After earning an exciting overtime win in Game Three on Wednesday, the Hartford Wolf Pack hosted the Providence Bruins for Game Four of their Atlantic Division Semifinals series on Friday. Hartford sought their second trip to the Atlantic Division Finals in as many years. Providence, meanwhile, aimed to stave off elimination and keep their season alive.
Much like Wednesday’s thriller, Game Four required extra time. Finally, about halfway through the extra frame, Jake Leschyshyn potted the game-winning and series-clinching goal to give the Wolf Pack a 2-1 victory. The goal sent Hartford to the Atlantic Division Finals and eliminated the Bruins.
Jake Jumpstarts the Wolf Pack
The Bruins came out of the gate with fire, knowing their season was on the line. Providence fired eight shots on goal before the Wolf Pack even got one. The Bruins also laid a few big hits, much to the ire of the Hartford faithful. Forward Riley Nash was the recipient of one of those hits, and the veteran collapsed to the ice. Nash had trouble putting weight on his leg as he skated off, and did not return to the contest.
Eventually, Providence’s early aggression came back to bite them. The Wolf Pack got the game’s first power play just under 14 minutes into the opening frame as Jaxon Nelson was called for tripping. After a dangerous shorthanded bid by Providence, Brett Berard corralled the puck and snapped it to Alex Belzile at center ice. Belzile immediately bumped it to Brennan Othmann, who sped into the Providence zone. Othmann then dropped a no-look pass to Leschyshyn in the left circle. Leschyshyn promptly sniped a shot top-shelf over Brandon Bussi to break the ice.
It was the second goal of the series for Leschyshyn, who filled in for Nash on the top power play unit. Leschyshyn had praise for Othmann’s play after the game, telling The Calder Times:
A super skilled play by [Othmann] there. When you see him with the puck, it’s important to just get yourself into open spots. That was something I tried to do there. He made an incredible play, and [I was] lucky to see it go in.
Wolf Pack forward Jake Leschyshyn on his powerplay goal, 5/10/24
Providence Persists
Hartford clung on to the one-goal lead for most of the contest. Each team earned power play opportunities in the middle frame. The Wolf Pack earned two thanks to Jimmy Lambert taking a holding and hooking call, but the Bruins killed both penalties. A Berard high stick provided Providence with a power play, but the Wolf Pack’s penalty kill was equally up to the task. Bussi and Dylan Garand each made eight saves in the second period. As a result, the rivals entered the third period with the Wolf Pack up by one.
A tripping call to Matthew Robertson provided a power play opportunity to the Bruins. The Wolf Pack again killed the penalty, but they couldn’t clear the puck out of their zone. Eventually, a scramble for the loose puck ensued in front of the Hartford net. Garand dove for the puck but was unable to corral it. John Farinacci took advantage of the prostrate Garand, tucking a shot just inside the post to even the score at one.
The teams swapped chances late in the frame, each looking to pull ahead of their rivals. The Wolf Pack eventually got a power play opportunity late in regulation when the Bruins were whistled for too many men on the ice. However, the Providence penalty kill again stood strong, preventing Hartford from pulling ahead and forcing overtime for the second straight game.
The Pack Push On
The rivals again swapped chances at the beginning of the overtime period. Each side had dangerous chances, with the dueling netminders making four saves each.
Eventually, Adam Sýkora picked the pocket of Jared McIsaac and rimmed the puck around the boards. Brandon Scanlin corralled the puck and took a long shot from the blue line. The shot couldn’t make it through traffic, but the rebound trickled right to Victor Mancini. The young blueliner hammered a shot that ricocheted off the crossbar before deflecting off the skate of Leschyshyn and into the open Providence net. The goal sent the Hartford faithful into mass hysteria and clinched the win and the series for the Wolf Pack.
Wolf Pack interim head coach Steve Smith felt the extra frame was his team’s best, telling The Calder Times after the game:
I felt like our best period was the overtime. We were really good in the overtime. We looked loose, we were driving, we threw pucks in deep. We just did a ton of good things.
Wolf Pack interim head coach Steve Smith after his team’s 2-1 overtime win over Providence, 5/10/24
Smith had specific praise for Leschyshyn, who scored both of Hartford’s goals and sent the team to the Atlantic Division Finals. Smith told The Calder Times:
The first goal was pretty. It was a heck of a shot by Jake. He ended up with two tonight, one by a beautiful play [that] went top shelf older the goalie’s shoulder. The second one, for coaches, is a pretty goal, because it’s a guy driving [to] the net, going to the net. It went off his leg and in, but those are the type of goals in the playoffs that often are scored in overtime.
Wolf Pack interim head coach Steve Smith on Jake Leschyshyn, 5/10/24
Leschyshyn, meanwhile, simply felt he was in the right place at the right time on his series-clinching goal. The forward told The Calder Times:
I saw Mancini coming down the right side there. He’s got a heavy shot, and he let it go. I saw it hit the crossbar, then came out, off my skate, and went in. Pretty fortunate to be standing at the right place in the right time.
Wolf Pack forward Jale Leschyshyn on his series-clinching overtime goal vs. Providence, 5/10/24
For the Wolf Pack, it doesn’t matter how the goal was scored – the puck crossed the red line, and their season continues with a trip to the Atlantic Division Finals.
Up Next
The Wolf Pack have advanced to the Atlantic Division Finals. They will face the winner of the Semifinals series between the Hershey Bears and the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. Hershey leads the series 2-1. Puck drop for Game Four is tonight at 7:05 pm in Allentown, Pennsylvania. The Atlantic Division Finals schedule will be released once the series between Hershey and Lehigh Valley concludes.
