SERIES PREVIEW: WOLF PACK AND BRUINS RENEW RIVALRY IN ATLANTIC DIVISION SEMIFINALS
Apr 30, 2024
For the second time in as many springs, the Hartford Wolf Pack went through the handshake line with smiles after their First Round Calder Cup Playoff series. The Wolf Pack stormed back after losing Game 1 to the Charlotte Checkers to take their best-of-three series 2-1. Their reward? A date with the Providence Bruins.
This will be the seventh all-time playoff meeting between the Wolf Pack and the Bruins. That, without a doubt, makes the Bruins the biggest playoff rival in the 27-year history of the Wolf Pack. Another chapter of this heated rivalry is about to be crafted on the ice.
The full Atlantic Division Semifinals series schedule is as follows:
Game 1: Wednesday, May 1st, @ Providence (Amica Mutual Pavilion, 7:05 p.m.)
Game 2: Friday, May 3rd, @ Providence (Amica Mutual Pavilion, 7:05 p.m.)
Game 3: Wednesday, May 8th, @ Hartford (XL Center, 7:00 p.m.)
Game 4*: Friday, May 10th, @ Hartford (XL Center, 7:00 p.m.)
Game 5*: Sunday, May 12th, @ Providence (Amica Mutual Pavilion, 3:05 p.m.)
*If nec.
Let’s see how these two historic rivals stack up ahead of their seventh all-time meeting in the Calder Cup Playoffs.
History: As mentioned, the Wolf Pack and Bruins are meeting for the seventh time in Calder Cup Playoff history. That is the most of any opponent in Wolf Pack history. The Portland Pirates, whom the Wolf Pack met four times in the Calder Cup Playoffs, are the closest in terms of head-to-head postseason matchups.
The rivals first met in 1999, an Eastern Conference Semifinals series that the Bruins swept 4-0 en route to a Calder Cup Championship. A year later, the sides met again, this time in the Eastern Conference Final.
The Wolf Pack would get their revenge, despite trailing 3-1 in the series. Hartford took Game 5 3-2 at home, then went to Providence and took Game 6 5-3. That win snapped a 16-game home winning streak for the Bruins in the playoffs. Back in Hartford, Terry Virtue would score 7:32 into overtime to push the Wolf Pack to the Calder Cup Final, which they would win in six games over Rochester.
They would also meet in 2001, an Eastern Conference Quarterfinals series won 3-2 by the Bruins, in 2007, an Atlantic Division Semifinals series won by the Bruins 4-3, and in 2015, an Eastern Conference Quarterfinals series won by Hartford 3-2.
The rivalry went dormant for eight years until last spring when the Bruins won the Atlantic Division title during the regular season and faced the Wolf Pack in the Division Semifinals. The Pack jumped out to an early lead in the series, taking each of the first two games in Providence to jump out to a 2-0 series lead. The Bruins stayed alive with a 6-3 win in Hartford in Game 3, but the Pack finished the series with a 4-0 triumph in Game 4.
Overall, each side has won three of the prior six series. The Bruins claimed victories in 1999, 2001, and 2007, while the Wolf Pack were triumphant in 2000, 2015, and 2023. Twice before, a Wolf Pack and Bruins series has produced a Calder Cup Champion.
First-Round Results: Hartford became just the second team in the last three postseasons to overcome a 1-0 series deficit in the First Round of the Calder Cup Playoffs.
Will Lockwood’s shorthanded goal 16:46 into the third period of Game 1 propelled the Checkers to a 3-1 victory on home ice. The goal, which came during a four-minute powerplay for the Wolf Pack, stunned the club late in a 1-1 hockey game.
The Wolf Pack showed their resolve, however, as they won Game 2 in overtime despite never leading during regulation. Ryder Korczak tied the game 3:06 into the third period, potting a backdoor feed from Brennan Othmann for his first career Calder Cup Playoff goal. The tally forced overtime, where Alex Belzile played the role of hero. Belzile jammed home a rebound 8:11 into the extra session, forcing a Game 3 on Sunday.
