By: Alex Thomas, Hartford Wolf Pack
BRIDGEPORT, CT – The Hartford Wolf Pack completed their season-long, five-game road trip on Friday night with a 3-0 blanking of the Bridgeport Islanders in round one of the ‘Battle of Connecticut’. Riley Nash struck twice in the victory, while Dylan Garand made 37 saves to collect his first shutout of the season.
The Wolf Pack opened the scoring 12:25 into the tilt, as Anton Blidh followed the play to the net and buried a rebound for his second goal of the season.
Adam Sýkora won a battle for a loose puck deep in the Islanders’ zone, collecting it just outside of the right-wing corner. Sýkora muscled his way to the net but was denied by Islanders goaltender Jakub Skarek. The rebound sat to the left of Skarek, and Blidh was able to find it first. He collected the rebound and fired the puck by Skarek to give the Pack a lead they never lost.
The goal was Blidh’s first game-winning tally of the campaign.
Nash extended the lead 5:50 into the middle stanza, lifting a shot over the right pad of Skarek. Brett Berard entered the zone on the right-wing side but had the puck knocked off his stick. The rookie forward never gave up on the play, however, and won the puck back from defenseman Aidan Fulp. Berard set a pass to Nash in front, who went from his backhand to his forehand and potted his fourth goal of the season.
The assist gives Berard a four-game point streak.
Nash ballooned the lead to 3-0 at 12:16, scoring an unassisted goal for his second of the night and fifth of the season. The veteran forward carried the puck into the zone on the right-wing side, danced into the faceoff circle, and fired a low shot that beat Skarek. It marked the second time this season that Nash has lit the lamp twice in a game. He scored twice in Hartford’s 4-1 win at Lehigh Valley on October 29th.
Garand slammed the door shut in the final stanza, making 15 saves to preserve both the victory and the shutout.
The Wolf Pack returns to the XL Center tomorrow night to open a home-and-home set with the Providence Bruins. The puck drop is set for 7:30 p.m.; tickets are available at hartfordwolfpack.com.
ABOUT OVG360:
OVG360, a division of Oak View Group, is a full-service venue management and hospitality company that helps client partners reimagine the sports, live entertainment, and convention industries for the betterment of the venue, employees, artists, athletes, and surrounding communities. With a portfolio of more than 200 client partners spanning arenas, stadiums, convention centers, performing arts centers, cultural institutions, and state fairs around the globe, OVG360 provides a set of services, resources, and expertise designed to elevate every aspect of business that matters to venue operators. Service-oriented and driven by social responsibility, OVG360 helps facilities drive value through excellence and innovation in food services, booking and content development, sustainable operations, public health and public safety, and more.
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.
Related
Mitch Beck
Related posts
Top picks
SHAY COSTA REPORTING…CATCHING UP ON PAST COLLEGE AND WOLF PACK
EDITOR’S NOTE: Shay Costa worked hard covering these games and deserved to have them published. my full-time job has caused me to have to work close to 100 hours a week, and I haven’t had the time to post them. Getting them all posted here is important. She deserves respect for the effort she put in… – Mitch Beck All…
WOLF PACK – CATCHING UP ON PAST NEWS
By: Alex Thomas, Hartford Wolf Pack RANGERS RECALL 13 FROM WOLF PACK HARTFORD, CT – New York Rangers President and General Manager Chris Drury announced today that the club has recalled 13 players from the AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack. The club recalled seven forwards, five defensemen, and one goaltender from Hartford. Forwards: Alex Belzile, Brett Berard, Anton Blidh, Jake Leschyshyn,…
WOLF PACK ENJOYS STRONG 2023-24 SEASON IN THE COMMUNITY AND AT THE BOX OFFICE
