Good night

Since the high-water mark, since the injuries started, since the middle of February, the Sound Tigers are 7-15-0-2.

Those hurt quite a bit.

But there was a point late last month where the Sound Tigers beat Portland at home and had their game in hand the next day, and I kinda thought if they won that and went four points up with 11 to play, they had a good shot.

Since that point, they are 2-7-0-1.

That didn't work out.

They haven't scored since Smith deflected in Comeau's shot late in the second at Albany, 145 minutes and 16.4 seconds ago, the team's longest scoreless streak of the liveball era.

That doesn't help.

Sound Tigers have accidentally put two pucks into their own net in the past two games, and that's two more than they've put into the opposition's net.

Look, you miss your top line and a third of your second line for the last three weeks, it's a miracle if it ends well. The Islanders proved miracles happen. The Sound Tigers proved they don't happen often.

"The effort was a lot better than Wilkes-Barre," Capuano said. "No question we played a very good hockey team tonight. The puck support was great. We moved the puck well before we got all those penalties. We had some chances."

Didn't capitalize, and there are two games left. Expect to see the kids a lot.

LINEUPS
BRIDGEPORT
F: G. Johnson-Ogorodnikov-Regier ('A')
Marjamaki-Smith-Nokelainen
Comeau-Rank-Nolan
Magowan/Pitton
D: Fata-Berry ('A')
Fraser-Wotton (C)
Malec-MacDonald

HARTFORD
F: Jessiman/Helminen
Byers-Dubinsky-Moore
Dawes-Immonen-Bourret
Owens-Korpikoski-Lessard
D: Purinton (A)-Degon
Liffiton-Weller (C)
Lampman (A)-Sanguinetti

Just hope this isn't the last trip here. But how funny would it be if the last trip to Hartford not only eliminated Bridgeport but made it nine in a row over the Sound Tigers?

Eric Boguniecki was behind the bench with Capuano and Marshall, just trying to add a little spark.

The Sound Tigers went 132:04 without scoring during the final three games of last season. That team was hit even harder than this one by recalls and injuries.

Pavel Bourret had two goals and six assists in three games against Bridgeport.

Darren Haydar is the AHL's MVP. You'll hear some cries for Jason LaBarbera, who did a heck of a job in Manchester, where he deserves not to be. But the more I think about it, the more I think the MVP is Keith Aucoin.

Sacred Heart's Pierre-Luc O'Brien signed an ATO with Portland. There was some talk about him coming to Bridgeport when all the other ATOs did.

So Hershey clinched the division and an old-school playoff series against Glens Falls. (Congrats, Albany; you still haven't seen playoff games since 2000.) Wilkes-Barre will play Norfolk but still needs two points to secure home ice.

Hartford clinched second. Worcester and Providence both still need a point to clinch a playoff berth; Lowell still needs to win out in regulation. Portland is stuck in sixth.

Iowa clinched the fourth West Division playoff spot, but Peoria moved to within two points of Grand Rapids in the crossover possibility.

We'll do some looking-back things in the next few days.