PRE-GAME REPORT: WOLF PACK VISIT ISLANDERS FOR ROUND THREE OF THE ‘BATTLE OF CONNECTICUT’
Nov 23, 2022BRIDGEPORT, CT – The Hartford Wolf Pack conclude their three-game road trip tonight when they make the trip south to Bridgeport to take on the Islanders in the latest installment of the ‘Battle of Connecticut’.
Puck drop is set for 7:00 p.m. and coverage is available on both AHLTV and Mixlr. To listen to Play-by-Play broadcaster Alex Thomas’ call on AHLTV, select the ‘away audio’ option when clicking on the game.
Tale of The Tape:
This is the third of twelve meetings between the Wolf Pack and Islanders this season, and the third of six at Total Mortgage Arena. The Wolf Pack will host the Islanders in the next installment of the rivalry, one month from today on December 23rd. The series returns to Bridgeport, the site of four of the first five meetings, four days later on December 27th.
The Islanders took round two of the ‘Battle of Connecticut’ back on November 5th. Samuel Bolduc opened the scoring 6:06 into the game, blasting home a shot from the blueline with a delayed penalty coming against the Wolf Pack. C.J. Smith tied the game just 1:00 into the second period, but Arnaud Durandeau restored the Islander lead at 2:46 with his second goal of the season.
Durandeau tacked on his second goal of the night 10:00 into the third period on the powerplay, while Andy Andreoff extended the lead to 4-1 just over three minutes later at 13:06.
The Wolf Pack pushed late, scoring twice in a span of 33 seconds to make things interesting. Hartford struck with a powerplay goal at 17:11 thanks to Tim Gettinger, while Gustav Rydahl snapped home his second goal of the season at 17:44.
William Dufour would hit the empty net at 19:41, however, cementing the 5-3 victory for the Islanders.
The Islanders are 2-0-0-0 in the season series and are averaging 5.00 goals per game against the Wolf Pack.
The Wolf Pack, meanwhile, have won two of their last three games on the road after opening the season with five consecutive road losses.
They are 7-4-0-1 against the Islanders dating back to the start of the 2021-22 season.
Wolf Pack Outlook:
The Wolf Pack bounced back with a strong 4-2 victory over the Hershey Bears on Sunday afternoon, earning a split of their weekend trip to Chocolatetown. Andy Welinski opened the scoring in the contest, firing home a powerplay goal on the first shot of the game 3:49 into the contest.
Julian Napravnik and Henrik Borgstrom scored at 10:05 and 16:53, respectively, to give the Bears a 2-1 lead, but Wolf Pack starting goaltender Louis Domingue would slam the door shut from that point on.
Ben Harpur pounced on a rebound and scored his second goal of the season 51 seconds into the middle frame, tying the contest at 2-2. The goal was Hartford’s second shorthanded goal of the year. Ty Emberson rocketed a one-timer home at 5:58 to give Hartford the lead back, while Will Cuylle hit the empty net to cement the two points.
Welinski leads the Wolf Pack in scoring with ten points (3 g, 7 a) in his first season with the club. Gettinger and Lauri Pajuniemi are tied for the team lead in goals with five. Welinski has scored in two consecutive games and is tied for 12th in points among defensemen in the AHL.
Islanders Outlook:
The Islanders edged the Providence Bruins 3-2 in overtime on Sunday afternoon at Amica Mutual Pavilion in Providence. The sides saw three of the game’s five goals scored in a span of 61 seconds in the first period. Vinni Lettieri opened the scoring 9:17 into the game with his ninth goal of the season on the powerplay, but William Dufour would respond with an unassisted goal seven seconds later. Chris Wagner broke the tie at 10:18, ending the flurry with the Bruins leading 2-1.
Erik Brown tied the contest at 7:51 of the third period, forcing this Atlantic Division battle to overtime. Aatu Raty delivered the dagger 2:59 into overtime, completing the comeback for the Islanders.
The Islanders have won two consecutive games, going 2-1-0-0 during a three-in-three weekend. The Isles knocked off the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins 4-2 on Saturday night after dropping a 4-1 decision to the Charlotte Checkers on Friday night.
Ruslan Iskhakov (4 g, 10 a) and Bolduc (2 g, 12 a) are tied for the team lead in scoring with 14 points each. Andreoff is also in double-digits, having scored 12 points (6 g, 6 a) in 15 games. Andreoff, Dufour, and Hudson Fasching are tied for the team lead in goals with six each on the season.
Game Information:
Play-by-play voice of the Wolf Pack Alex Thomas will have ‘Wolf Pack Pregame’ starting live at 6:45 p.m. this evening on both AHLTV and Mixlr. Be sure to tune in all season long for Hartford Wolf Pack hockey!
The Pack is back at the XL Center on Friday, November 25th when the Hershey Bears come to town. Join us for $2 beers and $1 hot dogs! 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 are the top player-development affiliate of the NHL's New York Rangers and play 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.