TWO MINUTES FOR THOUGHTS: MAY 12TH, 2023
May 12, 2023
Welcome to the Atlantic Division Finals. Game One between the Wolf Pack and Hershey Bears was an instant classic despite the result not going in Hartford’s favor. The Bears took a 3-2 overtime decision, handing Hartford their first road loss of the playoffs. As a result, Hartford trails in a series for the first time all spring, with Game Two set for tomorrow night at the Giant Center.
There’s a reason it’s a series. Hartford will learn some lessons for a tough loss and look to even the series and steal home ice with a victory on Saturday. There were plenty of positives from Game One that the club can build on.
Onto the blog!
1.) Let’s start by rewinding to Game Four of the Atlantic Division Semifinals. After their loss in Game Three, their first loss of the postseason, the Wolf Pack brought a determined attitude to the table while looking to close out the Bruins. The result was a convincing 4-0 victory in which the Bruins never truly threatened.
Dylan Garand was strong in the victory, recording his second shutout of the playoffs with a 32-save performance. Garand has been getting a lot of love, and rightfully so. After the Division Semifinals, Garand was tied with Coachella Valley’s Joey Daccord for the league lead in wins with five. He led the league in shutouts (2), save percentage (.954 sv%), and goals against average (1.17).
It often takes rookie goaltenders time to adjust to professional hockey. Garand was strong throughout his rookie season, specifically in the second half. He’s used that strong finish to springboard into an extremely impressive playoff run.
2.) Thursday’s loss to Hershey obviously isn’t ideal. You never want to lose a game, and you never want to be down in a series. The good news is, it’s only one game, and the Wolf Pack had some positives in the game that they can build on.
The biggest positive? The powerplay. Hartford had just two powerplay goals in 21 chances against the Bears in the regular season and had just two goals in 16 chances through six playoff games. In Game One, the Wolf Pack went 2-for-4 on the skater advantage, and both units found the back of the net.
Lauri Pajuniemi opened the scoring 6:55 into the game, potting a rebound from the top of the blue paint. In the second period, Jonny Brodzinski fired home a one-timer off a feed from Tanner Fritz that made the game 2-0 at the time.
If the powerplay is clicking, Hartford has a terrific chance to come back to the Connecticut capital with the series tied.
3.) Quietly, Tim Gettinger has taken advantage of his first Calder Cup Playoff experience. Gettinger collected an assist on Pajuniemi’s goal in Game One, extending his point streak to four games. In that span, Gettinger has six points (1 g, 5 a). He’s tied with Fritz for the team lead in scoring with eight points (2 g, 6 a) through seven games.
Gettinger has also contributed in every game state. In addition to his five-on-five production, Gettinger is the only player who has collected at least one point on both the powerplay (1 a) and the penalty kill (1 g, 1 a).
After becoming the 25th player in franchise history to play 200 games with the club in November, Gettinger has elevated his game in the postseason. He’s a big reason why Hartford has two series victories in their pocket.
4.) Let’s address the scary situation from Game One. First of all, and most importantly, Anton Blidh returned to the game and is feeling good. It was a scene that none of us ever want to see, and it was a tense few minutes between the initial situation and the word that everything was going to be okay.
Full credit to Wolf Pack Athletic Trainer Brian Fairbrother, Assistant AT Jared Degler, the entire Hershey Bears medical staff, and the first responders in the building. Everyone’s quick work in what appeared to be a dangerous situation is exactly what can save lives. Luckily, it all ended up being out of an abundance of caution.
Officially, we can tell you that Blidh was treated for a non-life-threating upper-body injury out of an abundance of caution and was cleared to return to the game.
5.) I’d also like to address one thing quickly about last night’s situation before we move on. I understand there may have been some frustration from viewers and listeners in the lack of true updates that we provided on the broadcast through the first intermission and into the start of the second period.
There is a reason that we approach injuries and situations like we saw in that manner. First of all, our assumption is that there are family and friends watching the broadcasts. We don’t ever want to speculate on which player is injured until we are 100% sure, as we don’t want to create any unnecessary panic for the family and friends watching.
In the age where people are more concerned with being first than right, I personally think it is extremely important to only provide an update when we know something for sure. That is why we waited until we knew exactly what was happening before passing the information along to you.
Hopefully everyone understands our approach with matters like this.
6.) Game Two isn’t a must-win, but it’s close. A team is never truly in danger until they lose on home ice but going down 2-0 in a best-of-five series presents a very difficult task. That means three straight victories will be necessary to advance.
For Hartford to find a victory in Game Two, the team will need a better start than in Game One. Yes, Hartford led 1-0 after one, but the club was outshot 17-3 and the Bears carried the five-on-five play. After a strong middle stanza, Harford couldn’t protect the lead in the final twenty. Turnovers were a big culprit in that regard. Protecting the puck better will be massive.
Lastly, cutting down on the odd-man rushes, something Hartford has defended so well to this point, will be key as well. The Bears had numerous odd-man rushes in the first 4:41 of overtime, the last of which resulted in the game-winning goal.
The Wolf Pack are a resilient, smart group. Game Two is a big one for this team. Expect them to answer the call.
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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.