Game Preview
Apr 6, 2018Game Day Info:
Hartford Wolf Pack vs. Providence Bruins
Puck Drop: Friday, April 6 at 7:05 p.m.
Game Preview:
This is the last of ten games on the season between the Wolf Pack and the Providence Bruins, and the Wolf Pack’s record in the season series stands at 4-3-1-1. They are 1-1-1-1 in previous road action vs. Providence.
The Bruins (41-24-3-2, 87 pts., .621) sit three points behind second-place Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, and one point behind fourth-place Charlotte, in the Atlantic Division, but have played two less games. The Bruins are coming off a 3-2 loss to the Bridgeport Sound Tigers on Tuesday.
Last Time Out:
The Wolf Pack most recently played to a 5-1 loss to the Bridgeport Sound Tigers last Saturday. Boo Nieves scored the lone Pack goal with his 7th tally of the season, while Scott Kosmachuk and Chris Bigras picked up their 27th and 11th assists, respectively. Marek Mazanec made the start in net, where he made 13 saves on 18 shots before being pulled in favor of Alexandar Georgiev.
With five games remaining in the regular season, the Pack are 31-31-6-3 with a .500 win percentage, which places them sixth in the ultra-competitive Atlantic Division with 71 points from 71 games played. The Pack still sit behind the fifth place Sound Tigers, who have collected 78 points from 70 games played for a 0.557 win percentage. Following the first place Lehigh Valley Phantoms, who have clinched a playoff spot, the Penguins, Bruins and Checkers hold the remaining playoff positions.
Players to Watch:
#18 Evan Jasper
Evan Jasper is a 26-year-old rookie who played four seasons of AHA hockey at Sacred Heart University, and he currently leads the Wolf Pack’s ECHL affiliate, the Greenville Swamp Rabbits, in points, goals and assists. The 5-10, 196-pound native of Whitby, Ontario has 21 goals and 29 assists for 50 points, along with 24 penalty minutes, in 64 games with the Swamp Rabbits.
#27 Austin Czarnik
Austin Czarnik has a team-leading 62 points for the Bruins, with 21 goals and 41 assists. The center is appearing in his fourth season with Providence and has racked up 135 points over the course of 138 games played for nearly a point per game. In 17 games throughout the 2017 Calder Cup Playoffs, the Michigan native had three goals and four assists. Czarnik went undrafted during his two draft classes but signed with Boston in 2015. Czarnik has played in 10 games with the Bruins this season, where he totaled four assists.
Coming Up Next:
The Pack will be back home at the XL Center this weekend tomorrow and Sunday to face the Lehigh Valley Phantoms and Springfield Thunderbirds, respectively. For tickets and information, visit the Hartford Wolf Pack ticketing site or call 866-762-6451.