ST. JOHN’S, NL. – Despite two late third period goals to tie the game at 3-3, the Utica Comets lost 4-3 in overtime to the St. John’s IceCaps Tuesday night at the Mile One Centre. The Comets record now sits at 2-5-1-0.
For the fourth time in his first seven games of the season, Jordan Subban (0-2-2) recorded a multi-point night. John Negrin (0-2-2) also picked up a multi-point night while Phil DeSimone (1-0-1), Carter Bancks (1-0-1), and Darren Archibald (1-0-1) handled the goal scoring. Still in pursuit of his first professional victory, Thatcher Demko backstopped the Comets with a 21-save performance.
For the second straight game the Comets allowed the game’s first goal while a man down, and fell into an early 1-0 deficit. A failed clearing attempt by the Comets ended up in the back of their net after Nikita Scherbak scored in his third consecutive game just 3:06 into the contest.
The Comets tied the game with a power-play goal of their own just 31 seconds into the second period when Bancks cleaned up a rebound off Alexandre Grenier’s blast from the top of the circle. Joseph LaBate picked up a secondary assist on the goal.
The remaining 19:29 of the second period featured a show put on by both goaltenders, Demko for the Comets and Charles Lindgren for the IceCaps. Each rookie netminder flashed highlight-reel worthy saves to keep the game locked at 1-1 after two periods of play.
The low-scoring affair would end right there as the third period saw the teams combine for four goals.
The IceCaps kicked off the third period scoring party with a power-play goal just 1:10 into the third period when Daniel Carr’s wrist shot beat Demko up top. Eight minutes later Scherbak picked up his second of the night with the team’s first even strength goal of the evening.
Once again the game changed just a minute later when the Comets mounted their comeback.
Negrin’s hustle to keep the puck in the IceCaps zone paid off when DeSimone redirected Subban’s slapshot from the point past Lindgren for his first goal as a member of the Comets. The scoring play began when Negrin’s first shot was blocked, and he craftily kept the puck from escaping the zone. After he corralled the bouncing puck, he slid it over to Subban who did the rest.
The comeback would be completed just under four minutes later when the defensive tandem of Subban and Negrin teamed up again. This time it was Subban who set up Negrin for the shot on net. Archibald swooped into the slot and redirected the Negrin shot over Lindgren’s glove to tie the game at 3-3.
Overtime saw the team’s trade odd-man rushes before Mark Barberio one-timed Terry’s pass into the back of the net.
For the second consecutive game the Comets power play went 1-for-5 on the evening. With a man down the Comets killed off 2-of-4 IceCaps opportunities. Michael Chaput failed to record a point for the first time as a Comet, and saw his season-opening eight-game point streak come to an end.
The Comets won’t travel far nor will they wait long to try to avenge the loss. The Comets and IceCaps wrap up the two-game series in St. John’s with another game tomorrow evening. Puck drop is scheduled for 6 p.m. eastern.
