PRE-GAME REPORT: WOLF PACK HOST THUNDERBIRDS FOR COLOSSAL DIVISIONAL SHOWDOWN
Feb 28, 2025HARTFORD, CT – The Hartford Wolf Pack continue a four-game homestand tonight as they welcome the Springfield Thunderbirds to the XL Center.
The puck drop is set for 7:00 p.m., and coverage is available on AHLTV on FloHockey and Mixlr.
Tale of The Tape:
This is the tenth and final meeting of the season between the Wolf Pack and the Thunderbirds. The Thunderbirds hold a decisive edge in the head-to-head matchup, having won seven of the first nine meetings. All nine games have been determined in regulation time, giving the Wolf Pack a record of 2-7-0-0 in the season series.
The Thunderbirds won their third straight in the head-to-head matchup on Feb. 19, taking a 5-3 decision at the MassMutual Center.
The Thunderbirds went three-for-three on the power play in the victory, opening the scoring 1:29 in on the skater advantage thanks to a strike from Nikita Alexandrov. Anton Blidh drew the Wolf Pack even at 14:20, but Aleksanteri Kaskimäki’s power play goal at 18:48 gave the T-Birds the lead for good.
Matthew Peca struck 12:56 into the second period, beating Louis Domingue from the slot to make it 3-1. Connor Mackey potted a power play goal at 15:33 for the Wolf Pack, but 3-2 was as close as they were able to draw it.
Alexandrov’s second power play goal of the night came off a shot from the left-wing circle that hit a stick in front and beat Domingue. Scored at 6:26 of the third period, the marker would stand as the game-winning goal. Alex Belzile struck six-on-five with a one-timer from the left-wing circle at 17:30, but Matt Luff cemented the victory at 18:36 with an empty net tally.
The Wolf Pack outshot the Thunderbirds 40-22 in the loss.
Wolf Pack Outlook:
The Wolf Pack snapped a four-game losing streak on Saturday night with a 6-5 triumph over the Providence Bruins.
Patrick Brown opened the scoring 4:07 in, taking a pass from Tyler Pitlick in the slot and beating Dylan Garand. Zac Jones tied the game at 5:04, firing a shot from the left-wing point that beat Brandon Bussi. Nathan Sucese then struck shorthanded at 8:40, giving the Wolf Pack a 2-1 edge. Vinni Lettieri tied the game at 15:56, blasting home a one-timer from the left-wing circle on the power play.
Brown restored the lead at 18:21, scoring his second goal of the night from the right-wing circle. At 19:57, Chad Ruhwedel notched his second goal of the season when his shot from the right-wing point beat Bussi by the glove.
Jaroslav Chmelař had the only goal of the second period, tapping home a backdoor feed from Brennan Othmann at 16:43 to make it 4-3 Wolf Pack. Dylan Roobroeck made it 5-3 at 1:45 of the third period, potting his ninth goal of the season from the slot.
Two quick Bruin goals tied the game 5-5, however. Trevor Kuntar made it 5-4 at 10:06, beating Garand by the glove from the left-wing circle. Lettieri then potted his second goal of the night at 14:02, making it 5-5.
At 17:17, Sucese took a pass in the slot and zipped home his second goal of the night, giving the Wolf Pack the lead for good. It marked Sucese’s first multi-goal outing as a member of the Wolf Pack, and his first game-winning goal with the club.
Blidh leads the team in goals with 16, while Alex Belzile paces the club in points with 46 (15 g, 31 a).
Thunderbirds Outlook:
The Thunderbirds escaped with a 3-2 shootout victory against the Bridgeport Islanders on Sunday afternoon at Total Mortgage Arena.
Otto Stenberg broke the ice 11:05 into the second period, notching the fourth goal of his rookie campaign. Peca then made it 2-0 at 17:27, giving the visitors a stranglehold through 40 minutes.
Eetu Liukas got the Islanders on the board 10:13 into the third period, scoring his fifth goal of the season. At 19:07, with the extra attacker out, Samuel Bolduc buried his seventh goal of the season to force overtime.
The Islanders outshot the Thunderbirds 3-1 in overtime but could not solve Vadim Zherenko. In the shootout, Peca scored the lone goal, while Zherenko stopped all three Islanders shooters.
The Thunderbirds were outshot 41-20 in the victory and have been outshot by a 114-69 margin in their last three games. They are 3-0-0-0 in that span.
Peca leads the Thunderbirds in both goals with 21 and points with 42 (21 g, 21 a) on the season.
Game Information:
WATCH: AHLTV on FloHockey
LISTEN: Mixlr
Play-by-play voice of the Wolf Pack Alex Thomas will have ‘Wolf Pack Pregame’ starting live at 6:45 p.m. on both AHLTV on FloHockey and Mixlr.
The homestand concludes tomorrow night when the Utica Comets come to town. Hockey Happy Hour presented by Minuteman Press Hartford is back in the Electric Boat Heritage Club starting at 4:00 p.m.! We’ll also be celebrating ‘Women in Sports Night’ with a special pregame panel!
The puck drop is set for 6:00 p.m.
Tickets are available at 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.