Isles can’t stop Chytil, Rangers
BRIDGEPORT — The NHL exhibition finale at Webster Bank Arena on Saturday night looked more like an exhibition game on the visitors bench than the home bench. While the New York Rangers sat a line’s worth of top forwards, the “home”standing New York Islanders dressed pretty much the lineup they’ll dress when the season starts for real this week.
It didn’t keep the Rangers from winning 5-4 in overtime on Filip Chytil’s third goal of the night, but it did keep a couple of players fighting for a spot on the opening-night roster out of the lineup.
“We just had to go, get guys in,” Trotz told reporters Saturday morning on Long Island. “A guy like Andy Greene hasn’t played a game yet, (Zdeno Chara) only one,
Zach (Parise).”
The Islanders’ second-tolast preseason game was canceled Thursday after power issues at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J.
NHL teams have until Monday afternoon to cut down to a maximum of 23 players and get in compliance with the NHL’s salary cap.
“We’ve just got to make decisions, right or wrong. We’ve got to make some decisions and live with them,” Trotz said.
The Islanders start their season Thursday night at the Carolina Hurricanes, waiting for the Nov. 20 opening of their new Long Island home, UBS Arena. That’s why they played three preseason games here, including Saturday to a split-allegiance crowd of 6,778.
Former Bridgeport Sound Tiger Ryan Strome had a goal and an assist for the Rangers but missed the third period after a collision with former teammate Scott Mayfield.
Mat Barzal and former Sound Tiger Anders Lee scored two apiece for the Islanders.
The Bridgeport Islanders beat Hartford 6-3 in the afternoon, completing a two-game AHL exhibition sweep of the Wolf Pack. The team formerly known as the Sound Tigers opens its 21st AHL regular season on Friday at Hartford and debuts at home Oct. 23 against Springfield.