PRE-GAME REPORT: WOLF PACK LOOK TO EARN WEEKEND SPLIT VS. CHECKERS
Feb 16, 2025CHARLOTTE, NC – The Hartford Wolf Pack look to earn a spit of their weekend set against the Charlotte Checkers this afternoon at the Bojangles Coliseum.
The puck drop is set for 4:00 p.m., and coverage is available on AHLTV on FloHockey and Mixlr.
Tale of The Tape:
This is the seventh of eight meetings between the Wolf Pack and the Checkers this season. The season series concludes back in Hartford on Apr. 16.
The Wolf Pack are 4-2-0-0 in the head-to-head matchup this season, having won each of the first four meetings. They knocked off the Checkers 4-2 on Nov. 15 and 5-4 in the shootout on Nov. 19 at the XL Center. In January, the club swept a back-to-back set of games in Charlotte, picking up a 3-2 overtime victory on Jan. 18 and a 3-0 decision on Jan. 19.
The Checkers have won the last two meetings, however, shutting the Wolf Pack out in both. On Feb. 7, the Checkers claimed their first victory in the season series with a 3-0 win at the XL Center.
Yesterday, the club earned their second straight shutout against the Wolf Pack with a 4-0 triumph.
Wilmer Skoog opened the scoring 10:31 into the second period, taking a pass from Trevor Carrick in the left-wing circle and sniping home his seventh goal of the season. Skoog’s first goal in 19 games would prove to be the game-winning tally.
Justin Sourdif struck twice to balloon the lead to 3-0 by the 14:40 mark of period three. At 13:50 of the second period, he took a pass in the left-wing circle from Will Lockwood and ripped home his tenth goal of the season. 14:40 into the third period, he waited out a defenseman before beating Louis Domingue top-shelf for his eleventh goal of the season.
Rasmus Asplund hit the empty net at 16:56 while the Wolf Pack attacked six-on-four, cementing the two points for the Checkers.
Wolf Pack Outlook:
Yesterday’s loss marked the sixth time this season that the Wolf Pack have been shutout. It was the second straight shutout loss at the hands of the Checkers.
The Wolf Pack have not scored in 144:31 of head-to-head time against the Checkers, dating back to the 15:29 mark of the second period on Jan. 19.
The loss dropped the Wolf Pack to 4-2-0-0 in the season series against the Checkers. The team is 2-2-0-0 since returning from the All-Star break.
Yesterday’s 18 shots on goal was the lowest output in a game this season for the Wolf Pack. The previous low was 20 shots on Feb. 7 against the Checkers.
After going three-for-three yesterday, the Wolf Pack are ten-for-ten on the penalty kill since the All-Star break.
Anton Blidh and Bo Groulx lead the club in goals with 15 each. Alex Belzile leads the club in points with 43 (14 g, 29 a).
Checkers Outlook:
The Checkers improved to 2-1-0-0 since the All-Star break, with both of their wins coming against the Wolf Pack.
With his two goals yesterday, Sourdif now has four goals against the Wolf Pack this season. Thanks to his empty net tally, Asplund has struck in back-to-back games against the Wolf Pack. He scored a five-on-five goal at the XL Center on Feb. 7.
Forward Jesse Puljujarvi made his Checkers debut on Saturday, recording an assist on Skoog’s game-winning goal.
With his assist on Sourdif’s first goal, Michael Benning has four assists against the Wolf Pack this season.
John Leonard leads the Checkers with 19 goals and 36 points (19 g, 17 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 3:45 p.m. on both AHLTV on FloHockey and Mixlr.
The Wolf Pack return to action on Wednesday night with the latest installment of the ‘I-91 Rivalry’ against the Springfield Thunderbirds. The puck drop is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. from the MassMutual Center.
The Pack is back at the XL Center on Friday, Feb. 21, when the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins come to town. Join us for $2 drafts and $2 hot dogs until the end of the first intermission!
The puck drop is set for 7:00 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.