As the calendar flips to March, the American Hockey League begins the race to the Calder Cup Playoffs. The Hartford Wolf Pack earned five points in their last three games to keep the pace in the playoff chase.
Wednesday – Charlotte Checkers 2, Hartford Wolf Pack 1 (OT)
The Wolf Pack wrapped up February on Wednesday, hosting the Checkers for the second time this season. Hartford got a big return up front, as Bobby Trivigno drew in for the first time since February 16th. However, it came with a cost, as Karl Henriksson drew out with an upper body injury.
The two sides played a scoreless first period. The Wolf Pack had a pair of powerplay opportunities, but they failed to find the icebreaker. Meanwhile, Charlotte peppered Louis Domingue in the first 20 minutes, firing 13 shots on goal. Domingue turned them away to keep Charlotte off the board.
The Checkers finally solved Domingue just over four minutes into the middle frame. Mackie Samoskevich held the puck in the Hartford zone. Samoskevich snapped the puck to Matt Kiersted, who buried it on the backdoor to give Charlotte the game’s first lead.
Hartford pushed for the equalizer, but Spencer Knight held strong throughout the remainder of the period. As the game entered the final stanza, the Wolf Pack found themselves trailing by one.
The Wolf Pack finally got on the board about four and a half minutes into the third period. Ethan Keppen won a board battle, popping the puck to neutral ice. Blake Hillman and Blade Jenkins took off on an odd-man rush. Hillman carried the puck into the Charlotte zone and reached around a sliding Kiersted to feed Jenkins on the backdoor. Jenkins blasted the puck into the Charlotte net, knotting the score at one.
After the game, Jenkins described the play to The Calder Times:
It all started with my two linemates, [Sahil] Panwar making a good play in the corner and [Ethan] Keppen getting it out. Eventually led to a two-on-one. Beautiful pass by [Hillman] to get it over there, and I just put it in the back of the net.
Wolf Pack forward Blade Jenkins on his game-tying goal vs. Charlotte, 2/28/24
Neither side could pull ahead in the remainder of regulation, sending the game to overtime. Finally, with just over a minute left in the extra frame, Samoskevich beat Domingue on the short side to deliver the extra point to Charlotte.
Friday – Hartford Wolf Pack 2, Laval Rocket 1
The Wolf Pack began March by hosting the Laval Rocket for the final meeting between the teams this season. Hartford got another addition to the lineup, as forward Anton Blidh made his return.
The Wolf Pack broke the ice in this contest. Turner Elson carried the puck into the Laval zone and dropped it for Brandon Scanlin in the high slot. Scanlin wound up and uncorked a shot that Jakub Dobeš couldn’t stop to put Hartford on top early.
The Wolf Pack earned the game’s first powerplay opportunity ten minutes as Logan Mailloux went to the box for tripping. Brett Berard cashed in on the ensuing powerplay, ripping a shot from the left circle by Dobeš to double the Hartford lead. The goal was Berard’s team-leading 18th of the season.
Laval cut the lead back to one just 39 seconds into the middle stanza. Emil Heineman potted a goal on the backdoor to get Laval on the board. Filip Cederqvist nearly drew the teams even just minutes later, redirecting a shot by Dylan Garand. However, the puck rang the post and danced along the red line before bouncing out, allowing the Wolf Pack to clear and keeping the lead in tact.
Heineman’s tally would go down as the only blemish on Garand’s record. The second-year netminder made ten saves in the final frame and 32 on the night to lead the Wolf Pack to a 2-1 victory. Wolf Pack interim head coach Steve Smith had a lot of praise for Garand after the game, telling The Calder Times:
Dylan was really solid tonight. [He’s] been solid all year long. He’s worked really hard at his craft from day one and he’s a true professional. We did a good job of keeping it to the outside, but there was a couple shots from the inside Dylan came up with.
Wolf Pack interim head coach Steve Smith on Dylan Garand’s performance vs. Laval, 3/1/24
The win was Garand’s 14th of the season, setting a new career high, and it started March on a positive note for the Wolf Pack
Sunday – Hartford Wolf Pack 5, Providence Bruins 2
The Wolf Pack wrapped up their week on the road in Providence, taking on the Bruins in a matinee matchup. For the third straight game, Hartford got a return up front, as Karl Henriksson drew back into the lineup.
Henriksson wasted no time getting on the scoresheet. The second-year forward broke the ice just 43 seconds into the contest. Henriksson grabbed a loose puck in the Providence zone and skated to the slot. The Swede ripped a shot that trickled by Brandon Bussi and into the net, giving Hartford the game’s first lead.
