PRE-GAME: WOLF PACK BATTLE PENGUINS SATURDAY
By: Alex Thomas, Hartford Wolf Pack
WILKES-BARRE, PA – The Hartford Wolf Pack concludes a brief two-game road trip tonight when they visit the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins for the first time this season.
The puck drop is set for 6:05 p.m., and coverage is available on AHLTV on FloHockey and Mixlr.
Tale of The Tape:
This is the first of six meetings between the Wolf Pack and Penguins this season. They will meet on Saturday, Dec. 7, at the XL Center. The Wolf Pack return to Mohegan Arena at Casey Plaza for games on Jan. 4, 2025, and Mar. 26, 2025.
The Penguins will make their final two visits to the XL Center on Feb. 21, 2025, and Mar. 7, 2025.
The sides split six games during the 2023-24 season, with the home team going a perfect 6-0-0-0. The Penguins never trailed during the three meetings in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. The Penguins won games 4-2 on Oct. 28, 2023, 2-1 on Jan. 7, 2024, and 4-1 on Jan. 24, 2024.
The Wolf Pack won all three games at the XL Center, including the most recent meeting on April 19. That night, Nic Petan broke a 2-2 tie with a power play blast at 13:22 of the third period. That would be the game-winning tally in the Wolf Pack’s 3-2 victory.
The Wolf Pack’s last win in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton came on Mar. 26, 2023. Zac Jones struck 16 seconds into that hockey game, while Will Lockwood would pot the game-winning tally at 6:25 of the first period. The Wolf Pack would win by a final score of 5-1.
Wolf Pack Outlook:
The Wolf Pack opened their back-to-back set last night with a 3-2 overtime loss against the Syracuse Crunch at Upstate Medical University Arena.
Dylan Duke opened the scoring 5:23 into the hockey game, locating a rebound and beating Dylan Garand for his fourth goal of the season on the power play.
The Wolf Pack would turn in a solid second period, outshooting the Crunch 11-4 and outscoring them 2-0. Anton Blidh got the Wolf Pack on the board with the club’s second shorthanded goal of the season at 13:52. After dancing through the neutral zone, Blidh dished a pass to Dylan Roobroeck, who returned the favor at the backdoor to set up Blidh’s finish.
Blade Jenkins then made it a 2-1 game when he sniped his first goal of the season by Brandon Halverson at 17:27 of the middle frame.
Niko Huuhtanen tied the tilt 2-2 just 91 seconds into the third period when a Declan Carlile pass from the left-wing corner clipped his skates and found a way by Garand. The goal would force overtime, where Max Crozier blasted his first goal of the season from the right-wing circle at 41 seconds to give the Crunch the second point.
Brett Berard (5 g, 3 a) and Bo Groulx (4 g, 4 a) are tied for the team lead with eight points each through eight games this season.
Penguins Outlook:
The Penguins won their second straight game on Wednesday night, downing the Bridgeport Islanders 4-3 in a shootout.
Ville Koivunen struck just 70 seconds into the game, potting his first of the season. Jonathan Gruden added his first of the season just over a minute later, giving the Penguins a 2-0 advantage at 2:34 of the opening stanza.
However, the Islanders stormed back to take the lead, striking three times in the second period. Samuel Bolduc’s power play blast at 3:00 of the middle frame gave the home side life, cutting the deficit to 2-1. Brian Pinho then notched his fifth goal of the season, shorthanded, to tie the tilt at 12:30.
Just under three minutes later, at 15:22, Fredrik Karlström potted his fourth goal of the season to give the Islanders a 3-2 lead through two periods.
Gruden drew the Penguins even at 13:24, scoring his second of the game and the season to force an eventual overtime.
The sides went to the shootout after overtime failed to provide a winner. Emil Bemström and Koivunen found twine in the skills competition, while Tristan Jarry stopped two of three shooters to preserve the victory.
Bemström and Sam Poulin are tied for the team lead with seven points each. They have both recorded two goals and five assists through seven games.
Game Information:
WATCH: AHLTV on FloHockey
LISTEN: Mixlr
Play-by-play voice of the Wolf Pack, Alex Thomas, will have ‘Wolf Pack Pregame’ starting live at 5:50 p.m. on both AHLTV on FloHockey and Mixlr.
The Pack is back at the XL Center on Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024, when the Crunch make their lone visit to Hartford this season. The puck drop is set for 7:00 p.m.
Tickets are available at hartfordwolfpack.com.
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ABOUT THE HARTFORD WOLF PACK: The Hartford Wolf Pack has been a premier franchise in the American Hockey League since its inception in 1997. It 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.
