BY: Gerry Cantlon, Howlings
BELLEVILLE, ONTARIO, CANADA – The Hartford Wolf Pack lost yet another game on Wednesday, 1-0 to the Belleville Senators in their final meeting of the 2021-22 season.
In a game with important playoff implications for both the Wolf Pack and the Senators. Belleville goaltender, Filip Gustavsson, the game’s first star, stopped all 25 shots he saw, meanwhile across the way, Pack netminder, Keith Kinkaid, the game’s second star, stopped 34.
The Wolf Pack plays in Toronto against the Marlies on Friday and then concludes a seven-game road trip in Rochester against the Americans.
FIRST PERIOD
In the first period at the CAA Arena, the Senators started the game with nine of the first ten shots.
The Senators scored the game’s only goal in the first period.
From the left point, Jonathan Aspirot fired a shot that Keith Kinkaid stopped, but the rebound came right to Andrew Agozzino, who was just getting back into the play. From the right-wing side, the left-handed shot was in a good position and snapped his 18th goal of the campaign into the net at 8:10.
The Pack didn’t get much in the way of offensive zone time amassing only three shots on goal. One of those three came from the team’s leading scorer, Anthony Greco, but it was a low percentage shot coming from long range.
SECOND PERIOD
In the second period, the Wolf Pack added some pep to their game. They had more puck possession but were unable to solve Gustavsson. The second would be the majority of Gustavsson’s work for the night.
Matt Robertson tested him 46 seconds into the period. Belleville’s Viktor Lodin looked for the back of the net but Kinkaid smothered his blast. Then the Senators’ Jake Lucchini made a bid for a second goal at 2:29 which was also turned aside by Kinkaid.
Hartford started to grab the reigns of the game.
Greco then Robertson again made a try midway through the second to no avail. Patrick Khodorenko had a solid chance from an unforced turnover at 8:56 as part of the most sustained offensive attack of the night.
Belleville pushed back as Sabourin and Lassi Thomson had very open chances taken away by Kinkaid. Then Jacob Bernard-Docker and Logan Shaw were stopped.
Agozzino had a late period chance with eight seconds remaining stopped with a teammate in front looking to clean up the loose change.
At 6:38 Kinkaid was run into by former Providence Bruin, Zach Senshyn, who is still searching for his first Senators goal, but no call came as the Pack goalie was left prone on the ice.
The Pack avoided a major penalty of their own as a crosscheck from behind by Austin Rueschoff on Shaw went unpenalized.
THIRD PERIOD
The play in the third period was choppy from both rosters. There were some good plays, some ragged play, and it seemed neither team wanted the puck, not to mention some good saves on both ends of the ice.
Thomson tested Kinkaid on an early power play at 3:48.
Then at 11:10 Mark Kastelic, who is just back from the parent Ottawa Senators, was denied as be barreled in for the chance. Egor Sokolov believed he had a second fighting major from Robertson off a check attempt with a right-wing chance at 13:07.
Then two minutes at 14:50 later Sokolov was stopped again on a backhanded shot.
The Pack pulled Kinkaid with 2:07 remaining but were unable to score and had to settle for another loss.
LINES
Ronning-Merkley-Letunov
Lorito-Fritz-Pajuniemi
Gettinger-Khordorenko-Greco
Richards-Trivigno-Rueschoff
Scanlin-Skinner
Jones-Lundkvist
Robertson-Guitarri
Kinkaid
Huska
SCRATCHES
Tinordi (personal – The birth of a child)
Whelan
DiGiacinto
Taylor
O’Leary
Ethan Brodzinski
NOTES
Ex-Pack goalie Magnus Hellberg is back in North America, but with another club. He joins others exiting the KHL as part of players’ reaction to the war Russia started on Ukraine. Hellberg signs a one-year, two-way deal paying $800K with the Detroit Red Wings. He gets the same compensation in both the NHL and AHL whether he plays with Detroit or with Grand Rapids. The deal is for the 2022-23 season.
Wolf Pack defenseman Jarred Tinordi is home with his wife as they welcome the birth of their second child any day now. Brandon Scanlin took Tinordi’s place in the lineup.
Congrats to ex-Pack Morgan Barron for scoring his first NHL goal in Winnipeg a week after his brother Justin did in Montreal.
