Two games into his stint with the Springfield Thunderbirds, Airdrie native Jake Neighbours collected his first American Hockey League point last night as the T-Birds got past the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins 3 - 2.
With the game tied 2 - 2 in the third, Neighbours and the Thunderbirds' Anthony Angello moved into the Penguins zone on a 2-on-1. Neighbours waited before freezing Wilkes-Barre/Scranton goalie Filip Lindberg and then hitting Angello with a perfect feed for what turned out the be the game-winning goal.
After 11 games with the NHL St. Louis Blues, the team sent the former Edmonton Oil King to their American Hockey League affiliate, a move that GM Doug Armstrong said wasn't an indictment of Neighbours' play with the club.
“He’s played well here, but in this current environment, I think it’s best for his long-term development to go to the American Hockey League, play with his peers, and also get comfortable again in offensive situations,”
The Blues were in the midst of a franchise-record eight-game losing streak when they moved to send Neighbours down. On Thursday they ended the streak with a 5 - 3 win over San Jose and followed it up with a 3 - 2 victory over the Las Vegas Golden Knights last night.
The move was also made to let Neighbours log more ice time. In games with St. Louis, Neighbours averaged 12:20 on the ice but he was moved down in the lineup, from the third line to the fourth, and registered a season-low 8:28 against Philadelphia in his last game.
Neighbours scored his only goal of the season, his second in his NHL career, in the Blues' season-opener against the Columbus Blue Jackets.
The win last night gives the T-Birds a record of 6-5-0-2. They return to Springfield for a five-game homestand, which begins with a game on Wednesday, November 16th against the Syracuse Crunch.
Send your news tips, story ideas, pictures, and videos to news@discoverairdrie.com