AHL Preview: Springfield at Bridgeport

Eighteen points separate the Bridgeport Sound Tigers and the Springfield Falcons as they head into the lone game on the AHL schedule for this evening. The teams face off in a 7 p.m. matchup.

Springfield sits second in the Eastern Conference, four points back from first-place Syracuse. The Falcons have a 34-16-4-3 record this season and are 5-5-0-0 in their past ten games, but are coming off a pair of losses prior to tonight’s game. Bridgeport (24-24-5-4) is 13th in the conference and is 2-0-2-0 in their last four games and 2-4-3-1 in the last ten.

Left winger Jonathan Audy-Marchessault leads the Falcons across the board with 17 goals, 36 assists and 53 points in 55 games this season. He has seven power play goals on the season and is averaging nearly a point per game, also leading the team with 173 shots on goal. Left winger Ryan Craig has 41 points (16-25) on the season and leads the team with 10 power play goals. David Savard and Nick Holden lead Falcons blueliners with 26 points each, while rookie Michael Chaput has 23 points (9-14) in 54 games.

Bridgeport left winger Nino Niederreiter leads the team with 24 goals and 42 points on the season, while rookie center Brock Nelson leads the team with 24 assists. Niederreiter also leads the team with nine power play goals. Matt Donavan leads Sound Tigers blueliners with nine goals and 22 assists in 56 games this season, with fellow defenseman Jon Landry just one point behind him.

Springfield has lost its last two games after starting the month with a three-game winning streak. A 7-2 victory over Adirondack was followed by a 2-1 shootout win over Providence and a 2-0 win over Worcester. The Falcons then dropped a 2-1 decision to Adirondack before suffering a 4-1 loss to Albany on March 9.

Next up for the Falcons is a three-in-three set this weekend, beginning with a visit to Providence on Friday. The Bruins visit the Falcons on Saturday before Springfield visits Connecticut on Sunday. Su

Bridgeport began the month of March with a 7-1 loss to the Whale, before winning 4-3 over Adirondack the following day. Two overtime losses to Connecticut and Manchester followed, and most recently, the Sound Tigers took a 4-2 in over Albany on March 8.

After tonight’s game, the Sound Tigers visit Manchester on Friday before heading to Hershey on Saturday and hosting Albany on Sunday.

Tonight’s game is the sixth of eight meetings between the teams this season, with Springfield taking three of the games so far. The teams most recently met on February 22, when Springfield defeated Bridgeport by a score of 5-2.