PRE-GAME REPORT: WOLF PACK CONCLUDE WEEKEND BACK-TO-BACK WITH VISIT FROM PHANTOMS
Jan 29, 2022HARTFORD, CT – The Hartford Wolf Pack will look to secure the club’s first four-game winning streak of the 2021-22 season tonight when they play host to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms at the XL Center. The game concludes a back-to-back weekend set for the club and a stretch of three games in four nights.
Puck drop is set for 7:00 p.m.
Tale of The Tape:
This is the fourth of six meetings this season between the Wolf Pack and the Phantoms. It is the second of three meetings that will take place at the XL Center, and the first meeting of 2022. The sides will next meet in seven days, on February 5th, back in Hartford. That game has a special puck drop time of 5:00 p.m.
The Phantoms have won each of the last two meetings between the foes, including the first meeting at the XL Center last time out on December 17th. Anthony Greco opened the scoring for the Wolf Pack 1:49 into the second period, but the Phantoms would score the game’s final three goals for a 3-1 victory. Connor Bunnaman scored the eventual winner 17:56 into the middle frame, while Maksim Sushko cemented the victory with an empty net goal at 18:00 of the third period.
The Phantoms also secured a 4-3 shootout victory on home ice on December 12th. The Wolf Pack’s lone victory in the season series, a 3-1 decision, came on October 23rd at the PPL Center.
Wolf Pack Outlook:
The Wolf Pack won a thriller, 5-4 in the shootout, over the Providence Bruins on Friday night at the XL Center. Jeff Taylor scored his first goal as a member of the Pack in regulation, then had the shootout winner in the seventh round of the skills competition. Mike O’Leary, Aaron Luchuk, and Patrick Khodorenko also scored in the win. Hartford struck twice on the powerplay, the second game in a row in which they have done so. That came on the heels of a 1-for-38 stretch. The club also got a key penalty kill with 1:30 remaining in overtime, as Justin Richards had been whistled for tripping.
Greco leads active Wolf Pack skaters in points with 27 (9 g, 18 a) on the season. He, Ty Ronning, and Austin Rueschhoff are tied for the team lead in goals among active skaters with nine each. Keith Kinkaid, who collected the win on Friday, leads the club with a record of 14-2-2. He is tied for third in the AHL in wins in 2021-22. Tyler Wall is expected to get the start tonight.
The Wolf Pack are riding a three-game winning streak, their first since November. The club has not won four in a row this season.
Phantoms Outlook:
The Phantoms enter tonight’s game with a record of 12-14-6-2 and a points percentage of .471, good for seventh in the Atlantic Division. The Phantoms dropped a 6-2 decision last night up the road in Springfield against the Thunderbirds. The T-Birds erupted for a five-goal first period, getting a natural hat-trick from Nathan Walker. Garrett Wilson and Nick Lappin would both score for the Phantoms in the third period.
Adam Clendening leads the club in points with 24 (5 g, 19 a) on the season. Veteran Cal O’Reilly is second with 23 points (6 g, 17 a). Wilson, meanwhile, leads active Phantoms in goals with nine. Phantoms’ goalie Pat Nagle was selected to represent Team USA at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing next month.
The Phantoms have secured points in nine of their last twelve games. They are 2-1-0-0 against the Wolf Pack this season.
Game Information:
WATCH: AHLTV
LISTEN: https://mixlr.com/hfd-wolf-pack/
The Pack is back at the XL Center when we travel to a galaxy far, far away next Saturday, February 5th, when the Lehigh Valley Phantoms come to town for ‘Star Wars Night’ at the XL Center! The first 1,500 fans will receive a Wolf Pack pint glass courtesy of Lewis Real Estate Services.
Puck drop is set for 5:00 p.m., and tickets are available at www.hartfordwolfpack.com.
The Pack will be on the road this Wednesday night when they visit the Hershey Bears at the Giant Center. Puck drop is set for 7:00 p.m. and you can catch the action on AHLTV.
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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.