UTICA TOPS BRIDGEPORT IN A SHOOTOUT AT HOME

Feb 6, 2026

Utica, NY – The Comets hosted the Bridgeport Islanders on Friday for the second and final time this season and came away with a 2-1 shootout win. 

It was the first meeting between the two teams in nearly a month, and the first period featured a stingy effort from both sides, with neither yielding many high-danger scoring chances. The Comets received the first power play of the game when Islanders’ defenseman Ethan Bear was called for high-sticking at 9:53, but were held at bay by the AHL’s top-ranked road penalty kill. The Islanders headed to the man advantage shortly thereafter when Josh Filmon was called for interference, but the Comets, who boast the league’s best penalty kill at home, thwarted the Islanders’ power play opportunity.  

The pace picked up a few notches in the second period. The Comets nearly took a 1-0 lead when Austin Strand fired a shot from the high slot, but it clanked off the far post and stayed out. The Comets headed to the power play shortly thereafter, and it was the Islanders who found their best scoring chance of the night when Liam Foudy darted in on a breakaway shorthanded but was stopped by Jakub Malek. The Islanders would eventually get on the board when Joey Larson walked into the left circle, threw the puck into the crease, and Adam Beckman tipped it home to give the Islanders a 1-0 lead at 12:55 of the second on his 18th of the year. The Comets responded with a strong shift in the offensive zone minutes later. Nathan Legare made a nice move through his own skates, slid a backhand shot wide of the net, but Shane Lachance picked it up off the end wall and shoveled it home past Bridgeport netminder Jeremy Smith to tie the game at one at 15:30 for his eighth goal of the year. Nathan Legare and Jack Malone picked up the helpers. 

The Islanders came out with some quality chances in the third period, but the momentum shifted in the Comets’ favor as the period went on. Utica drew a penalty with just two minutes left when Daylan Kuefler was called for slashing, but the Islanders’ penalty kill came up big and the teams headed to overtime. 

It was an evenly matched 3-on-3, with the Comets’ best chance coming from Ryan Schmelzer who found himself alone at the top of the crease but had the puck roll off his stick. The Islanders’ best chance came shortly thereafter when Liam Foudy skated in on his second breakaway of the game but was denied again by Jakub Malek.  

After no scoring in the extra session, the teams headed to a shootout. Each team came up empty in the first two rounds, and then Jakub Malek stopped Matthew Highmore in the beginning of the third round, setting up the Comets with a chance to win. In the bottom of the third, Topias Vilen skated 1-on-1 against Jeremy Smith and made a great move from backhand to forehand, tucking it around the netminder’s right pad to win the game for the Comets. It was the Comets’ second win in a shootout this year who now have points in three of their last four games. 

The Comets were outshot by the Islanders 26-25, while going went 0-for-4 on the power play and 1-for-1 on the penalty kill.  

The Comets are back home tomorrow at 6 pm against the Rochester Americans for Star Wars Night. For tickets or more information, fans can visit uticacomets.com/tickets or call 315-790-9070.