WOLF PACK WEEKEND PREVIEW: NOVEMBER 23rd, 2023
Nov 23, 2023
HARTFORD, CT – The Hartford Wolf Pack have won three out of their last four games and two in a row as they hit the Thanksgiving holiday. The Pack have also claimed three consecutive victories on home ice and are one of five teams in the AHL with ten wins so far this season.
On Wednesday night, the Wolf Pack scored a 6-4 comeback victory over the Providence Bruins to head into the holiday with a smile.
Now, the Pack gets set for a weekend back-to-back that will feature a rivalry matchup on Friday and a new opponent on Saturday.
Friday, November 24th, 2023, @ Springfield Thunderbirds: Round four of the ‘I-91 Rivalry’ goes in Springfield on Friday night at 7:05 p.m. The Wolf Pack hold a 2-1 edge in the season series thanks to their 5-1 victory at the XL Center in the ‘School Day Game’ on November 15th. Hartford won 3-1 on October 14th in their only visit to the MassMutual Center this season.
This game features the top two scorers in the AHL early this season. Springfield’s Adam Gaudette leads the league in points with 22 (13 g, 9 a) and goals with 13. Jonny Brodzinski, meanwhile, is second in the league in points with 21 (11 g, 10 a) and is tied for second in goals with eleven.
Saturday, November 25th, 2023, Vs. Belleville Senators: The Wolf Pack and Senators meet for the first of two games this season. The sides wrap up their season series on March 24th, 2024, at CAA Arena in Belleville.
The sides last met on April 13th, 2022, in Belleville with the Senators claiming a 1-0 shutout victory. Their last meeting in Hartford came on April 1st, 2022, with the Senators claiming a 4-1 decision. The Wolf Pack and Senators did not meet during the 2022-23 season.
The Senators have lost three straight games coming into this contest and sit sixth in the North Division with a 6-7-0-1 record.
The Wolf Pack are 2-1-0-0 against the North Division this season, having beaten the Utica Comets on November 4th and the Syracuse Crunch on November 18th. They dropped a 5-3 decision in Syracuse on November 17th, their lone blemish against the North.
The puck drop for this game is set for 7:30 p.m., and tickets are available at www.hartfordwolfpack.com.
Quick Hits:
- The Wolf Pack scored a season-high six goals in their 6-4 win over the Bruins on Wednesday night. They also scored a single-period high of four goals in the third period to complete the comeback.
- The win was Hartford’s first when trailing after two periods of play this season.
- Defenseman Mac Hollowell, in his first game since November 10th, recorded a season-high four assists on Wednesday night. It’s the highest single-game assist and point output for a Wolf Pack player this season. It was his first career four-point game.
- The Wolf Pack became the second team in the Eastern Conference and the fourth team in the AHL to win ten games this season. They joined the Hershey Bears (13), Calgary Wranglers (12), and Abbotsford Canucks (10). Later on Wednesday night, the Cleveland Monsters (10) became the fifth team in the league to hit ten wins.
- Hartford’s 22 points rank them second in the Eastern Conference and third in the AHL.
- Thanks to his four assists on Wednesday night, Hollowell is now tied for fourth in the AHL in assists with 13.
- The Wolf Pack penalty kill went six-for-six on Wednesday night and is 12-for-12 over the last three games (2-1-0-0). They now rank sixth in the AHL with an 87.9% success rate on the penalty kill.
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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.