PRE-GAME REPORT: WOLF PACK VISIT ISLANDERS IN LATEST INSTALLMENT OF ‘BATTLE OF CONNECTICUT’
Feb 17, 2024HARTFORD, CT – The Hartford Wolf Pack hit the road tonight for the middle game of their third three-in-three weekend of the season. Tonight, the Pack invades the Total Mortgage Arena in Bridgeport to battle the rival Bridgeport Islanders.
The puck drop is set for 7:00 p.m. and coverage is available on AHLTV and Mixlr.
Tale of The Tape:
This is the seventh of ten meetings between the Wolf Pack and the Islanders this season. It is the fourth of five meetings between the foes at Total Mortgage Arena in Bridgeport. The sides will meet again on Wednesday night back in Hartford at the XL Center at 7:00 p.m.
The Wolf Pack have won five of the first six meetings between the rivals, including each of the last four tilts. On February 9th, the Wolf Pack extended their winning streak in the head-to-head series with a 4-1 triumph at the XL Center.
Julien Gauthier opened the scoring just 39 seconds in for the Islanders, tipping in a Robin Salo shot from the point. Louis Domingue slammed the door shut from there, stopping the final 36 shots from the Islanders to pick up his 13th win of the season.
Trailing 1-0 over halfway through the hockey game, the Wolf Pack powerplay went to work at 12:32 of the second period when Grant Hutton was whistled for interference. At 13:20, Ryder Korczak got the Pack on the board when a Matthew Robertson point shot hit his leg and snuck by Jakub Skarek.
5:15 later, at 18:35, Brennan Othman put the Pack ahead for good when he took a pass from Brett Berard and wandered to the top of the slot. Othmann then snapped home his 12th goal of the season and the eventual game-winning goal.
Bobby Trivigno scored a beautiful goal 4:18 into the third period, while Adam Sýkora hit the empty net at 18:55.
In addition to winning four in a row in the head-to-head matchup, the Wolf Pack have won six straight games at Total Mortgage Arena. That is their longest active road-winning streak.
Goaltender Dylan Garand has thrived this season against the Islanders. He is 3-0-0 with two shutouts and a .980 save percentage in three starts. All three starts have come on the road.
Wolf Pack Outlook:
The Wolf Pack ended their season-long, six-game homestand with a 2-4-0-0 record following a 5-2 loss to the Laval Rocket on Friday night.
Anton Blidh got the Wolf Pack on the board just 51 seconds in, stuffing home a rebound for his sixth goal of the season. The Rocket would score four unanswered goals from there, however, cruising to victory.
Mitchell Stephens tied the game on a powerplay at 19:00 of the first period, beating Domingue through the five-hole. Jared Davidson then sniped home a goal at 15:20 of the second period, ripping a short-side shot by Domingue.
Tobie Bisson blasted home the eventual game-winning goal at 19:00 of the second period. He found time and space at the top of the left-wing circle, then rifled home his sixth goal of the season.
Davidson extended the lead to 4-1 at 11:13 of the third period with his second goal of the night. The tally was also the Rocket’s second powerplay goal of the evening.
Berard drew the Pack within two, batting home a pass from Tyler Pitlick with a six-on-five advantage at 15:29. It wouldn’t be enough, however, as Davidson completed the hat-trick at 18:38 with an empty net tally from the neutral zone.
Berard leads the Wolf Pack in goals with 15 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 30.
On Friday, the parent New York Rangers (NHL) recalled forward Matt Rempe from the Wolf Pack.
Islanders Outlook:
The Islanders snapped a two-game losing skid on Friday night with a dramatic 3-2 victory over the Providence Bruins in Rhode Island.
The Isles jumped out to a great start, as Matthew Maggio broke the ice just 2:38 into the game. Otto Koivula extended the lead to 2-0 at 16:57, potting his ninth goal of the season. The Isles took that 2-0 lead into the third period but couldn’t hold off the Bruins in the final 20 minutes.
Marc McLaughlin got the B’s on the board at 7:49, scoring his fifth goal of the season. Just under seven minutes later, at 14:19, Justin Brazeau tied the game with his 18th goal of the season.
Despite losing their two-goal lead, the Islanders stuck with it and were rewarded in the final minute of regulation time. Cole Bardreau found the game-winner at 19:25, stunning the Bruins and sending the Isles home with their second victory of the season in the head-to-head matchup.
Ruslan Iskhakov leads the Islanders in goals with 13, assists with 22, and points with 35.
Game Information:
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 and Mixlr.
The Wolf Pack conclude their third three-in-three weekend of the season tomorrow with a 4:05 p.m. tilt in Providence against the Bruins. ‘Wolf Pack Pregame’ starts live at 3:50 p.m. on both AHLTV and Mixlr.
The Pack is back at the XL Center on Wednesday, February 21st, to kick off the fourth three-in-three set of the season. The Pack plays host to the Islanders in Round 8 of the ‘Battle of Connecticut’. The puck drop is set for 7:00 p.m. and tickets are available at www.hartfordwolfpack.com.
# # #
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.