TWO MINUTES FOR THOUGHTS: FEBRUARY 24TH, 2022
Feb 24, 2022
These are the kinds of weekends hockey players and fans salivate over. The stretch drive is officially here, as the Wolf Pack embark on the final weekend of February with 28 games remaining in the 2021-22 season. The Pack will knock three of their remaining games off in a roughly 48-hour span from Friday night at 7:05 p.m. to Sunday evening. Hartford will face the Springfield Thunderbirds on Friday night at the MassMutual Center, then battle the Providence Bruins in a home-and-home set on Saturday and Sunday.
The Thunderbirds are first in the Atlantic Division. The Bruins? They sit second. Hartford? In third. The three games that will take place this weekend will have a distinct playoff vibe to them. These games are vitally important as the battle for seeding rages on.
The Road Ahead
Friday night should be a real good hockey game. The Wolf Pack and the Thunderbirds have had numerous battles throughout the season, and to this point the rivalry has yet to produce a dull affair. The Thunderbirds, 7-1-1-1 in their last ten, have won six consecutive games on home ice and taken two straight from the Pack.
An interesting twist to this series is that the road team has won just twice all season. That’s right, in nine prior meetings the home team is 7-2-0-0 between the clubs. Hartford got their win in Western Massachusetts on November 12th, taking a 6-4 decision from the T-Birds.
The home-and-home set with the Bruins should be another stiff test for the Wolf Pack. The Bruins have scored the first goal in each of the first seven meetings between these divisional foes. In addition, Providence has a point in all seven games, going 4-0-1-2. Like with the Thunderbirds, the Wolf Pack do have a victory in enemy territory in this series, taking a 2-1 overtime decision on November 13th.
In the previous two meetings, both at the XL Center, each team has come away victorious. The Wolf Pack won a dramatic 5-4 game in the shootout on January 28th, while the Bruins got their revenge with a 3-1 decision last Saturday night.
Saturday’s affair will be Providence’s final visit to the XL Center this season, while Sunday’s game represents the penultimate matchup. The series concludes on April 4th in Providence.
A Chance to Rebound
One of the great things about this Wolf Pack team in 2021-22 is the club’s ability to rebound and prevent long losing streaks. A professional hockey season is a long, drawn-out process that is never a straight line. Every team will have their peaks and their valleys. It’s how you mange those stretches that determines whether a team finds itself in the dance.
The Wolf Pack have dropped two straight games and three of their last four since exiting the All-Star Break earlier this month. The Wolf Pack hadn’t suffered back-to-back losses since mid-January, when they lost an overtime game on January 12th against the Charlotte Checkers, then a regulation decision against the Bruins two days later. The last time Hartford lost three in a row? Late December into early January. They haven’t lost four straight games all season long.
The Pack have done a terrific job all season of limiting the damage and preventing lengthy losing streaks. This weekend gives them a great opportunity to not only make up ground in the standings, but to shake off a difficult pair of games last weekend and prove, once again, how resilient of a group this is.
Adversity makes everyone better. I’m a firm believer that no team runs the gauntlet from start to finish without facing some kind of adversity. Yes, the Wolf Pack struggled last weekend, and yes, the schedule is difficult this weekend. This is a very good hockey team that has proven time and time again that they can handle these challenges. What an outstanding opportunity this is for Hartford to make up ground.
This N’ That
Saturday night should be a lot of fun at the XL Center. We will be holding our annual ‘Hartford Hockey Heritage Night’ with a few special guests. To help us celebrate the past of Hartford Hockey, former Hartford Whalers Russ Anderson, Norm Barnes, Martin Howe, and Bob Crawford will join us for a pregame ceremonial puck drop. The four former Whalers will also be signing autographs in the concourse from 6:00 p.m. until 6:45 p.m., and again during the first intermission.
The future of Hartford Hockey will be represented by several youth programs in the area who will join us for a pregame ceremony. Of course, the present will be represented by the Wolf Pack, who will battle the Bruins starting at 7:00 p.m.
That’s not all, however. We’ll also be holding our annual Hockey ‘N Hops and Hockey ‘N Vine pregame event at the Exhibition Hall at the XL Center. The event will run from 5:30 p.m. until 6:45 p.m., with ticket packages available online. Hurry, though, spots are filling up fast!
Oh, and the first 1,500 fans into the building will receive a Wolf Pack PopSocket courtesy of Carvel.
The atmosphere at the XL Center has been terrific this season. It has been a thrill having fans back in the stands. I can speak for everyone when I say we are excited to have that energy in the building as the Pack push for their first playoff appearance since 2015. Can’t make it on Saturday but want to be here down the stretch? We’ve got you covered with single game tickets at www.hartfordwolfpack.com.
This weekend will be fun. We’ll see you at the rink on Saturday and see you on AHLTV and Mixlr for the road games this weekend!
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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.