The Falcons’ 10 goals tied for the second-most in franchise history.
Jonathan Audy-Marchessault, left, and the rest of the Springfield Falcons had plenty of practice celebrating goals at Hartford Sunday, rolling to a 10-2 victory.
By NATE OWEN
HARTFORD – They may have switched sides, but Jonathan Audy-Marchessault and Tim Erixon showed they can still do plenty of damage when Falcons and the Whale meet.
The two former Connecticut players combined for seven points as Springfield rolled over the Whale 10-2 Sunday night at the XL Center.
The 10 goals tied for the second-most in the Falcons’ franchise history, and are the most since a 14-2 win over Providence on Dec. 30, 1999.
“I think both teams just turn the page on that,” Springfield coach Brad Larsen said. “I don’t take anything away from us, but getting 10 goals happens once every 10 years.”
The win moved the Falcons (6-1-0-2) out of a tie with idle Norfolk and into sole possession of first place in the Eastern Conference.
“You’ve got to be ready for any game,” said Audy-Marchessault, who had 19 points against Springfield last season. “For sure, it was special to come back to the XL Center for the first time, but we face them 12 times a year, so I’ve got to get used to that.”
Ryan Johansen and Nick Drazenovic added two goals for the Falcons and goalie Curtis McElhinney turned away 27 shots. The 10 goals were the most allowed by the Whale in franchise history.
Fourteen players recorded a point for the Falcons, who have received contributions throughout the lineup this season.
“All of our lines have been good depth and have been contributing both ways,” Erixon said. “I think that’s the most important thing for our team right now.”
Erixon and Audy-Marchessault scored the first two of three Springfield first-period goals. Erixon tipped Tomas Kubalik’s shot past Cam Talbot at 3:54, then threaded a long pass through the neutral zone to Audy-Marchessault, who broke free down the left wing before sliding the puck past Talbot at 11:53.
Erixon got it going again for Springfield, retrieving the puck along the left boards before firing a long cross-ice pass to Drazenovic on the right post, who fired it into a wide-open net to make it 3-0 and end the night for Talbot, who was replaced by Jason Missiaen.
Johansen redirected Nick Holden’s blast from the point past Missiaen to make it 4-0 at 3:56 in the second period. Kubalik made it 5-0 at 9:32 before Johansen scored his second of the period at 16:23.
Matt Gilroy added an early third-period power-play goal for Connecticut, but Springfield’s Andrew Joudrey, Cam Atkinson, Michael Chaput, and Drazenovic each scored to cap the offensive outburst.
Larsen has been on the other end of these types of games, as he was a member of the Colorado Avalanche when they lost to Detroit 7-0 in the 2002 Western Conference Finals.
“They’re not fun to play,” Larsen said. “Even when you’ve got the lead, you’re just trying to get out without any injuries.”
Springfield hosts Connecticut Friday at 7 p.m.
NOTES: Sunday was the eighth straight game that Springfield scored first in, as the Falcons scored three goals in each of the first two periods ... Johansen and Drazenovic were the first two Falcons to post multi-goal games this season ... Erixon became the 14th Springfield player to score a goal this season, and finished the night with a plus-six rating.
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