HARTFORD, CT – The Hartford Wolf Pack kicked off a four-game homestand on Friday night. The Wolf Pack welcomed the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins to town as they aimed to build on an impressive effort in a loss to Springfield on Wednesday.
However, a bad start once again did the team in. The Penguins took the lead just 29 seconds into the game before riding a three-goal first period to a 4-1 decision.
Welcome to the Black Parade
The Wolf Pack had a number of lineup changes entering the game. Up front, forwards Brennan Othmann, Brett Berard, and Jake Leschyshyn returned to the lineup after missing Wednesday’s contest. Forward Maxim Barbashev also joined the lineup after earning a recall from ECHL Bloomington on Thursday night. Forwards Bo Groulx and Blade Jenkins exited the lineup with upper body injuries, while forwards Alex Belzile and Anton Blidh were unavailable for the contest.
At the blue line, veteran defenseman Chad Ruhwedel drew back in after missing the last two games with an injury. In addition, Zac Jones played his first game with the Wolf Pack since May 2023 after being loaned to Hartford for conditioning by the New York Rangers. Ruhwedel and Jones replaced Carter Berger and Ryan Siedem in the lineup.
Misery Business
Just 29 seconds after puck drop, the Penguins took the lead. Rutger McGroarty entered the Hartford zone on a two-on-one with Avery Hayes. McGroarty elected to shoot and sniped a bid by Louis Domingue on the short side to give the Penguins a lead they’d never lose.
The Wolf Pack went to the game’s first penalty kill just over the halfway mark in the opening frame. Lucas Edmonds took a high-sticking minor while Leschyshyn earned an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. The penalties gave the Penguins a five-on-three power play bid. Hayes capitalized on the two-man advantage, burying a rebound to double the lead.
Boris Katchouk gave the Penguins their biggest lead of the night about four minutes later. A defensive breakdown left Katchouk wide open on the back door. Katchouk accepted a feed from Vasily Ponomarev before ripping a shot by a diving Domingue. The Penguins took the 3-0 lead into the first intermission.
Come on Barby, Let’s Go Party
The Wolf Pack earned their first power play of the night just over five minutes into the middle frame when Dan Renouf went off for hooking. Hartford couldn’t convert, but they got some great looks and tilted the ice in their favor.
Just 20 seconds after Renouf rejoined the fray, the Wolf Pack got on the board. Brett Budgell took a shot from the high slot that Filip Larsson made the initial save on. Blake McLaughlin attempted to jam the rebound home as the puck pinballed around the crease. Finally, Barbashev snuck to the side of the net and cleaned up the loose change.
The goal was Barbashev’s first in the American Hockey League.
The Wolf Pack continued to push throughout the remainder of the frame, outshooting the Penguins 13-5. However, Larsson held strong from there, and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton took a 3-1 lead into the second break.
Sugar, We’re Going Down Swinging
The Wolf Pack continued to push in the final frame. However, the hole was simply too big for them to dig out of. Marc Johnstone delivered the dagger by nailing the empty net in the waning seconds of regulation, and the Penguins took a 4-1 decision.
“A couple missed assignments and a 5-on-3 goal, and all of a sudden it’s 3-0,” Wolf Pack head coach Grant Potulny told The Calder Times after the contest. “It’s hard, two games in a row you have a veteran player make a mistake and it’s in your net.”
The loss keeps Hartford seven games out of the final playoff spot in the Atlantic Division. To make things worse, Springfield, who holds said spot, was idle last night, meaning they’ve gained another game in-hand over the Wolf Pack.
The path to the Calder Cup Playoffs this year was never going to be easy. But if the Wolf Pack can’t start stringing together wins quickly, the window of opportunity will slam shut.
Up Next
The Wolf Pack continue their four-game homestand tonight, hosting the Providence Bruins. Puck drop is set for 6:00 pm.