By: Alex Thomas, Hartford Wolf Pack HARTFORD, CT – The Hartford Wolf Pack completed another successful season both on and off the ice last week. On the ice, the club advanced to the Atlantic Division Finals of the Calder Cup Playoffs for the second consecutive season, winning two playoff rounds in the process. Off the ice, the Wolf Pack enjoyed…
WOLF PACK SIGN DEFENSEMAN CARTER BERGER TO ONE-YEAR DEAL
By: Alex Thomas, Hartford Wolf Pack HARTFORD, CT – New York Rangers Assistant General Manager and Hartford Wolf Pack General Manager Ryan Martin announced today that the club has agreed to terms with defenseman Carter Berger on a one-year, standard AHL player contract. Berger, 24, scored 20 points (4 g, 16 a) in 36 games with Western Michigan University during…
SHAY COSTA REPORTING…CATCHING UP ON PAST COLLEGE AND WOLF PACK
EDITOR’S NOTE: Shay Costa worked hard covering these games and deserved to have them published. my full-time job has caused me to have to work close to 100 hours a week, and I haven’t had the time to post them. Getting them all posted here is important. She deserves respect for the effort she put in… – Mitch Beck All…
WOLF PACK – CATCHING UP ON PAST NEWS
By: Alex Thomas, Hartford Wolf Pack RANGERS RECALL 13 FROM WOLF PACK HARTFORD, CT – New York Rangers President and General Manager Chris Drury announced today that the club has recalled 13 players from the AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack. The club recalled seven forwards, five defensemen, and one goaltender from Hartford. Forwards: Alex Belzile, Brett Berard, Anton Blidh, Jake Leschyshyn,…
WOLF PACK ENJOYS STRONG 2023-24 SEASON IN THE COMMUNITY AND AT THE BOX OFFICE
By: Alex Thomas, Hartford Wolf Pack HARTFORD, CT – The Hartford Wolf Pack completed another successful season both on and off the ice last week. On the ice, the club advanced to the Atlantic Division Finals of the Calder Cup Playoffs for the second consecutive season, winning two playoff rounds in the process. Off the ice, the Wolf Pack enjoyed…
WOLF PACK SIGN DEFENSEMAN CARTER BERGER TO ONE-YEAR DEAL
By: Alex Thomas, Hartford Wolf Pack HARTFORD, CT – New York Rangers Assistant General Manager and Hartford Wolf Pack General Manager Ryan Martin announced today that the club has agreed to terms with defenseman Carter Berger on a one-year, standard AHL player contract. Berger, 24, scored 20 points (4 g, 16 a) in 36 games with Western Michigan University during…
SWAMP RABBITS RELEASE 2024-25 SCHEDULE
The season begins at home on October 18th in the Kelly Cup Playoff rematch By: Mark Binetti, Greenville Swamp Rabbits GREENVILLE, S.C. – The Greenville Swamp Rabbits, the proud ECHL affiliate of the NHL’s Los Angeles Kings, announced the team’s schedule for the 2024-25 ECHL Season, presented by Bon Secours. A schedule detailing promotions and specialty jerseys will be revealed…
CINCINNATI CYCLONES RELEASE 2024-25 SCHEDULE
72-game regular season schedule is revealed By: Dana Grey, Cincinnati Cyclones CINCINNATI, OH – The Cincinnati Cyclones, along with the ECHL, have released the 2024-25 regular season schedule. Cincinnati begins the 72-game slate on the road against Kalamazoo on Saturday October 19th. The Cyclones then return to the Heritage Bank Center ice for “First Faceoff” the next weekend on Saturday…
ECHL ANNOUNCES SWAMP RABBITS AS AWARDS FINALIST
Team up for six different awards to be announced at ECHL Summer Meetings By: Mark Binetti, Greenville Swamp Rabbits GREENVILLE, S.C. – The ECHL announced today that the Greenville Swamp Rabbits organization, proud ECHL affiliate of the NHL’s Los Angeles Kings, is a finalist in six different categories for the 2023-24 ECHL Awards, presented by SponsorCX. The winners will be…
SWAMP RABBITS ANNOUNCE PROTECTED LIST
The first domino of offseason roster construction features 29 players By: Mark Binetti, Greenville Swamp Rabbits GREENVILLE, S.C. – The Greenville Swamp Rabbits, proud ECHL affiliate of the NHL’s Los Angeles Kings, announced in conjunction with the ECHL their 2024 Protected List. The protected list is considered the first stage of the hockey operations off-season in roster maintenance to complete…