TWO MINUTES FOR THOUGHTS: FEBRUARY 8TH, 2024
Feb 8, 2024Are you refreshed, Wolf Pack fans? The All-Star break has come and gone, a chance for everyone to reset for the final stretch drive. Tomorrow night, the Wolf Pack will kick off the unofficial second half of their season with the 2,000th game in franchise history.
The final 31 games of the season will be a mad dash to the finish line. As a result, we’ll take a different approach to the blog this week. Instead of the typical ten thoughts on the week that was, let’s take a look ahead at ten things we’re looking forward to over the season’s final 31 games.
Onto the blog!
1.) Let’s start right away with the milestone. Tomorrow night is the 2,000th regular season game in Hartford Wolf Pack/Connecticut Whale franchise history. Fittingly, it’ll be a home game at the XL Center against the in-state rival Bridgeport Islanders.
There will be a commemorative ticket giveaway for this game, along with appearances from Wolf Pack alumni like Terry Virtue, Todd Hall, and Stefan Cherneski. The Pack will also be wearing their specialty retro jerseys for the second time this season.
This should be a fun night celebrating some great hockey history in downtown Hartford.
2.) On March 8th, P.J. Stock will be returning to Hartford for his bobblehead night. Stock, a fan favorite, scored the first goal at home for the Wolf Pack in club history.
Stock played 160 games as a member of the Wolf Pack, scoring 70 points (25 g, 45 a) and amassing 742 penalty minutes. He also was a part of the 2000 Calder Cup Championship team, scoring 12 points (1 g, 11 a) in 23 games that spring.
Stock is one of the most recognizable faces in franchise history, and his return should make for an electric night against the Providence Bruins.
3.) Moving on from specific nights, the playoff race will be something that we monitor very closely during the final 31 games of the regular season.
Currently, the Wolf Pack sits in fourth place in the Atlantic Division with 51 points (23-13-5-0). The Pack sit eight points up on the Lehigh Valley Phantoms and 20 points up on the Bridgeport Islanders for playoff positioning.
In terms of moving up, the Wolf Pack is three points behind the third-place Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins and ten points behind the second-place Bruins. The Pack have games in hand on both teams, however. They’ve played five less games than both the Penguins and Bruins.
The Wolf Pack will be looking to clinch a playoff berth in back-to-back seasons for the first time since the 2010-11 and 2011-12 campaigns. The team has not won a playoff round in back-to-back seasons since doing so three straight springs (1998-2000).
4.) Will a rookie lead the Wolf Pack in goal-scoring for the second straight season? Will Cuylle, now with the parent New York Rangers, did so last year with 25 goals. Rookie forward Brett Berard is currently tied with Alex Belzile for the team lead with 14 goals.
Berard has been impressive as a rookie, as his combination of speed and skill has made him a handful for opposing defenses. Berard has eight five-on-five goals this season, which is tied for the team lead with Matt Rempe.
5.) Can Mac Hollowell make some Wolf Pack history? Hollowell currently has 30 assists, tied for the most in the league by a defenseman this season with Matt Donovan (CHI). The franchise record for assists by a defenseman in a single season is 46, set by Thomas Pöck (2005-06) and Andrew Hutchinson (2007-08).
Hollowell will need 17 assists in the final 31 games to set a new record.
6.) Forward Adam Edström is one goal away from tying some Wolf Pack history. Edström currently has four empty net goals this season, one off the team record. Jason Dawe (2001-02), Greg Moore (2008-09), and Chad Nehring (2015-16) each recorded five empty net goals in a single season.
7.) Through 41 games, the Wolf Pack have an 84.3% penalty kill success rate on the road. Can the Pack set a new franchise record in that department?
The best penalty-killing efficiency on the road in franchise history is 86.9%, which came during the 2004-05 season. The Wolf Pack have been both disciplined and stingy on the road this season, allowing them a chance in the final 31 games to try and top this mark.
8.) On a league-wide scale, can Hollowell lead the league in assists this season? He’s currently six behind Hershey’s Mike Sgarbossa, who leads the league with 36 assists. Sgarbossa was recently recalled by the Washington Capitals, allowing a window for other league leaders to catch him.
Hollowell also has the most games remaining of any player in the top ten in assists league-wide.
9.) There are two league-wide goal-scoring races that Wolf Pack fans can look forward to during the final 31 games. Can Berard not only lead the Wolf Pack in goals this season but also lead all rookies in the AHL? His 14 goals currently have him fourth in rookie goal scoring. Texas’ Logan Stankoven leads the way with 20 and will certainly be hard to catch. Berard has been playing great hockey, however, and will certainly keep this race interesting.
10.) The other goal-scoring race? Will Brennan Othmann pace rookies in powerplay goals? He’s currently tied with Texas’ Kyle McDonald and Tucson’s Josh Doan with seven strikes on the man advantage. Othmann has been a key part of the Wolf Pack powerplay this season and will continue to be as long as he is in the lineup. Expect Othmann to get plenty of opportunity to lead all rookies in goals while up a skater.
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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.