In Game 3, Jaroslav Chmelař broke the ice 10:10 into the game with his first career Playoff goal, giving the Wolf Pack a lead they never lost. Nash potted the series-winning tally 4:21 into the third period, stuffing home a backhander on the powerplay to make it 2-0.
Brett Berard then snapped home a shorthanded goal at 14:52, making it 3-0 Wolf Pack. The goal was Berard’s first career Calder Cup Playoff tally.
Brendan Perlini got the Checkers on the board with a six-on-four goal at 15:37, but Dylan Garand slammed the door shut from there to complete the comeback and send the Wolf Pack to the Division Semifinals.
The Bruins will be well-rested, as they did not partake in the First Round of the Calder Cup Playoffs. The Bruins were one of two teams to earn a bye in the Atlantic Division, joining the Hershey Bears.
The Bruins finished second in the Atlantic Division with a record of 42-21-6-3, good for 93 points. Their 93 points were good for second in the Eastern Conference, behind only the Bears, and fourth in the AHL behind the Bears (111 points), Coachella Valley Firebirds (103 points), and Milwaukee Admirals (97 points).
Head-to-Head: The Wolf Pack and Bruins faced off ten times during the regular season, with each team claiming five victories. The Wolf Pack posted a record of 5-4-1-0, while the Bruins went 5-3-1-1.
The Bruins picked up a victory in the last meeting on April 21st, the final game of the regular season for both teams. That afternoon, Nick Zabaneh scored the game-winning goal in his professional debut to help lift the Bruins to a 4-2 victory at home.
Before that, the Wolf Pack claimed victories of 5-2 on March 3rd in Providence and 7-4 on March 8th in Hartford to earn a split of the season series.
The Wolf Pack were 2-2-1-0 at the Amica Mutual Pavilion this season, while they were 3-2-0-0 at the XL Center.
Top Performers: Dylan Garand, who was outstanding for the Wolf Pack in their series against the Checkers, led the way against the Bruins during the regular season. Garand posted a record of 4-2-1-0 against the Bruins with a .897 save percentage and a 3.13 goals-against average.
Berard, a Providence native, enjoyed some success against his hometown team during the season. The rookie scored his first career hat-trick on March 8th at the XL Center against the Bruins and recorded seven points (4 g, 3 a) in ten games. Berard was credited with the game-winning goal on both March 3rd and March 8th.
Belzile was also strong in the head-to-head matchup, scoring seven points (3 g, 4 a). Othmann was tied with Berard for the goal-scoring lead against the Bruins with four. Othmann scored the first two goals of his North American professional career on October 13th in Providence.
Brandon Bussi, the projected starter for the Bruins, went 1-1-0-1 against the Wolf Pack this season with a .927 save percentage. Projected backup Michael DiPietro, meanwhile, was 3-2-0-0 with a .927 save percentage and two shutouts in the season series.
Veteran Jayson Megna stung the Wolf Pack for nine points (3 g, 6 a) in ten games this season, while fellow veteran Patrick Brown was a point-per-game player with six points (4 g, 2 a) in six games. Rookie Trevor Kuntar also had an impact on the series, scoring six points (2 g, 4 a).
How to Watch: Play-by-play voice of the Wolf Pack Alex Thomas will have you covered for all five games, if necessary, of this series. ‘Wolf Pack Pregame’ starts at 6:50 p.m., before puck drop goes at 7:05 p.m. for Game 1 in Providence tomorrow night and Game 2 on Friday night.
‘Wolf Pack Pregame’ will start at 6:45 p.m. on Wednesday, May 8th, and Friday, May 10th, ahead of 7:00 p.m. puck drops at the XL Center for Game 3 and Game 4 (if nec.).
You can watch each Wolf Pack playoff game live on AHLTV, and you can listen for free on Mixlr.
Single-game tickets for both Game 3 and Game 4 of the Atlantic Division Semifinals are on sale now!
For more information and to purchase tickets, please visit www.hartfordwolfpack.com/tickets/playoff-information.
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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 are the top player-development affiliate of the NHL's New York Rangers and play 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.