Game Preview
Feb 14, 2018Game Day Info:
Hartford Wolf Pack vs. Charlotte Checkers
Puck Drop: Wednesday, February 14 at 7 p.m.
Game Preview:
The Checkers are hot, having won four of their last five games, including a 6-0 win over the Wolf Pack last night. The game was an offensive onslaught from the Charlotte team, as five different goal scorers found the back of the net. With the win, the Checkers remain in fourth place in the Atlantic Division in the last playoff spot with a 28-20-0-3 record with 59 points and a .578 win percentage.
With recent transactions, the Wolf Pack are missing familiar faces in Alexandar Georgiev, John Gilmour, Neal Pionk and Ryan Sproul. However, defensemen Brendan Smith and Sergei Zborovskiy have been assigned to the Wolf Pack. In addition, John Albert and Hubert Labrie were acquired in a trade and assigned to the Wolf Pack on February 9 in a deal that sent Joe Whitney and Adam Chapie to the Hershey Bears.
Last Time Out:
Last night, the Wolf Pack played to a 6-0 loss against the Checkers. Brandon Halverson earned his second start in net for the Wolf Pack, and stopped 39 of the 45 shots he faced. The loss marked an end to the Wolf Pack’s 10-game point streak that saw the Pack go 9-0-1-0 from January 19.
Thus far, the Pack are 24-21-4-3 on the season with a .529 win percentage, which places them sixth in the ultra-competitive Atlantic Division with 55 points from 52 games played. In fifth place, right ahead of the Pack, are the Bridgeport Sound Tigers, who have 53 points from 49 games played.
Players to Watch:
#28 Lias Andersson
Lias Andersson has one goal and five assists for six points in nine games with the Wolf Pack. The forward skated in 22 games with Frolunda of the Swedish Hockey League (SHL) this season, registering seven goals and seven assists for 14 points. He also helped Sweden win a silver medal at the 2018 IIHF World Junior Championship, as he recorded seven points (six goals, one assist) in seven games during the tournament. Andersson was drafted in the 1st round of the 2017 NHL Entry Draft, where he was selected seventh overall.
#23 Janne Kuokkanen
Janne Kuokkanen has scored six goals for the Checkers this season, including two in last night’s win over the Wolf Pack. In addition, the center has also tallied 19 assists to contribute a total of 25 points in 35 games this season. The Finland native is in his first season in the AHL after playing in the Ontario Hockey League last year. Kuokkanen totaled 26 goals and 36 assists (62 points) and a plus-23 rating, appearing in 60 of 68 regular-season games for London of the OHL in 2016-17. The rookie was tied for third among Knights skaters in goals and fourth on the team in scoring and had 16 points (7g, 9a) on the power-play for London.
Coming Up Next:
The Pack will be back home at the XL Center for Hockey Heritage Weekend on February 23 and 24 to face the Hershey Bears and Providence Bruins. The first 5,000 fans to the game on February 24 get a Gordie Howe bobblehead, presented by Xfinity. For tickets and information, visit the Hartford Wolf Pack ticketing site or call 866-762-6451.