Bridgeport got a bit of lady luck to vault to the lead just 51 seconds into the final period when a Parker Wotherspoon wrist shot from the left point deflected high in the air over Hofer to give the Islanders a 2-1 advantage.
Despite their first deficit of the night, the Thunderbirds would not be denied. Matthew Peca found a loose puck in a mad scramble in the goal crease to beat Skarek at 4:42 of the period, tying the game, 2-2.
The Thunderbirds’ power play then struck to take the lead just 1:58 later, with rookie Mathias Laferriere potting his first AHL goal on a perfect shot from the right-wing circle to make it 3-2. Skarek had inadvertently pushed the net off its pegs as the shot came whistling into the top shelf, but after review, referees upheld the “good goal” call on the ice.Keean Washkurak made sure the Islanders would not get any closer, beating Skarek from the left wing with a snap shot off the inside of the post to make it 4-2 at 11:49.
Walker would add an empty-netter to round out the four-goal fury for Springfield, his second of the night, at 18:49. Hofer improved to 5-0-1 in his first six starts, stopping 27 of 29 Bridgeport offerings. Springfield is also 5-0-1 in the first six matchups with the Islanders this season. In addition to Walker’s two-goal game, Brown and Tucker each piled up three assists in the T-Birds victory, the team’s fourth straight triumph overall. The Thunderbirds and Islanders complete their second different run of three straight matchups on Wednesday at the MassMutual Center – puck drop is set for 6:05 p.m. for the Thanksgiving Eve battle.