal games in Cleveland last weekend. They have also scored eight goals in their last two home games.
Next Game: The Comets are back at it tomorrow night with a Galaxy Cup showdown against the Syracuse Crunch. Fans are encouraged to use the ticket exchange site, StubHub!. The game can be heard on 94.9 KROCK and viewed on AHL TV.