TWO MINUTES FOR THOUGHTS: APRIL 27TH, 2023
Apr 27, 2023Did you enjoy that, Wolf Pack fans? Hopefully you all did, because I know from getting to know a number of you this season how much that meant. The Hartford Wolf Pack returned to the Calder Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2015, and promptly swept the Springfield Thunderbirds to win their first playoff series in eight years. That was fun, but there is still a lot of work to do.
The Calder Cup Playoffs are now down to 16 teams from 23, with the Atlantic Division Semifinals now on deck. The Wolf Pack will face the Providence Bruins, a team that they have a rich playoff history with. The winner will advance to the Atlantic Division Finals against either the Charlotte Checkers or Hershey Bears.
Round two of the playoffs means a second round of the blog, postseason style!
1.) So much to breakdown from the Atlantic Division First Roud, but only so much space to do it in. Let’s start with the fact that Hartford dominated the Thunderbirds at five-on-five. The Wolf Pack outscored the T-Birds 9-0 in the two games, a stark contrast from the regular season series. In 12 regular season meetings, Springfield outscored Hartford 20-15 at even strength, including 4-0 in the final two meetings. The Wolf Pack dominated that game state during this brief series.
Special teams, which was such an advantage during the regular season for Springfield, ended up being pretty tight in the playoffs. The T-Birds outscored Hartford 12-5 on the powerplay in 12 regular season games, but only held a 2-1 margin in the postseason. Hartford’s penalty kill was terrific at key points in both games and didn’t allow Springfield to gain any momentum when the series was still very much up for grabs in the second period of Game One.
Then, there was goaltending. Joel Hofer entered the playoffs with a .955 save percentage and 7-1-1 record in nine games against Hartford. He had shut the Wolf Pack out in three straight games as well. Hartford was able to beat him ten times in two games, while Dylan Garand surrendered just two goals in two games.
The areas which were major strengths in the season series for Springfield turned against them in this First Round series, with Hartford controlling the game at five-on-five and using that momentum to knock out the T-Birds two biggest strengths, their goaltending and their powerplay.
2.) The series victory doesn’t happen without complete buy-in from the Wolf Pack. Despite losing nine out of 12 in the regular season series there was a quiet confidence about the group ahead of Game One. Forward Turner Elson spoke to the Hartford media in the days leading up to the series, and mentioned how the group had a plan of attack and knew what they needed to do to succeed. There was a belief in the room, and Elson didn’t shy away from the fact that Hartford welcomed the challenge against their I-91 rivals.
Tim Gettinger echoed those sentiments ahead of Game One when he joined yours truly for the intermission interview from the locker room. Gettinger mentioned that he thought Hartford played well in a number of their losses to the Thunderbirds, and that their 1-0 loss in the regular season finale on April 15th was one of the better games they had played all season. Despite the loss, Gettinger insisted the team felt good about their effort that night, and knew that with a little execution, they could win the series.
Belief and buy-in go a long way. This group has fully bought into the system and the message. Full marks to them for doing so and winning a series that no one outside of Connecticut gave them a chance to win.
3.) There were so many great individual performances in the First Round series, but three stood out above the rest. Tanner Fritz scored six points (1 g, 5 a) in the two games, and is tied with Coachella Valley’s Kole Lind for the Calder Cup Playoff scoring lead. His 3.00 points-per-game average was the best of any skater in the First Round.
Fritz mentioned in February ahead of his 300th career AHL game how he has enjoyed his time in this league but has been longing for the opportunity to play playoff games and make those postseason memories. There’s making the most of your opportunity, and then there is smashing your opportunity out of the park. Fritz did the latter, putting in a terrific two games.
Ty Emberson was sensational as well. The defenseman is tied for the team lead in goals with two and ended the series with four points (2 g, 2 a). He is tied with teammate Anton Blidh atop the AHL’s +/- leader board with an +8 through two games. Emberson has been a steady presence all season long but took his game to another level against the Thunderbirds. When you talk about unsung heroes this season, Emberson is at the top of the list. A terrific first year in Hartford turned into an outstanding two games for the blueliner. He’ll be a key if Hartford is to get by Providence.
How about Blake Hillman? Hillman played in 29 regular season games and didn’t score a goal. He provided strong, steady play whenever he was in the lineup, and showed his versatility with a few games at left wing. There is a reason General Manager Ryan Martin already inked him to a one-year extension for the 2023-24 season. Hillman potted his first two goals as a member of the Wolf Pack during the series, and finished with three points (2 g, 1 a) and was a +6. With Libor Hájek recalled to New York, opportunity knocked next to Brandon Scanlin on the point. Hillman took the opportunity and ran with it.
4.) This Atlantic Division Semifinals series is poised to be an instant classic. The Wolf Pack and Providence Bruins met ten times during the regular season, with Hartford winning six of those games. The Wolf Pack were the one Atlantic Division team that really gave the Bruins fits throughout the year.
These games were extremely tight, too. Four of the ten games went to overtime, with Hartford winning three of them. In fact, seven of the ten games were decided in the third period or overtime. Outside of Hartford’s 5-0 win on March 31st and Providence’s 3-1 win on December 4th, every game in this season series brought real intrigue.
We can’t promise you a win for either side, but we can promise you a heckuva series that should leave you more than entertained. These two teams match up well with each other, and there is a real dislike between the two of them. This has the potential to be playoff hockey at its finest.
5.) One thing that is interesting about this series is Hartford’s success at the Amica Mutual Pavilion this season. The building formerly known as ‘The Dunk’ was a kind of a house of horrors for the club in recent years. Not the case this season.
Despite losing their first two games in Providence this year, the Wolf Pack posted a 3-1-1-0 record in five visits to the building. Their only regulation loss, a 3-1 defeat on December 4th, featured a sensational performance by Keith Kinkaid for the Bruins. Hartford outshot Providence 47-22 that afternoon.
Hartford lost a 3-2 overtime game in Providence on January 15th but claimed overtime victories on January 22nd by a score of 4-3 and on January 27th by a score of 2-1. Hartford also won in regulation on April 8th by a final score of 5-3.
The Wolf Pack will enter the series with three straight wins at the Amica Mutual Pavilion, feeling confident in their ability to go into a hostile environment and take care of business.
6.) We end this week with a reminder that the playoff series format is now a best-of-five. That means the Wolf Pack will need three wins to claim victory in this round and advance. After Games One and Two take place in Providence on Friday and Saturday night, the series will shift back to Hartford for Game Three on Wednesday night at 7:00 p.m.
The XL Center was rocking on Friday night as the Wolf Pack applied the dagger to the Thunderbirds. The team fed off that energy, and in talking with players and coaches this week, there is excitement about getting back to Hartford on Wednesday to play in front of you all again.
Keep bringing it, Wolf Pack fans. Keep reminding everyone of how great of a hockey city Hartford is. The XL Center has been awesome this season, and it’s starting to feel like something special could be brewing.
Join us for Game Three by getting tickets at www.hartfordwolfpack.com/tickets/playoff-information.
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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.