TWO MINUTES FOR THOUGHTS: MARCH 30TH, 2023
Mar 30, 2023
You know, we only have two more of these blogs remaining during the 2022-23 season. Time flies when you’re having fun, doesn’t it? Of course, these final two and a half weeks of the regular season are going to be the most exciting. The playoff chase is fully in bloom, and thanks to three wins in four games since we last spoke, the Wolf Pack are now completely in control of their own destiny.
Times are exciting in Hartford. Not only are we in the midst of a playoff chase, but we’ve also got new faces with bright futures arriving.
Let’s not waste any time and jump into the blog, shall we?
1.) We said during the open of last Friday night’s broadcast that the Wolf Pack had to win at least two of their games over the weekend. Mission accomplished. Friday night might have been the most exciting game of the season. Down 5-2 a minute into the third period, the Wolf Pack scored four unanswered goals to stun the Springfield Thunderbirds 6-5.
Some impressive notes from that win? Hartford had just been 1-for-32 on the powerplay against the Thunderbirds this season before going 4-for-5 in the third period. It was also the first time this season that the Wolf Pack scored two goals with the extra attacker (six-on-four), and the first time a Wolf Pack player scored five points in a game. Jonny Brodzinski scored a goal and tacked on four assists.
Oh, and let’s not forget Will Cuylle. He scored his first career professional hat trick and finished the night with his first career four-point game (3 g, 1 a).
Will Lockwood told me on Wednesday night that it was one of the craziest games he has ever taken part in, and that the win proves that the Wolf Pack can overcome any deficit they face this season. Turner Elson agreed that it was the craziest game he’s ever played in, and he made sure to point out that the crowd was electric throughout the night.
Saturday’s game didn’t go Hartford’s way, a 4-0 loss to those same Thunderbirds. That made Sunday’s game, in the words of Cuylle, a “must win game”. Hartford delivered with a dominating 5-1 win over the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. Exactly the kind of road performance that the team has delivered consistently over the second half of the season. A workman-like effort that resulted in two huge points.
Last night, the Wolf Pack again turned in a strong effort, beating the Bridgeport Islanders 4-1. After trailing 1-0 after 20 minutes, Hartford dominated the second period and outscored the Islanders 3-0, giving themselves a lead they never lost. Despite surrendering 16 shots in the final frame, Hartford did a great job of keeping Bridgeport to the perimeter. Louis Domingue, who has now won five straight, was lights out.
2.) We mentioned Brodzinski and his five-point effort on Friday night earlier. The captain also scored on Sunday, then notched two more goals on Wednesday to reach 20 on the season. Brodzinski has scored two goals in each of the last four meetings between the Wolf Pack and the Islanders, all wins by Hartford. In the biggest games of the season, he’s been the best player on the ice.
Brodzinski is also the only Wolf Pack player scoring at higher than a point-per-game clip. In 41 games with Hartford, he’s recorded 43 points (20 g, 23 a). He won’t get the votes because of the lack of games played due to a recall to New York, but if Hartford makes the playoffs and Brodzinski continues to produce down the stretch, he should receive serious love for MVP.
3.) Congratulations to Brett Berard, who made his professional debut on Friday night in Hartford’s 6-5 win over the Thunderbirds. Berard also played on Sunday against the Penguins and drew a penalty in the first period.
A three-year player at Providence College, Berard signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Rangers last Monday that starts next season. He’s with the Wolf Pack on an amateur tryout (ATO) for the remainder of the season.
4.) Speaking of ATO’s, Bryce McConnell-Barker, who signed his entry-level contract with the Rangers last week as well, inked one with Hartford on Wednesday after arriving late on Tuesday night. McConnell-Barker took a skate yesterday at the XL Center, and will have his first official practice with the club today. He’s wearing #8 and could be an option for this weekend.
McConnell-Barker led the OHL’s Soo Greyhounds in both assists (47) and points (77) this season, while finishing second on the team in goals with 30. All three numbers were career-highs for the 97th overall pick in this past summer’s NHL Entry Draft. The man nicknamed ‘BMB’ will have some comfort coming to Hartford, as Wolf Pack Assistant Coach Jamie Tardif was an Assistant Coach with the Soo during McConnell-Barker’s rookie season of 2021-22.
Also yesterday, forward Adam Sýkora was assigned to the Wolf Pack by the Rangers from HK Nitra of the Slovak Extraliga. He scored 21 points (8 g, 13 a) in 38 games this past season for HK Nitra, finishing third overall on the club in scoring. Sýkora also arrived on Tuesday night and will skate in his first practice today with the Wolf Pack. He’s wearing #29 in Hartford.
5.) Louis Domingue has been everything Hartford could ask for and more down the stretch. He’s won five straight games, and allowed just one goal against in each of his last two starts. Domingue made 27 saves against his former club in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Sunday, then turned in a 29-save performance on Wednesday to vault Hartford into a playoff spot. His 16 saves in the third period marked one of his busiest stanzas of the year, and Louis made it look easy.
Domingue is locked in and playing his best hockey of the year when it matters most. That’s great news for Hartford. He’s got 18 wins on the season, and a 20 win campaign is firmly in reach with seven games to go.
6.) Thanks to last night’s win, Hartford’s magic number dropped by three points. The number is now 15, and Hartford can get it to at least 11 with two victories on the weekend. It could go to as low as seven if the Wolf Pack go 2-0-0-0 and the Islanders go 0-2-0-0. Both teams will play twice this weekend, once home and once away.
The Wolf Pack will host the Providence Bruins on Friday night at 7:00 p.m., then visit the Lehigh Valley Phantoms on Saturday night for a puck drop that will be closer to 7:15 p.m. The Islanders, meanwhile, have a 7:05 p.m. puck drop on Saturday night in Providence, then host the Phantoms at 3:00 p.m. on Sunday.
For Hartford, winning at least one is imperative. Winning both sets them up perfectly and could even provide a nice cushion for the final five games.
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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.