Ian Mitchell drew the teams even just over six minutes into the opening stanza with a shot through traffic that beat Garand. However, Bryan Yoon put Hartford back on top early in the middle frame with his first AHL goal. Cam Hillis dropped the puck to Yoon, and the rookie blueliner unloaded a blast by Bussi to put Hartford in the lead for good.
Brett Berard put the game out of reach just over four minutes later. The rookie forward grabbed a loose puck at neutral ice and turned on the jets towards the Providence net. Berard ripped a shot from the left circle that beat Bussi to double the Hartford lead. The goal was Berard’s 19th of the campaign, extending his team lead. Additionally, Berard’s tally stood as the game-winner, his seventh game-winner of the campaign. That figure leads the Wolf Pack, and is good for second in the AHL, with only Tucson’s Josh Doan (8) having more game-winning markers.
Anthony Richard drew the Bruins within one about five and a half minutes into the final period with a shot by Garand’s blocker. However, both Anton Blidh and Turner Elson nailed the empty net, cementing a hard-fought 5-2 victory for the Wolf Pack.
Two-Headed Monster
If you read these articles or follow me on Twitter, you’ll know one thing about the Wolf Pack right now – their forward depth is depleted. Just last week, I wrote about three of the new faces Hartford had picked up to help up front.
While the reinforcements have helped, the Wolf Pack have stayed in games thanks to their two-headed monster in net. The goaltending tandem of Louis Domingue and Dylan Garand has been incredible during this tough stretch. In the Wolf Pack’s last three games, the netminders have allowed just five total goals, helping the Wolf Pack post a 2-0-1-0 record in those contests. On the season, both men own a 2.65 GAA and a 9.10 SV%, with Garand earning 15 wins and Domingue recording 13. The tandem has received a lot of love from Wolf Pack players and coaches. Forward Jake Leschyshyn put it best, telling The Calder Times after Hartford’s game vs. Bridgeport on February 21st:
[The goalies have] been solid. We trust them every night. It’s a big part of us having success going forward. Hopefully we don’t have to make them work too hard.
Wolf Pack forward Jake Leschyshyn on the team’s goalies, 2/21/24
Milestone Marks
It was a week filled with milestones for the Wolf Pack.
On Wednesday, veteran defenseman Blake Hillman set a new career high in points. Hillman’s assist on Blade Jenkins’ goal was his tenth point of the campaign, besting his pervious career high of nine in 30 games between the Providence Bruins and Grand Rapids Griffins in 2021-22. Interim head coach Steve Smith had a lot of praise for Hillman after the game, telling The Calder Times:
He’s such a good person and he’s wonderful to have around the locker room. He fills any role that’s needed of him. He’s really good with the young players. He’s a good hockey player and he’s done a lot of good things for us.
Wolf Pack interim head coach Steve Smith on defenseman Blake Hillman, 2/28/24
On Friday, forward Tag Bertuzzi recorded his first AHL point, earning the secondary helper on Brandon Scanlin’s icebreaking goal. Originally, the AHL awarded the sole assist to Turner Elson, but the league added Bertuzzi’s apple on Sunday afternoon.
Also, goaltender Dylan Garand recorded his 14th win of the campaign on Friday, setting a new career high. Garand made 32 saves in the Wolf Pack’s 2-1 win over Laval. The victory bests Garand’s mark of 13 triumphs from his rookie campaign last season.
Finally, on Sunday, defenseman Bryan Yoon recorded his first AHL goal and point, lighting the lamp just under two minutes into the middle stanza. The rookie blueliner turned enough heads in Hartford to upgrade his professional tryout agreement into a one-year contract on January 31st. Yoon told The Calder Times after his AHL debut that his game is to pass the puck and let forwards make plays, “because that’s their job.” While it may not be Yoon’s job to score goals, it’s exciting to see him earn his first.
The Most Wonderful Time of the Year
The calendar now reads March, which means it’s the most wonderful time of the year in the AHL – the race for the Calder Cup Playoffs. The annual Playoff Primer was released on March 1st, meaning the countdown to the Calder Cup is officially on.
As of today, the Wolf Pack sit in fourth place in the Atlantic Division, with 63 points. Their current magic number to clinch a playoff spot is 29. The Atlantic Division playoff race is going to come down to the wire – just eleven points separate 3rd-seeded Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (64) and 7th-seeded Lehigh Valley (53). Buckle up, folks, because the fun begins now.
Up Next
The Wolf Pack host a rematch with the team they knocked off on Sunday, the Providence Bruins, on Friday night. Puck drop is set for 7:00 pm.
The Wolf Pack will then visit their in-state rivals, the Bridgeport Islanders, for the latest installment in the Battle of Connecticut on Saturday. Puck drop is set for 7:00 pm.
