PRE-GAME REPORT: WOLF PACK EYE REBOUND PERFORMANCE IN VISIT TO PENGUINS
Oct 28, 2023WILKES-BARRE, PA – For the first time this season, the Hartford Wolf Pack will look to rebound following a loss. Tonight, the club makes their first trek to Pennsylvania of the 2023-24 season to visit the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.
The puck drop is set for 6:05 p.m. and coverage is available on both AHLTV and Mixlr.
Tale of The Tape:
This is the second of six meetings between the Wolf Pack and Penguins this season, and the first of three at the Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza. The sides will not meet again until January 7th, 2024, right back in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. The Wolf Pack’s final visit comes on January 24th, while the Penguins will return to the Connecticut capital on February 2nd and April 19th.
The Wolf Pack claimed a 5-0 victory in the first meeting between the sides eight nights ago at the XL Center. Brett Berard scored the first goal of his professional career 9:12 into the middle stanza, opening the scoring. Berard banged home a loose puck from mid-air for the first game-winning goal of his career. Jonny Brodzinski tacked on a goal at 18:31, extending the lead to 2-0 before the intermission.
In the third period, Riley Nash would blow things open as he tapped home a feed from Alex Belzile for his first goal of the season. Both Connor Mackey and Adam Edström would bury empty-net goals in the final moments to secure the win.
Louis Domingue made 34 saves to collect his second victory and first shutout of the campaign.
Hartford has had the best of this head-to-head matchup recently. The club enters tonight with an eight-game points streak (6-0-1-1) against the Penguins and a four-game winning streak. In addition to the Wolf Pack’s 5-0 win last Friday night, they have also beaten the Penguins 8-2 on February 4th, 2023, 5-1 on March 26th, and 4-0 on April 14th.
Last season, the Wolf Pack went 2-0-1-0 in three visits to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. Their last visit was that 5-1 victory on March 26th.
Wolf Pack Outlook:
The Wolf Pack suffered their first loss of the season last night, dropping a 5-2 decision to the rival Springfield Thunderbirds at the XL Center.
The Pack fell behind 3-0 on this night, as the T-Birds’ powerplay took over the game. Adam Gaudette scored 9:56 into the tilt, ripping home his sixth goal of the season on the first powerplay of the night. Mikhail Abramov made it 2-0 with a five-on-five goal at 3:14 of the second frame before Gaudette added a five-on-three goal at 10:17.
Belzile deflected home a Mackey shot from the left-wing circle at 17:23 to bring the Wolf Pack within two, but it would not be enough on this night.
Nathan Walker restored the three-goal lead at 7:53 of the third period, scoring the T-Birds’ first shorthanded goal of the season. Anton Blidh jammed home a rebound at 14:27 to bring the Wolf Pack back within a pair of goals, but Mackenzie MacEachern’s empty net tally at 18:43 cemented the result.
Brodzinski leads the Wolf Pack in both goals with four and points with seven (4 g, 3 a). Both he and Mac Hollowell (5 a) are currently riding five-game point streaks. Belzile, meanwhile, is on a four-game point streak in which he has recorded six points (3 g, 3 a). He leads the team in multi-point efforts with two.
Penguins Outlook:
The Penguins were off last night but tasted victory on Wednesday night in a mid-week home affair against the Hershey Bears. Three goals in the third period allowed the Penguins to pull away to the tune of a 5-1 triumph over the defending Calder Cup Champions.
Alex Nylander broke the ice with his first goal of the season 2:54 into the contest, but Joe Snively would get the Bears on even footing 8:05 into the middle stanza. The tie lasted just over four minutes, however, as Sam Houde potted his first goal of the season at 12:46 to give the Pens a lead they would not lose.
Houde found the back of the net again 1:28 into the third period, while Marc Johnstone and Vinnie Hinostroza both added goals at 5:28 and 6:00, respectively. Joel Blomqvist made 19 saves in the victory.
Houde and Hinostroza are tied for the team lead in both goals with two and points with four (2 g, 2 a). Hinostroza, however, was recalled to the parent Pittsburgh Penguins (NHL) on Thursday along with forward Radim Zohorna and goaltender Magnus Hellberg.
Game Information:
Play-by-play voice of the Wolf Pack Alex Thomas will have ‘Wolf Pack Pregame’ starting live at 5:50 p.m. on both AHLTV and Mixlr.
The Wolf Pack continue their five-game road trip tomorrow evening when they visit the Lehigh Valley Phantoms at the PPL Center in Allentown, Pennsylvania. The puck drop is set for 5:05 p.m., with ‘Wolf Pack Pregame’ set to hit the air at 4:50 p.m.
The Pack returns home to the XL Center on Saturday, November 11th for a 7:30 p.m. tilt against the Providence Bruins. For more details and for tickets, visit www.hartfordwolfpack.com.
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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 is the top player-development affiliate of the NHL's New York Rangers and plays 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.