VERSUS
The Wolf Pack entered the Paul E. Tsongas Arena Friday night with an opportunity to clinch first place in the Atlantic division for the first time since 2003-2004. By the time the game was over, there was a mixed bag of good news and bad news. The bad news – the Pack lost this game 3-2 in a shootout. The good news – the Wolf Pack’s magic number to clinch was two points, and when the Providence Bruins lost their game in regulation to the Portland Pirates 6-5, the Pack clinched the Atlantic division title for only the third time in franchise history.
Things were looking awfully bleak for the newly minted division champions late in the third period down 2-1. However, AHL All-Star defenseman Bobby Sanguinetti demonstrated the kind of clutch performance that caused the parent New York Rangers to draft the New Jersey native in the first round 21st overall in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft. With the clock ticking down and just 2:11 remaining, the Pack were pressing hard for the tying goal. Jordan Owens, who had yet another solid performance and continues to make a case for the Rangers to sign him to an NHL contract, found Sanguinetti open along the right half boards. Sanguinetti then put a low hard shot on goal from the just inside the right circle along the half boards. The puck hit Devils defenseman Tyler Eckford’s skate and flew into the open right side of the net. It was much like the fluke goal Wednesday night against Manchester. When a team is getting breaks like this going FOR them rather than AGAINST them combined with playing with the kind of confidence this Wolf Pack team has demonstrated, they are bound to be a very dangerous team to tangle with in the playoffs.
In Overtime, both teams had scoring chances that both Miika Wiikman for the Pack and Jeff Frazee for Lowell withstood. The Pack even got a 34.3 second power play to end overtime but couldn’t convert so the game went to the skills competition.
Artem Anisimov got it going for the Pack by scoring on his first attempt using his patented fake to a backhander. Ex-Pack and Lowell captain, Pascal Rheaume missed trying to emulate the super YouTube viewed Linus Omark move. The Pack’s Paul Crowder missed on his attempt as well. Eckford was up next and the defenseman came through with a beautiful shot over the shoulder of Wiikman. The Finish netminder entered the game 1-3 in shootouts stopping just 9 of the 18 shots he’d faced. After a miss by the Pack’s Patrick Rissmiller, Ryan Murphy beat Wiikman with a solid fake that got Wiikman to open the five-hole and the left wing put it home. Next for the Pack came Sanguinetti who’s shot initially appeared as if Frazee had it only to see it slip through and in for the tie.
Rod Pelley was stopped with a sliding save by Wiikman and Frazee made a nice diving save on an attempt by Mark Bell. Michael Swift tried to go high on Wiikman but the Pack’s netminder flashed the glove to rob the Lowell center. Anisimov missed wide in his second attempt as did Rheaume who entered the game three for three in shootout attempts.
So Sanguinetti came up for his second attempt and missed wide. This gave Lowell the chance to put it away and ironically it was Eckford, who had given the Pack life late on his error who had the chance to redeem himself and put one in the win column for his teammates. In his first shot Eckford beat Wiikman high and it looked like the Finnish netminder was expecting that again. Eckford put a fake from a wide angle and Wiikman opened up a bit and the Devil defenseman fired it hard through the five hole and into the net for the game winner.
The Pack didn’t seem interested in this one from the start. Entering the game the Devils seemed to have the Pack’s number. The Pack’s record against the New Jersey Devils top farm club was 2-3-0-1. The Devils excitement draining trap did it’s job against the Pack’s defenseman and throughout the first period the Pack mounted very little attack. Wiikman, starting his first game since March 21st, a span of seven games, looked sharp putting aside all of Lowell’s 12 shots on goal. Hartford’s goaltender came into the contest a winner in five of his last six and winner of three straight.
With the trap sucking the flow and energy out of the game, the reported 3,876 in attendance sounded more like ten percent of that. Despite having a huge carrot at the end of the stick, the Pack seemed to be playing in a lower gear than usual and it reflected in their level of play and commitment.
But this one did actually have some scoring as the Pack struck first at 4:39 of the second period. Artem Anisimov took the puck away from the Devils’ Olivier Magnan and headed up ice. Once he entered the right wing circle, Artem Anisimov fired a hard shot that hit AHL All-Star Jeff Frazee’s pads and redirected to the left wing side. Unfortunately for Frazee (32 saves), Brodie Dupont was right there and with a combination of his foot and the stick put it in the net past the Devils goaltender.
But the Pack has developed a bad habit of late. It usually goes like this. They score a goal, then either quickly take a bad penalty that winds up in the net or they allow a quick and then follow it up by taking a penalty. They’ve done it a lot of late. Twice in fact in the last game alone and they did it here and it cost them.
27 seconds after Dupont’s lamp lighter, a long shot by defenseman Justin Pender from the left point was deflected on it’s way to the net by newcomer Patrick Davis who changed the direction of the puck sending it over Wiikman’s (32 saves) shoulder.
Then they stuck to form by taking another penalty, their third of the contest. This one from veteran Patrick Rissmiller for tripping. Fortunately for the Pack they played a nearly flawless penalty kill and it didn’t hurt them.
After two periods the Pack were out shot 29-20 and tied at one goal a piece.
Just 2:18 into the third period, the Devils broke the stalemate when the Pack could not clear the puck out of their own zone and when Anisimov’s former teammate, Alexander Vasyunov put the puck on net, Wiikman made the initial stop. But the puck was loose in the crease. Brad Mills poked away at it and loosened it up and Matt Halischuk banged it through Wiikman’s pads.
Bob Crawford gives the view from the press box with a recap at Hartfordwolfpack.com. Lowell gets no regular coverage in their local newspaper. Therefore the only game report from their perspective is at their own website.
