PRE-GAME REPORT: WOLF PACK VISIT BRUINS FOR SUNDAY SHOWDOWN
Mar 3, 2024PROVIDENCE, RI – The Hartford Wolf Pack will look to build off of the momentum of Friday night’s victory this afternoon when they head to Providence to battle the Bruins in an Atlantic Division showdown.
The puck drop is set for 3:05 p.m. and coverage is available on AHLTV and Mixlr.
Tale of The Tape:
This is the eighth of ten meetings between the Wolf Pack and Bruins this season. It is the fourth of five meetings between the foes at the Amica Mutual Pavilion. The season series will shift to Hartford for the final time on Friday night, then conclude back in Providence on April 21st.
The Bruins have won each of the last two head-to-head matchups to take a 4-3 edge in the series. Last time out, on February 18th, the Bruins scored their second shutout in the series with a 3-0 victory on home ice.
Patrick Brown deflected the game-winning goal at 7:43 of the second period, his fifth goal of the season. Brown, parked in front of Louis Domingue, tipped a Fabian Lysell shot by the netminder just nine seconds into the first powerplay of the afternoon for the B’s.
Trevor Kuntar extended the lead to 2-0 at the 15:34 mark, jumping out of the penalty box and onto the scoresheet. Eight seconds after he and Brett Berard were released from the box for roughing minors, Kuntar collected a pass in the slot and rifled his sixth goal of the season by Domingue.
The Wolf Pack had four good looks in the opening minutes of the third period, striking the post twice, but couldn’t solve Michael DiPietro. Lysell buried the dagger at 3:59 of the third, beating Domingue for his 14th goal of the season.
DiPietro made 24 saves to collect his second shutout of the season against the Wolf Pack. He is the only goaltender to blank Hartford during the 2023-24 campaign.
The Bruins lead the head-to-head matchup with four victories in seven games. They hold a record of 4-1-1-1, while the Wolf Pack are 3-3-1-0.
The Wolf Pack’s last victory in the season series came on January 13th by a final score of 3-2 in overtime. Brandon Scanlin scored the game-winning goal that night.
Wolf Pack Outlook:
The Wolf Pack snapped a three-game losing streak with a 2-1 victory over the Laval Rocket on Friday night at the XL Center. The win extended the Pack’s home point streak to four games (2-0-1-1).
Scanlin opened the scoring 3:06 into the game, stepping into a blast that beat Jakub Dobeš by the glove for his eighth goal of the season. Turner Elson, who dropped the pass that Scanlin blasted home, collected his seventh assist of the season on the goal.
The Pack received their first powerplay of the night 13:19 into the game when Logan Mailloux was whistled for tripping. 37 seconds later, Berard snapped his team-leading 18th goal of the season by Dobeš from the left-wing circle to make it a 2-0 game.
The goal was Berard’s team-leading sixth game-winning goal of the season.
Emil Heineman got the Rocket on the board 39 seconds into the middle frame, polishing off a pretty passing play at the backdoor. Heineman tapped in a pass from Brandon Gignac for his 11th goal of the season.
Dylan Garand slammed the door shut from there, however. The second-year netminder would make 12 saves in the second period to keep the Pack up 2-1 heading into the final stanza. There, Garand made another ten stops to collect his 14th victory of the season.
Berard leads the Wolf Pack in goals with 18 on the season. Alex Belzile leads the team in points with 37 (14 g, 23 a), while Mac Hollowell leads the way in assists with 32. Belzile remains on recall with the parent New York Rangers (NHL).
Yesterday, the Rangers reassigned goaltender Olof Lindbom to the Wolf Pack from the ECHL’s Cincinnati Cyclones. Additionally, the Wolf Pack loaned forward Sahil Panwar to the Cyclones. This morning, the Pack recalled defenseman Zach Berzolla from loan to the Cyclones.
Bruins Outlook:
The Bruins doubled up the Springfield Thunderbirds 4-2 on Friday night at home to improve to 34-15-3-2 on the season.
Kuntar opened the scoring 14:14 into the game, giving the Bruins a 1-0 lead through the first period. Adam Gaudette tied the tilt 10:23 into the middle stanza, becoming the first player to score 30 goals this season in the AHL. Just 5:03 later, at 15:26, Kuntar had the answer with his ninth goal of the campaign to restore the lead for the Bruins.
Tanner Dickinson’s second goal of the season got the T-Birds even just 2:40 into the third period, as he converted a feed from Mikhail Abramov. The tie lasted a mere 83 seconds, however, as John Beecher restored the lead for good at 4:03. Beecher tacked on an insurance marker at 6:16, giving the Bruins the cushion needed to collect two key points.
The Bruins have won five consecutive games and are 8-2-0-0 in their last ten. The club has also scored at least four goals in each of their last four games.
Forward Georgii Merkulov leads the Bruins in goals with 21, assists with 28, and points with 49. He sits tied for 14th in the league in goals, and alone in sixth for points.
Game Information:
Play-by-play voice of the Wolf Pack Alex Thomas will have ‘Wolf Pack Pregame’ starting live at 2:50 p.m. on both AHLTV and Mixlr.
The Pack is back at the XL Center next Friday night when the Bruins come to town for the final time this season. The puck drop is set for 7:00 p.m. Join us for $2 drafts and $2 hot dogs until the end of the first intermission!
Additionally, help us welcome back Wolf Pack legend P.J. Stock! The first 1,500 fans in attendance will receive a P.J. Stock bobblehead courtesy of Xfinity.
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.