PRE-GAME REPORT: WOLF PACK HOST BRUINS IN KEY ATLANTIC DIVISION TILT
Mar 8, 2024
HARTFORD, CT – The Hartford Wolf Pack will take to the ice tonight at the XL Center in search of their first three-game winning streak since January. Tonight, the club welcomes the Providence Bruins to town for the final time this season.
The puck drop is set for 7:00 p.m. and coverage is available on AHLTV and Mixlr.
Tale of The Tape:
This is the ninth of ten meetings this season between the Wolf Pack and the Bruins. It is the fifth and final meeting between the rivals at the XL Center. The sides will conclude the season series in Providence at the Amica Mutual Pavilion on Sunday, April 21st. That game will also serve as the regular season finale for both teams.
The Wolf Pack earned their fourth victory in the season series on Sunday, defeating the Bruins by a final score of 5-2 in Providence. Karl Henriksson opened the scoring 43 seconds into the tilt, burying his ninth goal of the season.
Ian Mitchell found the equalizer at 6:17, firing a shot from the point that snuck through traffic for his fourth goal of the season. Both the Wolf Pack and the Bruins found the back of the net on their first shots of the afternoon.
Bryan Yoon gave the Wolf Pack the lead for good just 1:58 into the second period, stepping into a drive that beat Brandon Bussi through traffic. Brett Berard then tacked on an insurance marker at 6:02, ballooning the lead to 3-1.
Anthony Richard turned in a beautiful individual effort to make it a 3-2 game 5:39 into the third period. Richard danced around a pair of Wolf Pack defenders and beat Dylan Garand by the blocker for his 20th goal of the season.
Anton Blidh ended the intrigue at 17:39, burying his seventh goal of the season into an empty net. Turner Elson also connected with the empty net at 18:33, picking up his fifth goal to solidify the two points.
The win gives the Wolf Pack a 4-3-1-0 record against the Bruins this season. The loss dropped the Bruins to 4-2-1-1 in the head-to-head matchup.
Wolf Pack Outlook:
The Wolf Pack’s victory on Sunday afternoon was their second in a row. It marks the first time since January 26th and 27th in Cleveland against the Monsters that the Wolf Pack has won back-to-back games.
Berard’s goal on Sunday afternoon stood as the eventual game-winning goal. He picked up the game-winning goal in both games last weekend for the club and leads the team in that category with seven on the season.
Garand made 21 saves to pick up the victory against the Bruins. He’s now 4-1-0 in his last five starts and has recorded a career-high 15 wins thus far.
Berard leads the Wolf Pack in goals with 19. Alex Belzile leads the team in points with 37 (14 g, 23 a), while Mac Hollowell leads the way in assists with 32.
On Tuesday, the parent New York Rangers (NHL) assigned Belzile to the Wolf Pack. The Wolf Pack, meanwhile, released forward Tag Bertuzzi from his professional tryout agreement (PTO).
Bruins Outlook:
The loss on Sunday snapped a five-game winning streak for the Bruins. The club is 7-3-0-0 in their last ten games and sits in second in the Atlantic Division with a record of 34-16-3-2.
The Bruins will be off tomorrow, and then host the Springfield Thunderbirds on Sunday afternoon (3:05 p.m.).
The Bruins won their last trip to Hartford on February 10th. The B’s scored a 4-1 victory that night, with Patrick Brown earning the game-winning goal. Brown also picked up the game-winning goal on February 18th in the Bruins' 3-0 victory over the Wolf Pack in Rhode Island.
Georgii Merkulov leads the Bruins in goals with 21, assists with 28, and points with 49. He represented the club at last month’s AHL All-Star Classic in San Jose.
Game Information:
WATCH: AHLTV
LISTEN: Mixlr
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.
Join us tonight for $2 drafts and $2 hot dogs until the end of the first intermission! Additionally, help us welcome back Wolf Pack legend PJ Stock! The first 1,500 fans in attendance will receive a PJ Stock bobblehead courtesy of Xfinity.
Tickets are available at www.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 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.