GAME SUMMARY and OFFICIAL SCORERS SHEET.
NOTES:
* Artem Anisimov is fourth in the scoring race with 36g, 44a for 80 points. Anisimov is also fourth in the league in goals scored. To move higher he’ll need at least a five point night with ex-Ranger Jason Krog not scoring at all. Anisimov leads fifth place Janne Pesonen by a single point. Due to injury, P.A. Parenteau has dropped to either with 78 points (29g, 49a)
* Greg Moore leads the AHL with five shorthanded goals.
* Devin DiDiomete is fourth in total PIM with 232. Ex-Pack Francis Lessard leads the league with 319. Among rookies DiDiomete is second in PIM and third in Majors with 22. Matt Clackson of Philadelphia leads in both categories with 263 PIM and 33 majors.
* Michael Sauer is fourth in the AHL in plus/minus with a plus-28. Kyle Chipchura of Hamilton is third but is also plus-28. He’s done it in fewer games (51 vs. 63) which makes no sense. It should be the other way around. Ben Lovejoy of Wilkes-Barre Scranton leads the league at plus-43.
* Matt Zaba is seventh overall among goaltenders. Zaba, likely to be rested against Springfield, is 24-10-0 with two shutouts. He has a 2.32GAA and a .921%. Zaba is also first amongst goalies in shootouts with having stopped 13 of 14 for a .929%.
* Bobby Sanguinetti is 19th in scoring among rookies with 6g, 36a for 42pts.
* INSIDE THE NUMBERS: When tied after one period the Pack are now 13-9-2-2, tied after two, 12-6-1-1 and in one goal games are 20-8-3-4. On the road the team is 21-14-3-2. The team ranks 11th on the power play with 17.7% and 17th on the penalty kill with 82.4% but lead the AHL in shorthanded goals with 19. Iowa is second with 16.
* Jess Rubinstein of The Prospect Park reports that Rangers prospect Tomas Kundratek, a defenseman playing in the WHL, had his season come to a close and could possibly be headed to Hartford on an ATO. According to Rubenstein, "I would be shocked if the Rangers bring him in on an ATO unless the Pack have injured defenders. He's a nice kid who's English is only so-so. He wants to be the second coming of the Flames Dion Phanuef."
Kundratek plays physical and will fight but its not his strength. He's more of a middleweight and a little on the lean side. Kundratek has a good shot and is a decent decent skater but needs work."
LINES:
Bell – Rissmiller – McBride
Dupont – Anisimov – Owens
DiDiomete – Ouellette – Sugden
Moore © – Crowder
Sanguinetti – Potter @
Nightingale - Fahey @
Urquhart – Sauer
Stich
Wiikman
SCRATCHES:
Denisov – Healthy
Pyatt – Personal
Parenteau – Undisclosed Injury – Day-to-Day
Weise – Thumb – Day-to-Day
Zaborsky – Shoulder – Season
Soryal – Hand – Season
Byers – Knee – Undetermined
Loverock – Healthy
THREE STARS:
1. LOW – 31 Jeff Frazee
2. LOW – 19 Brad Mills
3. LOW – 28 Matt Halischuk
ON ICE OFFICIALS:
Frederic L'Ecuyer (48), Referee
Bob Bernard (4), Linesman
Chris Libett (19), Linesman
SCOREBOARD WATCHING:
In the most important contest of the night, Portland came back from a two goal second period deficit to knock off the Providence Bruins 6-5. The win clinched the division crown for the Hartford Wolf Pack.
Springfield lost to the Bridgeport Sound Tigers 4-3 while Manchester knocked off Worcester 3-1. It wasn’t enough though to save the Manchester season as the Sharks claimed the final position in the playoffs. All that is left to be determined on Saturday, the last game of the season is who the Pack’s opponent in the first round is going to be.
If the Sharks are going to surpass the Pirates and finish third, they’ll need to knock off Providence who travel to Worcester. The Sharks need two points and need to hope that the Pirates lose in Manchester to secure the third spot. The Pack will face whomever finishes in fourth place.
Hartford is 7-1-0-0 against Portland this season and their only loss of the season came on November 19th at the XL Center 4-2.
Against Worcester, the Pack are 4-3-0-1.
For Providence, they’ve had their way with the Sharks holding a 7-1-1-0 record. Against the Pirates, the Bruins are 5-5-0-0.
Based upon those numbers who do you think that each team wants to play in the first round? To get the perfect storm the Pack and Providence are rooting for the same thing. The Bruins need Worcester to beat them and the Pirates to lose to the Monarchs in regulation.
By the way, the Devils travel to Bridgeport as the regular season concludes.
STANDINGS:
Rank Team GP W L OTL SOL PTS
| y-1 | Hartford Wolf Pack | 79 | 45 | 27 | 3 | 4 | 97 |
| x-2 | Providence Bruins | 79 | 43 | 28 | 2 | 6 | 94 |
| x-3 | Portland Pirates | 79 | 38 | 31 | 3 | 7 | 86 |
| x-4 | Worcester Sharks | 79 | 41 | 35 | 1 | 2 | 85 |
| 5 | Manchester Monarchs | 79 | 37 | 34 | 0 | 8 | 82 |
| 6 | Lowell Devils | 79 | 35 | 35 | 2 | 7 | 79 |
| 7 | Springfield Falcons | 79 | 24 | 43 | 8 | 4 | 60 |
| y | Clinched division title | ||||||
| x | Clinched playoff spot |
NEXT GAME:
As Dick Vitale might say, “IT’S THE PLAYOFFS BABY!!!”.
(Photo courtesy of lowelldevilshockey.com)
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