By: Alex Thomas, Hartford Wolf Pack
HARTFORD, CT – The Hartford Wolf Pack return to the XL Center in downtown Hartford for their second home game of the 2023 Calder Cup Playoffs. The club will look to close out the Providence Bruins tonight and sweep their Atlantic Division Semifinals series. Hartford will advance to the Atlantic Division Final with a victory.
Puck drop is set for 7:00 p.m., and coverage is available on both AHLTV and Mixlr.
Tale of The Tape:
The Wolf Pack and Bruins met ten times during the 2022-23 season, with Hartford winning the series 6-4. Both teams collected points in seven of the ten meetings, with the Wolf Pack going 6-3-1-0 and the Bruins posting a record of 4-3-3-0. However, the Wolf Pack won each of the final three regular season meetings and have since extended the winning streak to five games after victories in Games One and Two.
In Game Two, Anton Blidh opened the scoring 6:17 into the second period, jumping on a rebound and firing the puck by Brandon Bussi. Moments later, at 9:43, Adam Clendening blasted a shot from the point through traffic and by Bussi for his first goal of the playoffs. The goal would stand as the game-winner.
Luke Toporowski got the Bruins on the board with his first career Calder Cup Playoff goal at 13:14, but it would be the only offense for the Bruins.
Dylan Garand made eight saves in the third period to cement the 2-1 victory, giving Hartford a 2-0 stranglehold on the series. Garand made 29 stops in the victory and improved to 4-0 in his brief Calder Cup Playoff career.
Hartford won four of the five meetings between the Wolf Pack and Bruins at the XL Center this season, going 4-1-0-0. The Bruins were 1-3-1-0 in their five visits, collecting points in just two of the games.
This is the sixth playoff series between the Wolf Pack and the Bruins and the first since 2015. The Bruins knocked the Wolf Pack out of the Calder Cup Playoffs in 1999, 2001, and 2007, while Hartford returned the favor in 2000 and 2015. The Wolf Pack won the 2015 Atlantic Division Quarterfinals series 3-2 over the Bruins.
Wolf Pack Outlook:
The Wolf Pack made it four straight victories to open the Calder Cup Playoffs and five in a row overall against the Bruins on Saturday night. Clendening’s goal was his second career Calder Cup Playoff game-winning goal, and his first since April 21st, 2018, as a member of the Rockford IceHogs.
Tim Gettinger recorded two assists in the victory, his first career multi-assist game in the Calder Cup Playoffs.
Through four games during the postseason, the Wolf Pack have outscored opponents 12-1 at five-on-five. They recorded each of the first 12 five-on-five goals during their postseason trip. The club’s +13 goal differential (16 GF, 3 GA) is the best of any team in the Calder Cup Playoffs entering action on Wednesday night.
Blidh’s +9 rating ranks him number one in the Calder Cup Playoffs in +/-. Each of the top five in +/- in the Calder Cup Playoffs plays for Hartford. Ty Emberson is second at +8, while Tanner Fritz (+7), Blake Hillman (+7), and Lauri Pajuniemi (+7) are all tied for third.
Garand, meanwhile, leads the playoffs in both save percentage (.966) and goals against average (.75).
Fritz leads the club in scoring six points (1 g, 5 a) through four games. Blidh, Emberson, Hillman, Pajuniemi, and Bobby Trivigno are all tied for the team lead in goals with two each.
Bruins Outlook:
The Atlantic Division champion Bruins enter tonight with their backs against the wall. The Bruins will try to avoid the same fate as last year when they were swept 2-0 in the Atlantic Division First Round by the Bridgeport Islanders.
The Bruins have lost six consecutive playoff games, dating back to a 4-2 victory on April 21st, 2019, against the Charlotte Checkers.
Toporowski leads the Bruins in goals through two games with one, while Justin Brazeau and Joona Koppanen are tied with him in points with one each. Brazeau’s assist on Toporowski’s goal on Saturday night was the first point in his Calder Cup Playoff career.
Bussi, despite two losses, has a .950 save percentage and 1.53 goals against average through his first two appearances in the Calder Cup Playoffs.
Game Information:
Play-by-play voice of the Wolf Pack, Alex Thomas, will have ‘Wolf Pack Pregame’ starting live at 6:45 p.m. on both AHLTV and Mixlr.
Should the Wolf Pack win tonight, the club will advance to the Atlantic Division Final and await the Hershey Bears Vs. winner. Charlotte Checkers matchup. A Bruins victory, however, will force a Game Four. Game Four will occur at the XL Center on Friday, May 5th, at 7:00 p.m. For playoff ticket information, please visit HERE.
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.
Leave a Reply