TWO MINUTES FOR THOUGHTS: APRIL 30TH, 2024
Apr 30, 2024
The current Calder Cup Playoff format began in the spring of 2022 when the AHL decided to expand the postseason to include the best-of-three, First Round series. In the three years since that decision, 21 series have been played in the First Round. 19 of them have seen the winner of Game 1 win the series. That’s 90.48%.
The Hartford Wolf Pack is one of two, the 9.52%, who fell behind 1-0 in the First Round and won the series. Off to the Atlantic Division Semifinals we go.
Onto another playoff edition of the blog!
1.) Losing Game 1 the way the Wolf Pack did could have easily been the final blow. Giving up a shorthanded goal at 16:46 of the third period in a 1-1 game is a tough pill to swallow. That’s amplified in a major way when that goal puts you up against elimination against an opponent who, to that point, had beaten you in eight of nine meetings since the start of the regular season.
If you want to know how much leadership there is in that Wolf Pack locker room, look no further than here.
This team never quit and never shied away from the challenge.
Should this turn into a lengthy playoff run, the response to Game 1 in Charlotte should be looked at as the turning point.
2.) Throughout Hartford’s stretch of 13 losses in 14 games, there was one constant message from the group. They believed that it was much better to face that kind of adversity then as opposed to during the playoffs.
The lessons learned during that stretch were painful, to be sure, but the Wolf Pack’s ability to bounce back and fight through that certainly helped them when down 1-0 to the Checkers over the weekend.
3.) Garand Larceny. There isn’t much more to say about Dylan Garand’s spectacular performance in North Carolina. Garand went 2-1 in the series with a sparkling .955 save percentage and 1.61 goals-against-average.
Oh, and Garand also collected a powerplay assist in Game 2 on Nic Petan’s goal.
For his career, Garand is now 7-4 in eleven Calder Cup Playoff games with a .942 save percentage, 1.72 goals-against-average, and two shutouts.
Big players step up in big moments. Dylan Garand is proving he is a big-game goaltender.
4.) Ryder Korczak had a big game for the Wolf Pack in Game 2, scoring his first career Calder Cup Playoff goal 3:06 into the third period to force overtime. Korczak also assisted on Petan’s powerplay goal in the second period, giving him two points in the victory.
With Karl Henriksson unavailable during the series, Korczak stepped up on a line with Brett Berard and Brennan Othmann and turned in a strong showing. It wasn’t just the points, either. Korczak was involved in several chances throughout the three games and was strong on pucks.
Opportunity knocked for the rookie, and he answered.
5.) Last week in this space, I mentioned that the line I was most intrigued to watch in the First Round was the ‘vet line’ with Riley Nash between Petan and Alex Belzile. The line didn’t play together in Game 1 but did play together in both Game 2 and Game 3.
The results? Pretty darn good.
6.) Riley Nash, the former Checker, struck twice on the powerplay in the series. His goal at 4:21 of the third period in Game 3 proved to be the series winner. Fitting that it came against a team he played 254 games with before signing with the Rangers in July.
Nash finished the series with three points (2 g, 1 a), leading the Wolf Pack in goals. He’s a veteran leader who stepped up at the time his team needed it the most.
7.) Alex Belzile stepped up in a big way too. He scored the second game-winning goal in his Calder Cup Playoff career in Game 2, the overtime winner 8:11 into the extra session. It was Belzile’s first career playoff overtime goal.
A well-respected leader in the room, Belzile was a factor off the ice as well. He’s one of the heartbeats of this team.
8.) Lastly, Petan was strong too with three points (1 g, 2 a) in three games. He picked up a powerplay assist in Game 1 before adding a goal and an assist in Game 2.
It was his skilled move in overtime to work into the slot before firing a shot that Spencer Knight saved that set up the goal for Belzile, who jumped on the rebound to keep Hartford’s season alive.
We’ve talked about how good of a player Petan is, and he proved that again during the First Round of the playoffs. He’s going to be a big X-factor against the Bruins too.
9.) Other quick thoughts from the First Round: Matthew Robertson played some of his best hockey of the season in Charlotte. He was calm, cool, and collected, and gave the Wolf Pack a reliable presence on the blueline in the absence of Connor Mackey.
Brett Berard scored a shorthanded goal and added two assists in the series. He could have had more too. The rookie forward was buzzing, especially in Game 2 and in Game 3. You know he’s going to be jacked up to face his hometown team in the Division Semifinals too.
Victor Mancini, paired with Brandon Scanlin, was strong in Charlotte. Fresh out of the University of Nebraska-Omaha, Mancini was a +2 in three games. There looks to be a really strong defenseman here, and someone who the Wolf Pack could rely on quite a bit next season.
10.) Game 1 of the Atlantic Division Semifinals goes tomorrow at 7:05 p.m. in Providence, with Game 2 at 7:05 p.m. on Friday.
The full Atlantic Division Semifinals schedule is below.
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.
We’ll have you covered with ‘Wolf Pack Pregame’ starting at 6:50 p.m. on both Wednesday and Friday nights. Let’s get this party started, shall we?
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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.