CALDER CUP PLAYOFF PREVIEW: WOLF PACK VS. BRUINS
Apr 24, 2023For the first time in eight years, the Hartford Wolf Pack went through a handshake line with smiles, knowing that they kept their season alive and won a playoff series. The Wolf Pack swept the rival Springfield Thunderbirds 2-0 in the Atlantic Division First Round, setting up a date with the Atlantic Division Champion Providence Bruins in the Atlantic Division Semifinals.
It’s been quite a while, eight years actually, since the Wolf Pack and Bruins have faced off in a playoff series. While the Thunderbirds are the Pack’s I-91 rivals and the Bridgeport Islanders are their hated rivals from within the state, the Bruins have been Hartford’s biggest playoff rival in franchise history.
There is a rich history between the Wolf Pack and the Bruins when the chips are down. Sound the bell, another chapter of the fight is about to begin.
The full Atlantic Division Semifinals series schedule is as follows:
Game 1: Friday, April 28th, @ Providence (Amica Mutual Pavilion, 7:05 p.m.)
Game 2: Saturday, April 29th, @ Providence (Amica Mutual Pavilion, 7:05 p.m.)
Game 3: Wednesday, May 3rd, @ Hartford (XL Center, 7:00 p.m.)
Game 4*: Friday, May 5th, @ Hartford (XL Center, 7:00 p.m.)
Game 5*: Sunday, May 7th, @ Providence (Amica Mutual Pavilion, 7:05 p.m.)
*If nec.
After a stretch of six meetings in nine games from mid-January into early February, we told you on the Wolf Pack broadcast that we can’t promise much, but we can promise you a great series if these two meet in April or May. Time to put that theory to the test.
Let’s see how these two playoff rivals stack up.
History: The Wolf Pack and Bruins are meeting for the sixth time in Calder Cup Playoff history. The Wolf Pack have only met one other team, the Portland Pirates, more times in the Calder Cup Playoffs. Like we said, there is a rich history here.
The rivals first met in 1999, an Eastern Conference Semifinals series that the Bruins swept 4-0 en route to a Calder Cup Championship. A year later, the sides met again, this time in the Eastern Conference Final.
The Wolf Pack would get their revenge, despite trailing 3-1 in the series. Hartford took Game Five 3-2 at home, then went to Providence and took Game Six 5-3. That win snapped a 16-game home winning streak for the Bruins in the playoffs. Back in Hartford, Terry Virtue would score 7:32 into overtime to push the Wolf Pack to the Calder Cup Final, which they would win in six games over Rochester.
They would also meet in 2001, an Eastern Conference Quarterfinals series won 3-2 by the Bruins, 2007, an Atlantic Division Semifinals series won by the Bruins 4-3, and 2015, an Atlantic Division Quarterfinals series won by Hartford 3-2.
Twice, the series between the Wolf Pack and Bruins has ended in overtime. Virtue had the winner in Game Seven in 2000 on May 21st, 2000, while Tommy Hughes had the series winner 4:35 into overtime on May 1st, 2015.
Overall, the Bruins have won three (1999, 2001, and 2007) of the five series, while Hartford has been triumphant in two (2000 and 2015). Twice before, a Wolf Pack and Bruins series has produced a Calder Cup Champion.
First Round Results: Hartford turned in arguably their two best games of the season in their Atlantic Division First Round series against the Springfield Thunderbirds. Hartford scored just 3:37 into Game One, with Lauri Pajuniemi breaking the ice, and never looked back. They cruised to a dominant 6-1 victory to put the heat on the defending Eastern Conference Champions.
In Game Two, Hartford scored three goals early and once again ran away with a victory that was never up for debate, clinching the series with a 7-1 victory at the XL Center.
Tanner Fritz led the way for Hartford, scoring six points (1 g, 5 a) in the two games. He also finished the First Round with a +6 rating. Fritz is tied for the Calder Cup Playoff lead in points and leads the Calder Cup Playoffs in points per game with 3.00.
Fritz’s +6 rating is tied with teammates Pajuniemi and Blake Hillman for third in the AHL through one round of the playoffs. The Hartford trio only trails teammates Anton Blidh and Ty Emberson, who both finished the series at +8.
Emberson, Hillman, and Pajuniemi are tied for the lead in goals for the Wolf Pack through one round. The trio have all lit the lamp twice.
