SPRINGFIELD – The Springfield Thunderbirds (8-7-1-0) rode another two-goal performance from the AHL’s leading goal scorer to a 2-1 overtime win over the Utica Comets (4-4-3-0) on Friday night inside the MassMutual Center.
Malcolm Subban got the nod between the T-Birds pipes and denied 26 shots on 27 attempts against the Comets attack. In the opposing crease, Utica goaltender Erik Kallgren got the start and was terrific, stopping 37 shots in the effort.
In the opening period, Nathan Walker had the first golden opportunity to score for the T-Birds. The forward snuck through two defenders and took a slick pass from defenseman Dylan Coghlan up the middle. Walker’s shot could not get the puck past Kallgren, as the netminder used his blocker to make the save.
The Comets would then break the deadlock on a 2-on-1 not soon after. Kyle Criscuolo’s shot from the left circle went off of Subban’s body, but it became an unfortunate bounce for the T-Birds as the shot deflected off of Calle Rosen and into the net.
Despite two solid chances in the waning minutes of the period from linemates Mathias Laferriere and MacKenzie MacEachern, Utica would carry the 1-0 lead into the dressing room.
In the opening minutes of the second period, it was a story of penalties rather than goals and saves. Forward Drew Callin got the game’s first penalty, being whistled for hooking 3:22 into the period. Unfortunately for the visitors, their power play opportunity was short-lived, as forward Justin Dowling was also called for hooking.
However, the 4-on-4 did not bring much action for either team, as the score remained 1-0 Comets. Each team would have parts of three power plays in the second, but the team’s respective PK units were perfect.
Will Bitten and Zach Dean orchestrated Springfield’s best scoring chance on a 2-on-1 late in the period. Bitten went streaking down the left wing and shot the puck on Kallgren, producing a rebound off the stick and pads. Bitten deflected the puck out of mid-air toward Dean, who jammed it home for what appeared to be his first of the season and his pro career.
In another bout of tough luck for the T-Birds, though, the referees waved off the goal due to a high stick from Bitten on the play, preserving the 1-0 lead for the visitors despite Utica being outshot 12-4 in the second.
In the third period, the T-Birds only took 16 seconds to even up the score. AHL leading scorer Adam Gaudette attempted to pass to teammate Matthew Peca, but the result was positive for the T-Birds as the puck slid into the back of the net.
The goal was Gaudette’s 12th of the year and his league-leading 19th point. Despite a flurry of chances on both ends, the score remained 1-1 for the remainder of the third, sending the game into sudden-death overtime. Both teams’ penalty-killing units were perfect 5-for-5 on the night.
Similar to the start of the third period, it took little time for lightning to strike twice for the T-Birds. Peca took a pass from Joseph Duszak and took off up ice into Utica’s zone, weaving towards the middle and dropping a pass to Gaudette. With Peca clearing a shooting lane in the slot, Gaudette squeezed a heavy wrister under Kallgren’s legs and gave Springfield its third overtime win and third come-from-behind win from a second-intermission deficit this season.
The T-Birds have now won five consecutive games inside the Thunderdome, and they will look to extend that streak to six games on Wednesday, November 22, for the second annual Mayflower Marathon Night.
