PRE-GAME REPORT: WOLF PACK OPEN FIVE-GAME ROAD TRIP WITH VISIT TO PENGUINS
Mar 26, 2025WILKES-BARRE, PA – The Hartford Wolf Pack open a five-game road trip tonight in Northeast Pennsylvania as they take on the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins at the Mohegan Arena at Casey Plaza.
The puck drop is set for 7:05 p.m., and coverage is available on AHLTV on FloHockey and Mixlr.
Tale of The Tape:
This is the sixth and final meeting of the season between the Wolf Pack and the Penguins. The Penguins have controlled the season series to this point, having won each of the first five meetings in regulation time. During that span, the Penguins have outscored the Wolf Pack by a 24-5 margin.
The Penguins cruised to a 7-1 victory in the last meeting on Mar. 7 at the XL Center in Hartford. Nathan Sucese opened the scoring for the Wolf Pack 16:09 into the hockey game, giving them their first lead in the season series.
The lead would last until the 6:54 mark of the second period, when Mathias Laferrière scored his third goal of the season to make it 1-1. 31 seconds later, Avery Hayes potted the eventual game-winning goal, making it 2-1. Valtteri Puustinen made it 3-1 at 12:38, chasing Louis Domingue from the net.
The Penguins tacked on four more goals in the final frame, pulling away from the Wolf Pack. Vasily Ponomarev, Ville Koivunen, Atley Calvert, and Rutger McGroarty scored the goals in a span of 7:13.
Filip Larsson made 24 saves to collect the victory for the Penguins.
The Wolf Pack’s last win in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton came on Mar. 26, 2023, by a final score of 5-1. The Wolf Pack are 0-5-0-0 in their last five overall against the Penguins and are 0-5-0-0 in their last five visits to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.
Wolf Pack Outlook:
The Wolf Pack won their third straight game on Saturday night, downing the Milwaukee Admirals 2-1 in overtime.
After 40 minutes went by without a goal, Brandon Scanlin broke the ice 19 seconds into the third period with his seventh goal of the season. Scanlin blasted a shot from the point that beat a screened Magnus Chrona to make it 1-0.
The Admirals outshot the Wolf Pack 15-7 in the final frame, finally breaking through late. With the net empty and a six-on-five advantage, Grigori Denisenko beat Dylan Garand from the right-wing circle at 18:34 to tie the game and force overtime.
In the extra session, Nicolas Aubé-Kubel sent the fans home happy with a coast-to-coast rush. The veteran forward snapped a shot from between the circles that beat Chrona through the five-hole for his first goal as a member of the Wolf Pack.
The win gave the Wolf Pack just their second three-game winning streak of the season.
Garand made 33 saves in the win to collect his 19th victory of the season.
Anton Blidh leads the Wolf Pack in goals with 17, while Alex Belzile paces the club in points with 52 (16 g, 36 a).
Penguins Outlook:
The Penguins beat up on the Bridgeport Islanders by a final score of 5-2 on Sunday at Total Mortgage Arena.
The Penguins erupted in the first period, taking a 4-0 lead. Sam Poulin struck at 4:06, giving the Pens a lead they never lost. Matt Nieto then lit the lamp at 6:54, making it 2-0. Puustinen’s 13th goal of the season, scored at 17:26, proved to be the game-winning strike. Boris Katchouk ended the onslaught at 19:16, potting his 21st goal of the campaign.
Marshall Warren got the Islanders on the board at 3:38 of the second period, then Alex Jefferies added some intrigue with his eleventh goal of the year at 14:28 to make it 4-2. Chase Stillman quickly responded, however, scoring at 16:31 of the second period to make it a 5-2 game.
Poulin (1 g, 2 a) and Sebastian Aho (3 a) each recorded three points in the victory for the Penguins.
Katchouk leads the Penguins in goals with 21, while Koivunen paces the club in points with 54 (20 g, 34 a).
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 6:50 p.m. on both AHLTV on FloHockey and Mixlr.
The Wolf Pack continue their road trip this Saturday night when they visit the Providence Bruins. The puck drop is set for 7:05 p.m., and coverage is available on AHLTV on FloHockey and Mixlr.
The Pack is back at the XL Center on Friday, Apr. 11, when the Bruins come to town! Join us for $2 drafts and $2 hot dogs until the end of the first intermission.
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.