WOLF PACK WEEKEND PREVIEW: MARCH 28th, 2024
Mar 28, 2024HARTFORD, CT – The 2023-24 AHL regular season has officially hit the stretch drive. Only four more weekends of hockey remain before the 2024 Calder Cup Playoffs begin.
The Hartford Wolf Pack is gunning to be one of the clubs competing for the AHL’s top prize. This weekend could go a long way towards that goal.
Friday, March 29th, 2024, Vs. Springfield Thunderbirds (7:00 p.m.): The ‘I-91 Rivalry’ will have the heat turned up in a big way on Friday night at the XL Center. The Wolf Pack and Thunderbirds will meet three times in Hartford’s final ten games of the season.
The team gunning to knock the Wolf Pack out of a playoff spot? These very same T-Birds.
This is the eighth of ten meetings between the clubs this season and the fourth of five at the XL Center. The Thunderbirds hold an advantage of 4-3 in the season series after winning each of the last two games by identical 6-3 scores.
The T-Birds won 6-3 back on February 3rd in the last meeting in Hartford. After jumping out to a quick 3-0 lead, the T-Birds saw the Wolf Pack storm back with three goals of their own to tie the game 3-3 early in the second period.
Zach Dean’s goal 13:47 into the second period broke the 3-3 tie and stood as the game-winner as the Thunderbirds tacked on a pair of insurance markers in the third period.
In the last meeting, on February 23rd at the MassMutual Center, Tyler Pitlick tied the affair 3-3 just 20 seconds into the third period for the Wolf Pack.
Dean broke the 3-3 tie for the second consecutive game, however, giving the T-Birds a lead they would not lose. The goal, scored at 6:50 of the third period, would prove to be the game-winning goal. Joseph Duszak and Adam Gaudette tacked on insurance markers for the Thunderbirds' second straight 6-3 victory.
The Wolf Pack is currently 30-23-7-2, good for 69 points and fifth place in the Atlantic Division. The Thunderbirds, meanwhile, are 28-29-3-2, good for 61 points. They sit one point out of a playoff spot and eight points behind the Wolf Pack.
Saturday, March 30th, 2024, Vs. Hershey Bears (7:00 p.m.): The Wolf Pack and Bears wrap up their four-game season series on Saturday night at the XL Center.
The Wolf Pack opened the series with a 5-3 victory on January 6th in Hershey but have dropped the last two games to the defending Calder Cup Champions. The Bears responded with a 4-2 victory at the XL Center on January 19th, then took an edge in the season series last time out on March 17th.
Ethen Frank scored 1:19 into the hockey game, potting a powerplay goal from the left-wing circle just eight seconds into the Bears’ first powerplay of the evening. The goal would stand as the game-winner, as Hunter Shepard blanked the Wolf Pack with 26 saves.
Alex Limoges scored at 19:44 of the second period, jamming home a rebound for his 19th goal of the season to make it 2-0. Riley Sutter and Ryan Hofer both struck in the third period, ballooning the lead to the eventual final score of 4-0.
The Wolf Pack have dropped four straight in the regular season and five straight including the Calder Cup Playoffs at home against the Bears. Hartford’s last victory at the XL Center over the Bears came on October 28th, 2022, by a final score of 4-2.
Quick Hits:
- The Wolf Pack have dropped eight of their last nine contests. They have a record of 1-6-1-1 during that stretch.
- Hartford’s magic number to clinch a Calder Cup Playoff berth is 13. The number will decrease to nine with a regulation victory over the Thunderbirds on Friday night.
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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.