By: Alex Thomas, Hartford Wolf Pack
SPRINGFIELD, MA – The Hartford Wolf Pack conclude the 2022-23 regular season tonight with a short trip to Massachusetts to face their rivals, the Springfield Thunderbirds.
Puck drop is set for 7:05 p.m., and coverage is available on both AHLTV and Mixlr.
Tale of The Tape:
This is the 12th and final meeting of the season between the Wolf Pack and the Thunderbirds. It is also the sixth and final meeting of the regular season at the MassMutual Center between the potential playoff foes. The Thunderbirds have enjoyed great success in the season series, including a 4-0 decision in the last meeting on March 25th in Hartford.
Nikita Alexandrov opened the scoring 14:14 into the game, tipping home a centering pass from Scott Perunovich for his 14th goal of the season. The tally would stand as the eventual game-winner. Adam Gaudette extended the lead to 2-0 10:32 into the middle stanza, while Mathias Laferriere ended the intrigue just 66 seconds later at 11:38 with a powerplay marker.
Hugh McGing ended the scoring 14:44 into the third period, firing home his 13th goal of the season. Garret Sparks made 21 saves for the shutout victory, his first win as a member of the Thunderbirds.
The Wolf Pack are 3-6-0-2 against the Thunderbirds this season, with their most recent triumph coming on March 24th by a score of 6-5. In addition, the Wolf Pack are 1-3-0-1 at the MassMutual Center this season. Meanwhile, the Thunderbirds are 8-2-0-1 in the head-to-head series and 4-1-0-0 at home.
Wolf Pack Outlook:
The Wolf Pack won their eighth straight game on Friday night, blanking the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins by a score of 4-0 at the XL Center. Tim Gettinger opened the scoring 15:58 into the game, as a Lauri Pajuniemi shot went off his right leg and into the goal for a powerplay marker that stood as the game-winner.
Turner Elson tacked on the insurance 6:27 into the second period, taking a centering feed from Ryan Carpenter in the slot. Elson would score again 4:32 into the final stanza, steering a pass from Cuylle home for his 17th goal of the season. It was Elson’s second straight game with two goals.
Adam Edström finished the night off with his first career AHL goal 13:24 into the third period, undressing a Penguin before ripping a shot by the blocker of goaltender Joel Blomqvist. Louis Domingue made 28 saves for his fourth shutout of the season. The win was his ninth consecutive victory.
Hartford’s current eight-game winning streak is the second longest in franchise history. The franchise’s longest winning streak is nine games. That occurred during the 2004-05 season.
On Friday night, the parent New York Rangers (NHL) recalled Domingue, forwards Jonny Brodzinski and Jake Leschyshyn, and defenseman Libor Hájek.
Brodzinski leads the Wolf Pack in points with 48 (21 g, 27 a) in 47 games. Cuylle, meanwhile, leads the team in goals with 25. With Brodzinski recalled, Cuylle also leads the active Wolf Pack in scoring with 45 points (25 g, 20 a).
Thunderbirds Outlook:
The Thunderbirds fell behind early last night against the Providence Bruins but stormed back to score seven unanswered goals and take a 7-2 decision on home ice. Georgii Merkulov and Chris Wagner scored for the Bruins in the opening frame, giving them a 2-0 lead through twenty minutes.
However, the T-Birds awoke for the final forty and ran away with two key points. First, Matthew Peca scored 44 seconds into the middle stanza to get the Thunderbirds on the board, then McGing popped home the equalizer 12 seconds later at the 56-second mark. Gaudette then gave the T-Birds a lead they never lost at the 19:05 mark.
Springfield’s offense continued to pour it on with four unanswered goals in the third period, started by Will Bitten 3:03 into the frame. Mikhail Abramov would score at 4:59 before Alexandrov and McGing scored late to cement the win. Joel Hofer made 39 saves for the victory.
Martin Frk leads the Thunderbirds in scoring with 64 points (30 g, 34 a) in his first season with the club. His 30 goals also lead the Thunderbirds and rank him tied for sixth in the league in goal scoring with Laval’s Anthony Richard, Coachella Valley’s Kole Lind, and Ontario’s Lias Andersson.
Game Information:
Play-by-play voice of the Wolf Pack, Alex Thomas, will have ‘Wolf Pack Pregame’ starting live at 6:50 p.m. on both AHLTV and Mixlr.
The Wolf Pack will begin the 2023 Calder Cup Playoffs next week. Hartford’s First Round opponent and game dates and times are still to be determined. For Calder Cup Playoff tickets and seeding information, please visit www.hartfordwolfpack.com/tickets/playoff-information.
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 is the top player-development affiliate of the NHL’s New York Rangers and plays 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.
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