WOLF PACK WEEKEND PREVIEW: FEBRUARY 27th, 2025
Feb 27, 2025HARTFORD, CT – The Hartford Wolf Pack conclude their four-game homestand this weekend as part of their fourth and final three-in-three weekend of the season.
Friday, February 28th, 2025, Vs. Springfield Thunderbirds (7:00 p.m.): The Wolf Pack and Thunderbirds meet for the tenth and final time on Friday night at the XL Center. The Thunderbirds have won seven of the first nine meetings, posting a record of 7-2-0-0. The Wolf Pack are 2-7-0-0 in the head-to-head matchup.
In the most recent meeting, the Thunderbirds went three-for-three on the power play in a 5-3 victory at the MassMutual Center on Feb. 19. Nikita Alexandrov recorded four points (2 g, 2 a) in the win, while Matt Luff picked up three points (1 g, 2 a).
The Thunderbirds have won each of the last three meetings, including the one on Feb. 19. They also picked up a 3-2 decision at home on Jan. 26, and a 3-1 verdict in Hartford on Jan. 12.
The Wolf Pack’s last victory in the head-to-head series came on Dec. 31 at the MassMutual Center by a score of 7-0.
Currently, the Wolf Pack trails the Thunderbirds by nine points in the Atlantic Division. The Thunderbirds hold the sixth and final playoff spot with 57 points. The Wolf Pack are in seventh place with 48 points.
Saturday, March 1st, 2025, Vs. Utica Comets (6:00 p.m.): The Wolf Pack and Comets meet for the second and final time this season on Saturday night. This is Utica’s lone visit to Hartford this season.
The Comets took a 7-3 decision on Jan. 15 at the Adirondack Bank Center in a game that featured three scoring runs of at least three goals.
The Comets opened things up by building a 3-0 lead by the 5:06 mark of the second period. The Wolf Pack countered with three goals in 4:59 to tie the game 3-3, but the Comets would notch the final four goals of the night to pull away.
Simon Nemec enjoyed a career evening, scoring five points (2 g, 3 a), including the game-winning goal. Max Willman scored twice in the win for Utica, while Shane Bowers tacked on two assists.
For the Wolf Pack, Dylan Roobroeck potted his first career shorthanded goal in the loss. Connor Mackey picked up two assists, the only Wolf Pack player to record multiple points in the game.
Sunday, March 2nd, 2025, at Providence Bruins (4:05 p.m.): The Wolf Pack and Bruins meet for the eighth time this season on Sunday afternoon.
The Wolf Pack took a wild 6-5 decision last Saturday night at the XL Center, snapping a two-game losing streak against the Bruins. On the season, the Wolf Pack are 3-4-0-0 in the head-to-head series. The Bruins are 4-3-0-0.
Nathan Sucese led the way for the Wolf Pack on Saturday night, scoring twice and firing seven shots on goal. Jaroslav Chmelař picked up three points (1 g, 2 a) in the win, while Adam Sýkora recorded a pair of assists.
Both Patrick Brown and Vinni Lettieri scored twice for the Bruins in the loss, while Tyler Pitlick picked up three assists.
The Wolf Pack are 1-2-0-0 at the Amica Mutual Pavilion this season. They scored a 4-2 victory in their last visit on Dec. 21. The Bruins took decisions of 4-2 on Nov. 10 and 5-2 on Dec. 15.
Quick Hits:
• Alex Belzile leads the Wolf Pack’s offensive attack against the Thunderbirds this season with nine points (2 g, 7 a) in the head-to-head series. He had a goal and an assist in the last meeting on Feb. 19.
• On Monday, the parent New York Rangers (NHL) recalled forward Brennan Othmann from the Wolf Pack. The club also recalled defenseman Zac Jones from his conditioning loan to Hartford.
• Othmann made his season debut with the Rangers on Tuesday night against the New York Islanders. He was +3 in the victory, skating on a line with former Wolf Pack forwards Jonny Brodzinski and Matt Rempe.
• Sucese’s game-winning goal at 17:17 of the third period on Saturday night against the Bruins was his first game-winning goal as a member of the Wolf Pack.
• Forward Anton Blidh has scored in each of the last two meetings with the Thunderbirds.
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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.
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