TWO MINUTES FOR THOUGHTS: APRIL 23RD, 2024
Apr 23, 2024
Welcome to the Calder Cup Playoffs. 72 games have come and gone. On Thursday night, the Hartford Wolf Pack will take the ice at the Bojangles Coliseum for Game 1 of their playoff journey.
This is the moment the players train for and work towards all season long. It’s the moment coaches prepare for. It’s the moment fans dream of. It’s the best time of the year if you are a hockey fan.
Why waste any time? Let’s get right to the blog, shall we?
1.) This will be a unique playoff series for the Wolf Pack because they won’t get the chance to host any games. Due to the distance between the Wolf Pack and Checkers, all three games will take place in Charlotte. That’s because the Checkers ended the season as the higher seed, and earned the right to host.
With that said, the Wolf Pack will have the last change in Game 2, their ‘designated home game’ in Charlotte.
2.) We all know the record against the Checkers and the record in Charlotte for the Wolf Pack since the Checkers entered the AHL in time for the 2010-11 season.
The Pack are 12-29-3-4 all-time, and 3-19-2-1 in Charlotte.
If the Wolf Pack are going to win their second Calder Cup in franchise history, shouldn’t the Checkers be part of that story? Fans had called the Bojangles Coliseum ‘Fort Never Win’ until a two-game sweep last January by the Wolf Pack over the Checkers.
Finally slaying that Charlotte dragon feels like it has to be part of the story for this franchise if they are to go on the kind of run everyone is hoping for.
3.) I’m going to mention yet again my conversation with Tim Gettinger following the Wolf Pack’s sweep of the Springfield Thunderbirds last April. The Pack lost nine of twelve meetings during the season, and no one around the league gave them a chance in the best-of-three series.
It was Game 72, in Springfield, that gave the Pack all of the confidence they needed. Despite losing 1-0, the Wolf Pack outplayed the Thunderbirds that night and knew then that the series was theirs if they played their game.
Again, no one is suggesting a 13-2 scoring edge for the Wolf Pack and a two-game sweep. That said, the Pack’s 5-2 victory on April 14th over the Checkers might be that springboard for this team. They found their scoring touch in that game and got their powerplay going. If that confidence carries over, they have more than a chance.
4.) Getting to Spencer Knight early in Game 1 is going to be key for the Wolf Pack. Knight went 5-1-0-0 against the Wolf Pack during the regular season, surrendering just nine goals in six meetings.
Last year, the Wolf Pack set an early tone against Joel Hofer, who had similar numbers during the regular season. Setting an early tone against Knight, and planting the seeds of doubt in both the goaltender and the Checkers, will be massive.
5.) The line I’m most intrigued to watch, should they stay together? The ‘vet line’ with Riley Nash between Nic Petan and Alex Belzile. The trio was stellar against Springfield on April 12th, leading the way as the Wolf Pack clinched a playoff berth.
They also connected for the game-winning goal on April 19th against the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, with Petan blasting home a five-on-three tally from the right-wing circle.
The trio has game-breaking ability and could be the difference here for the Wolf Pack if they are clicking.
6.) Mac Hollowell’s first season with the Wolf Pack turned out to be one of the more productive seasons in recent memory by a defenseman. Hollowell collected his 40th assist of the season on Saturday night in Springfield, making him the first player since Taylor Beck in 2016-17 to record 40 assists in a season with the Wolf Pack.
He’s the first defenseman since Andrew Hutchinson in 2007-08 to record 40 helpers in a single season. Pretty impressive.
Hollowell finished second in the AHL in assists by a defenseman, falling one short of Manitoba’s Kyle Capobianco. He finished eighth overall in assists.
7.) Hollowell went +5 in the Wolf Pack’s 6-4 victory against the Thunderbirds on Saturday night. That’s noteworthy because it’s tied for the best single-game +/- in franchise history.
Connor Mackey also went +5 this season, doing so on October 20th against the Penguins. Before this season, it had happened six other times in franchise history.
8.) Congratulations to Hugo Ollas, who picked up his first victory as a pro in his debut on Saturday night. Ollas made 14 saves.
He’s the second goaltender this season to record his first victory in the AHL. Olof Lindbom made 37 saves for his first AHL victory on March 24th in Belleville against the Senators.
9.) Last week in this space, I asked if Brett Berard would be able to snag the rookie goal-scoring lead from Josh Doan. Although he fell short of that mark, Berard’s spectacular rookie campaign saw him do something not done in Hartford in nearly two decades.
He finished second in the league in rookie goal-scoring with 25 goals, the first time since Ryan Callahan in 2006-07 (35 goals) that a member of the Wolf Pack finished in the top three in goal-scoring among rookies.
10.) Let’s get this party started, shall we? ‘Wolf Pack Pregame’ goes at 6:45 p.m. on Thursday, with puck drop for Game 1 set for 7:00 p.m. at the Bojangles Coliseum. You can tune in live on both AHLTV and Mixlr with yours truly.
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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.