Two Atlantic Division clubs complete their weekend series when the Bridgeport Islanders face the Hershey Bears this Saturday night in the FloHockey AHL Game of the Week (7:00 p.m. ET).

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Washington Capitals first-round pick Ivan Miroshnichenko registered a hat trick while AHL All-Star Alex Limoges provided the third-period winner as the Bears (27-12-5-0) edged Bridgeport, 5-4, at Giant Center on Friday night. For Hershey, the win helped to atone for a disastrous 9-0 loss at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton two nights earlier. Friday’s win helped the Bears to stay within one point of the Calgary Wranglers for the AHL’s overall lead.

For Bridgeport (10-29-2-2), Friday’s loss leaves the team 20 points out of a playoff spot in the Atlantic Division with 29 games still to go on their schedule. That 20-point gap is the largest that any team below the playoff line faces. The Islanders’ frustration spilled over with 11 seconds to go in the game when the normally mild-mannered Chris Terry took a 10-minute misconduct after being whistled for high-sticking.

Bridgeport Islanders at Hershey Bears

Saturday, 7:00 p.m. ET* -- Giant Center

Where to Watch: Subscribers can continue to watch via FloHockey.tv or the FloSports app.

Free Streams: Follow the game across FloHockey's social channels including YouTube, Facebook and X. More details below.

Bridgeport Islanders (New York Islanders)

For Bridgeport, this has been a disastrous season nearly from the start. After a 2-9-1-1 open to the season left the team in trouble, a brief mid-November spurt that featured a 6-1 win at Hershey provided some hope. But a nine-game slide (0-8-1-0) that extended deep into December has left the team stuck at the bottom of the AHL.

Bridgeport now is trying to survive with goaltenders Marcus Hogberg and Jakub Skarek both on recall in New York. Henrik Tikkanen took Friday night’s start for Bridgeport. Hunter Miska, who came to Bridgeport on Jan. 11 from Dynamo Moscow of the KHL, is back in North America for the first time since the 2021-22 season when he was with the Colorado Eagles. He was in net for five goals in a 9-2 home loss to Lehigh Valley this past Wednesday night. 

Bridgeport ranks in the AHL’s bottom-five in scoring, though the team has reached four or more goals in four of its past seven contests. Terry, Liam Foudy, and AHL All-Star Brian Pinho pace the Bridgeport offense with the trio accounting for 42 percent of the team’s goals this season.

For all of Bridgeport’s troubles, the team has been relatively competitive on the road with an 8-12-2-0 mark. At home, however, the Islanders have won just twice all season (2-17-2-0) while being outscored 88-45.

Hershey Bears (Washington Capitals)

For the defending back-to-back Calder Cup champion Bears, this season has had its fair share of ups and downs even if the team is atop the Eastern Conference.

After winning a league-high 29 of 36 regular-season games at Giant Center last season, the Bears rank just 18th on home ice this campaign at 13-10-1-0 (.563). Defensive play, a bedrock for Hershey’s past success, has wavered this season with the Bears filling into the middle third of the league in goals-against.

Bears goaltenders Hunter Shepard and Clay Stevenson teamed up last season to win the Harry "Hap" Holmes Memorial Award for having allowed the fewest goals per game in the AHL (2.10 per game). This season, however, has seen both goaltenders post save percentages below .890.

On the blue line, NHL veteran Ethan Bear has settled in and has 5-25-30 through 40 games. He will also represent Hershey as an AHL All-Star.

With sniper Ethen Frank increasingly likely to remain in Washington, Miroshnichenko has stepped forward since returning to Hershey after nearly two months with the Capitals. Since his return game with the Bears on Jan. 10 at Charlotte, he has four goals in nine games; Friday’s hat trick was the second of the season for the 20-year-old forward, a 2022 first-round pick. He has 11 goals through 25 games. In 18 games with the Capitals, he had 1-3-4.

Hershey got a boost Friday with the return of center Riley Sutter for the first time since Dec. 22. The Bears also got forward Pierrick Dubé back this week after he served a five-game suspension.

How To Watch AHL Free Stream On YouTube

On Saturdays throughout the season, the AHL and FloHockey will present a free Game of the Week on YouTube. The home team's broadcast will be shared as a free stream on FloHockey's YouTube page. The free broadcast will begin shortly before puck drop. Check FloHockey and AHL social channels to see which game will be streaming each week.

WATCH HERE

How To Watch AHL Free Stream On X

On Saturdays throughout the season, the AHL and FloHockey will present a free Game of the Week on X (formerly known as Twitter). The home team's broadcast will be shared as a free stream on FloHockey's Twitter page. The free broadcast will begin shortly before puck drop, posted on FloHockey's X feed. Check FloHockey and AHL social channels to see which game will be streaming each week.

WATCH HERE

How To Watch AHL Free Stream On Facebook

On Saturdays throughout the season, the AHL and FloHockey will present a free Game of the Week on Facebook. You can access the game multiple ways on the Facebook. FloHockey will stream both home and road (if available) broadcasts on its Facebook page. The game can also be found live on the AHL's Facebook page.

WATCH HERE

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