After Louis Domingue’s goalie goal clinched their Calder Cup Playoff spot on Friday night, the Hartford Wolf Pack faced their next challenge on Sunday afternoon. The Wolf Pack hosted the Charlotte Checkers in a potential playoff preview. Hartford’s rookies led the way in this contest, scoring five goals to lead to a character-building win.
Standout Special Teams
The Atlantic Division rivals played a scoreless first period, with each side firing seven shots on goal. Hartford thought they found the early icebreaker courtesy of a Brennan Othmann powerplay goal. However, officials immediately waved it off for goaltender interference after Jake Leschyshyn was bumped into Spencer Knight.
Charlotte finally opened the scoring in the initial seconds of the middle frame. Casey Fitzgerald got behind the Wolf Pack defense and flipped a backhand shot over Domingue’s glove to give Charlotte the game’s first lead.
Fitzgerald’s goal would be the only lead Charlotte held in the contest. Adam Edström evened the score about midway through the second period. Officials sent Justin Sourdif off for tripping, giving the Wolf Pack their fourth powerplay opportunity of the game. Edström screened Knight and tipped an Adam Sýkora shot into the goal to knot the contest at one. The goal was originally awarded to Sýkora, but a scoring change on Wednesday gave credit to Edström.
Hartford quickly earned another powerplay opportunity, as officials handed Patrick Khodorenko a major and a game misconduct for cross-checking Jake Leschyshyn up high. On the ensuing powerplay, Brett Berard fired a shot that appeared to cross the red line, but officials determined it was not a goal. However, replay showed that Berard’s shot hit the back post and immediately rocketed out, and officials awaded Berard the powerplay tally.
Edström doubled the lead about two minutes later. A Mac Hollowell slashing minor forced Hartford to the penalty kill. While on the PK, Edström poked the puck away from Michael Benning and sped towards the Charlotte net. Edström promptly crossed up Knight and flicked a backhander into the net to put the Wolf Pack up by two.
Pouring It On
The three-goal explosion in the middle frame did not spell the end of Hartford’s scoring in the matinee matchup. Just under four minutes into the final stanza, rookie forward Jaroslav Chmelař potted his first professional goal. Chmelař tipped a pass from Dennis Cesana into neutral ice and started a footrace for the puck. Chmelař collected the loose puck, skated to the slot, and ripped a shot by Knight for his first goal as a pro.
Speaking to The Calder Times after the game, Chmelař was simply happy to help out his teammates in any way possible. The Czech forward said:
Everybody was happy [for me scoring my first goal]. I was screaming, because I was super happy. I’m happy to help the guys out in every way possible.
Wolf Pack forward Jaroslav Chmelař on scoring his first AHL goal, 4/14/24
Brennan Othmann finally capped off Hartford’s scoring about three minutes later. Othmann battled Gerry Mayhew for a loose puck along the wall, eventually poking it into neutral ice. Othmann muscled Mayhew away from the puck and slid a cross-ice pass to Berard. Berard fought through a pair of Charlotte defenders and passed the puck back to Othmann, stationed on the back door. Othmann hammered the pass into the empty net for Hartford’s fifth goal of the night, matching their total from their previous seven games against Charlotte combined.
Rasmus Asplund cut the lead back to three with a short side snipe around 13 minutes into the third period. However, that was as close as Charlotte would get in this contest. Domingue slammed the door shut in the final seven minutes of regulation to deliver a huge 5-2 victory to the Wolf Pack.
The Kids Are Alright
Having clinched their spot in the Calder Cup Playoffs and being virtually locked in to fifth place in the Atlantic Division, the Wolf Pack opted to rest some veterans and give younger players an extended look. Alex Belzile and Nic Petan came out of the Hartford lineup, while Jaroslav Chmelař and Kalle Väisänen got some extra reps. The decision to feature the young guys worked in Steve Smith’s favor, as all five Hartford goals came from first- or second-year players; Adam Edström scored twice, while Brett Berard, Brennan Othmann, and Chmelař each added a goal. Berard, Adam Sýkora, and Karl Henriksson all tallied assists in the contest. Smith noted that a performance like this from his young skaters was critical heading into the playoffs, telling The Calder Times:
It’s critical going into the playoffs because we’re gonna need lots of bodies. We’ve pushed that for a couple weeks, getting playoff ready. A lot of it is young guys buying into a concept that’s completely different. Playoffs is a very tight-checking game. You cannot make mistakes on any given night. During the season, you’ll play teams that trade chances with you. That’s something we can’t do. It was exciting to see young guys buy into…playoff-style hockey.
Wolf Pack interim head coach Steve Smith, 4/14/24
One of those young players, Kalle Väisänen, made his AHL debut on Sunday afternoon.
The Finnish forward impressed Smith in his first AHL game, with the interim bench boss telling The Calder Times:
He’s big and strong. The Finns seem to be men before a lot of other players are men. He was physical, I thought he skated well, he handled the puck pretty well and made some plays. He’s got a heck of a shot. I thought it was a good first game for him.
Wolf Pack interim head coach Steve Smith on Kalle Väisänen, 4/14/24
With the Wolf Pack likely to lose players to recall this weekend, they’ll need the young guys to step up. If the Wolf Pack can repeat their performance from Sunday, they are primed for a run in the Calder Cup Playoffs.
Never Tell Me The Odds
Some sports rivalries are simply lopsided. For example, take the NFL’s New England Patriots and New York Jets during the Tom Brady era. The Brady-led Patriots put up a 30-8 record against the Jets, including postseason meetings between the teams. It is technically a rivalry? Yes. But it certainly isn’t an even one.
The rivalry between the Wolf Pack and Checkers is similar. Entering play Sunday, Charlotte had won the past seven matchups. Charlotte’s record against Hartford for the past five seasons sat at 21-4-2-0, while the Wolf Pack put up a pitiful 6-14-5-2 record against the Checkers.
However, to paraphrase Han Solo in The Empire Strikes Back, never tell the Wolf Pack the odds. The Wolf Pack lit the lamp five times and Louis Domingue made 23 saves as Hartford earned an emphatic 5-2 win over the team that’s had their number all season. With the Atlantic Division rivals on a collision course to a playoff matchup, Hartford’s performance should spark confidence.
Assuming the teams meet in the Calder Cup Playoffs, it would be the second straight year that Hartford matched up with a team they struggled against in the regular season. Last year, the Wolf Pack’s first round opponent was the Springfield Thunderbirds. Springfield posted a 9-2-0-1 record against Hartford in the regular season, and few outside the Connecticut capital gave the Wolf Pack a chance. However, the Wolf Pack swept the T-Birds in two games, outscoring them 13-2 and advancing in the Calder Cup Playoffs. Is the same in store this season against Charlotte? Steve Smith and crew certainly hope so.
Up Next
The Wolf Pack will wrap up the regular season with a three-in-three. The trio of games kicks off tonight, as Hartford hosts the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in their final regular season home game. Puck drop is set for 7:00 pm.
The Wolf Pack’s final two games are on the road. They’ll visit the Springfield Thunderbirds tomorrow night, with puck drop set for 7:05 pm. The Wolf Pack wrap up the regular season on Sunday, visiting the Providence Bruins. The puck will drop at 3:05 pm.
