TWO MINUTES FOR THOUGHTS: MARCH 27TH, 2025
Mar 27, 2025The stretch drive is here. As of this writing, the Hartford Wolf Pack have just eight games remaining in their 2024-25 season. The club has not sat in a playoff spot since the middle of January, but a recent hot streak has put them right in the thick of the chase as March ends.
Onto the blog!
1. As of today, Mar. 27, the Wolf Pack are four points back of the Springfield Thunderbirds for the sixth and final playoff spot in the Atlantic Division. The Thunderbirds do have two games in hand, but the clubs will each have seven games remaining as of Monday morning. The odds still favor the Thunderbirds to get in, but this is very much a playoff race.
2. This weekend, the Wolf Pack will play just one game. They will continue their five-game road trip with a game in Providence against the Bruins on Saturday night at 7:05 p.m.
The Thunderbirds, meanwhile, will host the Iowa Wild on both Friday and Saturday night, then visit the Bruins on Sunday.
Again, each team will have seven games remaining as of Monday morning. A currently murky playoff picture will become a lot clearer by then.
3. Wednesday night’s loss stung, but what a hockey game it was in Wilkes-Barre. The Wolf Pack and Penguins played 64:48 of great hockey, back-and-forth all night with each team controlling portions of the game.
The Wolf Pack were swept in the season series by the Penguins, going 0-5-1-0, but played by far their best game against them on Wednesday. In particular, I thought the club’s second period was tremendous. They outscored the Penguins 2-0, outshot them 14-5, and controlled the frame physically.
Yes, the loss stings, but that was still a huge point for the Wolf Pack in a road game they played quite well in.
4. Jaroslav Chmelař’s second period goal was a really impressive combination of size, speed, and skill. After gaining possession in the neutral zone, the rookie worked his way through a Penguin, gained the offensive zone, and used his speed to rush the net.
Chmelař is up to ten goals on the season now and has been playing some really good hockey during this most recent stretch.
5. The kids are alright in the Connecticut capital. During the club’s current four-game point streak, the young players have been contributing in a meaningful way. Noah Laba has joined the team and injected speed and skill into the forward group, tacking on a goal for good measure. Chmelař has three points (1 g, 2 a), Bryce McConnell-Barker two points (1 g, 1 a), and Dylan Roobroeck six points (4 g, 2 a) in the last four games.
Jackson Dorrington has also joined the club and made his pro debut on Wednesday night. He finished the game with one shot and a +1 +/- rating, playing a steady game against a good opponent.
It’s a good sign not just for the present, but also for the future in Hartford. There is a good chance that all of the players mentioned here will be playing a role in Hartford at some point during the 2025-26 season. This experience and these contributions can go a long way.
6. Dylan Garand has played a season-high four straight games, going 3-0-1 with a .921 save percentage. Garand has been spectacular for the Wolf Pack, and it would be a surprise if he was not in-between the pipes on Saturday night in Providence.
With Louis Domingue injured, Garand has taken the ball and run with it. He’s become a workhorse for this Wolf Pack team and is a huge reason why this team is still alive in the playoff chase. He’s giving his team a chance to win every single night, which is all you can ask for from your goaltender.
7. Hartford’s four-game point streak (3-0-1-0) is their longest of the season. It has also come during arguably the club’s most difficult stretch of the season. The three wins have come against the Milwaukee Admirals twice and Hershey Bears, two teams with aspirations for championship runs. The overtime loss, of course, came at the hands of the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins on Wednesday night. The Penguins are one of the deeper teams in the league and are poised for a lengthy postseason run.
It's been an impressive stretch for the Wolf Pack, who aren’t just stealing games. In all four games, the Wolf Pack have controlled long stretches of play and outperformed some impressive opposition.
The process has been great for the Wolf Pack lately, and the club is being rewarded with their best stretch of results at the most important time of the year. Will it be enough to get them into the dance? That remains to be seen.
8. It doesn’t get any easier for the Wolf Pack. They’ll visit a very good Bruins team on Saturday night, then open the month of April with back-to-back games in Hershey against the Bears.
The next three games, all against playoff-bound teams, will be a huge test for the Wolf Pack. I’d wager the club needs to go 2-1-0-0 to give themselves a real chance heading into the season’s final five games.
9. On Wednesday, the Wolf Pack loaned defenseman Ryan Siedem back to the ECHL’s Bloomington Bison. With Dorrington on the roster and into game action, the Wolf Pack had seven healthy defensemen and could send Siedem down to help the Bison with their playoff push. Captain Casey Fitzgerald missed his second straight game with an upper-body injury on Wednesday night, but he could be an option as early as Saturday night for the Wolf Pack.
10. Here’s what else is going on with the injury report. Ben Harpur remains out month-to-month with an upper-body injury, while Domingue is still listed as day-to-day with a lower-body injury. Bo Groulx returned to action on Wednesday night after missing five weeks with an upper-body injury. He left during the first period of the game, however, and did not return after a couple of big hits. We’ll see what that means moving forward.
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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.