TWO MINUTES FOR THOUGHTS: MAY 4TH, 2023
May 4, 2023Welcome to the Atlantic Division Semifinals. The Hartford Wolf Pack are looking to continue what has been a tremendous Calder Cup Playoff run, with a chance to advance to the Atlantic Division Finals tomorrow night. After sweeping the Springfield Thunderbirds 2-0 in a best-of-three series in the First Round, the Pack went to Providence and defeated the Bruins twice to put the Atlantic Division Champions on the brink.
Despite a Game Three loss on home ice on Wednesday night, there is plenty to be excited about. The Wolf Pack will have two more chances to put this series away, including once at home tomorrow night in Game Four. No one likes losing, but the Wolf Pack are still firmly in control of this series and will have a chance to put things away on their terms.
Round two of the playoffs roars on, and with it continues the blog!
1.) Let’s start with a point about each of the first three games of this series, starting with Game One. The Wolf Pack prevailed with a 1-0 decision, in large part thanks to their defensive effort. The Wolf Pack surrendered just 14 shots in the victory, the fewest in a single game in franchise history in the Calder Cup Playoffs.
Of those 14 shots, very few were of the dangerous variety. This was a full team effort, as Hartford shut down a fast, high-powered Providence attack.
Prior to Game One, the fewest shots allowed in a playoff game by the Wolf Pack was 15, done on two occasions. The Wolf Pack held the Springfield Falcons to 15 shots on April 23rd, 1999, and the Providence Bruins to 15 shots on April 20th, 2007.
2.) Game Two followed the same script as Game One for 40 minutes. The Wolf Pack stymied the Providence attack and jumped out to a 2-0 lead thanks to goals from Anton Blidh and Adam Clendening. Dylan Garand was sensational in this game, making 29 saves on the night, including nine in the third period. Garand was tested heavily late in the game as the Bruins finally got their legs under them and pushed for the equalizing goal.
Give the rookie netminder credit, he dug in his heels and was unbeatable down the stretch. Garand’s 29 saves were a playoff career-high and pushed his record to 4-0 in the postseason.
There was a different hero every night through the Pack’s four-game winning streak. In the fourth game, it was their young goaltender who answered the bell against a desperate opponent.
3.) Game Three was the first time at any point during the Calder Cup Playoffs in which the Wolf Pack trailed. Unfortunately, the hole got to 3-0 and it proved to be just too big. There were some uncharacteristic mistakes for the club in the loss that led to the four goals scored against Garand. These are mistakes we haven’t seen the Wolf Pack make very often over the last 15 games, and things that can be easily corrected.
The mentality postgame from forward Tanner Fritz, while speaking to Hartford media, was just that. Fritz admitted that the club made some mistakes that aren’t the norm for them, and that they “beat themselves” at times during Game Three.
The good news for the Wolf Pack? The final 25 minutes of that game looked a lot more like the team we have seen since mid-March. Hartford got the game to 3-2 and then 4-3 and had the tying goal set up. Lauri Pajuniemi was robbed by Brandon Bussi late in the third period, keeping the Bruins ahead. If that puck is half-an-inch to the right or to the left? It’s likely a 4-4 game and the result could have been different.
Despite the Pack admittedly not having their ‘A’ game, they had chances to tie the contest. The third period was certainly something to build on heading into Game Four.
4.) Great to see Jonny Brodzinski, Jake Leschyshyn, and Libor Hájek back on the ice for the Pack on Wednesday night. While there was certainly an adjustment period early, all three players had an impact on the game. Hájek and Leschyshyn both picked up assists, the first points of their Calder Cup Playoff careers. Brodzinski was dangerous as well, and a little unlucky to be kept off the scoresheet. Brodzinski set up both Leschyshyn and Will Cuylle a couple of times for some good looks.
It's worth remembering that Game Three was the first game action for both Hájek and Leschyshyn since April 8th. For Brodzinski, it was his first game action since April 14th. All three players got better as the game went along, and it felt like all three were humming by the third period. That’s a good sign for Game Four.
5.) Tim Gettinger’s shorthanded goal on Wednesday night was the result of some serious work turned in by both he and Anton Blidh. The goal was just the 20th shorthanded goal in the Calder Cup Playoffs in Wolf Pack franchise history. Gettinger became the 14th player in Wolf Pack franchise history to score a shorthanded goal in the Calder Cup Playoffs.
Hartford scored only four shorthanded goals during the regular season, which ranked them tied for 28th in the AHL with the Bruins and the Rockford IceHogs. Only the Tucson Roadrunners and the Hershey Bears scored shorthanded less.
The Bruins, meanwhile, only allowed four shorthanded goals during the regular season. That was tied for 26th in the league with the Colorado Eagles, Abbotsford Canucks, and Charlotte Checkers. Only the Manitoba Moose, Bridgeport Islanders, and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins surrendered fewer shorthanded goals this season.
6.) Was Game Three played on a Wednesday night? Yes, yes it was. Did it matter? No, it absolutely did not. Wolf Pack fans showed up to support the team, as 4,793 of you packed the XL Center and brought a great atmosphere to the table. That number is the highest attendance mark of the series to this point.
Keep bringing that noise, Wolf Pack fans. Friday night could be a special night for the organization. A victory pushes them to the Atlantic Division Finals, and anything can happen when you reach the final eight.
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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.