The Bruins will be well-rested, as they did not partake in the First Round of the Calder Cup Playoffs. The Bruins were one of two teams to earn a bye in the Atlantic Division, joining the Hershey Bears.
The Bruins won the Atlantic Division’s regular season title with a record of 44-18-8-2, good for 98 points. Their 98 points slightly edged Hershey, who finished the season with 97 points. The Bruins also finished as the top team in the Eastern Conference and finished third in the AHL behind only the Calgary Wranglers (106 points) and the Coachella Valley Firebirds (103 points).
Head-to-Head: The Wolf Pack were one of the few Atlantic Division teams to give the Bruins fits during the course of the regular season. Hartford actually won the season series, taking six of the ten meetings between the squads. Hartford gathered points in seven of ten meetings, posting a record of 6-3-1-0.
The Bruins, meanwhile, only won four of the ten games but did collect points in seven, going 4-3-3-0.
Four of the ten meetings went to overtime, with Hartford winning three of them.
In fact, all but three of the ten meetings were decided in the third period or overtime in this season series.
The Bruins enjoyed a slight edge in special teams play, converting 18.75% (6-for-32) of their powerplays. The Wolf Pack were only successful on 10.53% (4-for-38) of their skater advantages. Providence’s penalty kill was 89.47% in the regular season series, while Hartford killed off 81.25% of penalties taken.
At five-on-five, the Wolf Pack ended up with the better of the play. They outscored the Bruins 20-14, including an 8-3 margin in the final two meetings, both Hartford victories.
In Providence, where the series will begin, the Wolf Pack posted a record of 3-1-1-0. The Pack won each of their last three visits to Rhode Island, taking overtime decisions on January 22nd (4-3) and January 27th (2-1), and a regulation decision on April 8th (5-3). Hartford’s win on April 8th clinched them a playoff berth.
Top Performers: Dylan Garand was strong in goal for Hartford in the season series, posting a record of 4-1-0-0 with a .919 save percentage. He’ll be opposed by the duo of Kyle Keyser and Brandon Bussi. Keyser went 2-2-1-0 against the Wolf Pack with an .890 save percentage, while Bussi made 38 saves in a 4-3 overtime loss on January 22nd. That was his only appearance against Hartford this season.
Keith Kinkaid, traded to Colorado during the season, was 2-1-1-0 with a .934 save percentage against the Wolf Pack this season.
Defenseman Zac Jones paced the Hartford attack during the season series, scoring nine points (3 g, 6 a) in ten games. He potted the game winner in overtime on January 27th in Providence.
Among forwards, both Turner Elson (3 g, 5 a) and Bobby Trivigno (1 g, 7 a) recorded eight points against the Bruins this season. Trivigno’s +8 rating was the highest +/- in the season series among Wolf Pack skaters.
For the Bruins, former Hartford forward Vinni Lettieri was key during the season series. He scored seven points (4 g, 3 a) in six games, including the overtime winner on January 15th. Marc McLaughlin scored six points of his own (3 g, 3 a), and finished the season series +3 in nine games.
On defense, Jack Ahcan scored seven points (2 g, 5 a) in nine games, while captain Josiah Didier scored three of his four goals on the season against Hartford. He had two goals on April 8th.
How to Watch: Play-by-play voice of the Wolf Pack Alex Thomas will have you covered for all five games, if necessary, of this series. ‘Wolf Pack Pregame’ starts at 6:50 p.m., before puck drop goes at 7:05 p.m. for Games One and Two in Providence this weekend.
‘Wolf Pack Pregame’ will start at 6:45 p.m. on Wednesday, May 3rd, and Friday, May 5th, ahead of 7:00 p.m. puck drops at the XL Center for Games Three and Four (if nec.).
You can watch each Wolf Pack playoff game live on AHLTV, and you can listen for free on Mixlr.
Single game tickets for Games Three and Four of the Atlantic Division Semifinals are on sale now!
For more information and to purchase tickets, please visit www.hartfordwolfpack.com/tickets/playoff-information.
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ABOUT THE HARTFORD WOLF PACK: The Hartford Wolf Pack has been a premier franchise in the American Hockey League since the team’s inception in 1997. The Wolf Pack are the top player-development affiliate of the NHL's New York Rangers and play at the XL Center. The Wolf Pack has been home to some of the Rangers newest faces including Igor Shesterkin, Filip Chytil, and Ryan Lindgren. Follow the Wolf Pack on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok.