Winners in five of their past seven games (5-2-0-0), the Hartford Wolf Pack are surging at the right time. Initially six points out of a playoff spot on Wednesday, following a 3-2 loss to Providence, Hartford regrouped with back-to-back wins on Friday and Saturday, closing the gap to four points. The Wolf Pack are keeping pace sixth-place with Lehigh Valley (24-26-3-3, 54 points), who hold the final playoff spot in the Atlantic Division.
Veteran goalie Spencer Martin recorded his second shutout and fifth win of the season Friday, stopping 22 shots in a wild 6-0 Hartford win against Bridgeport. That one featured a line brawl, goalie fight, and 212 penalty minutes. Offensively, Trey Fix-Wolansky led the charge with a four point (two goals, two assists) game. Fix-Wolansky earned AHL Player of the Week honors by recording at least one point in all three games, and finishing with seven points (five goals, two assists).
The New York Rangers AHL affiliate carried the positive momentum into Saturday, when they defeated Hershey 5-2, led by two-point performances from Fix-Wolansky (two goals), Carey Terrance (two goals), Adam Sýkora (one goal, one assist), and newcomer Aidan Thompson (two assists), who stood out in his Hartfird debut .
The eighth-place Wolf Pack (22-27-4-2, 50 points) wrap up their five-game homestand Friday, and begin a five-game road-trip on Saturday in Providence.
Brendan Brisson was called up by the Rangers on Sunday, since Taylor Raddysh is unavailable following the death of his father. However, Raddysh is expected back later in the week, so Brisson could return to the Wolf Pack at that point.
Hartford doesn't have top-six forward Brennan Othmann nor veteran defenseman Derrick Pouliot any more. Ahead of the trade deadline this past Friday, the Rangers dealt Othmann to the Calgary Flames for forward Jacob Battaglia, a former second-round pick. They also acquired Thompson from the Chicago Blackhawks for Pouliot.
Carey Terrance — photo courtesy Hartford Wolf Pack
Terrance snapped a 23-game goalless streak in impressive fashion Saturday, registering the first two-goal game of his young professional career. The 20-year-old found some nice chemistry playing on the same line with Thompson. More production by Terrance will open more eyes and raise his stock. Though a solid bottom-six center, Terrance has just eight points (five goals, three assists) in 55 games during his rookie pro season.
Ironically, Terrance scored two goals in his first six games this season. But the well went dry soon after. In fact, he didn't have a point in 16 games prior to the two-goal breakout Saturday.
He does have some scoring pedigree, though. Terrance was a second-round pick (No. 59) by the Anaheim Ducks in the 2023 NHL Draft, whom the Rangers acquired in the Chris Kreider trade last offseason. He recorded 162 points in 230 OHL games with Erie before turning pro.
Despite offensive struggles, Terrance is growing his defensive game with Hartford. Coach Grant Potulny utilizes the 6-foot, 203-pound pivot on Hartford's penalty kill, and in a shutdown role 5v5. A work in progress, Terrance aims to become a bottom-six option for the Rangers in the future. Next season could feature additional responsibilities for the evolving prospect.
A significant blow to the Wolf Pack blue line, veteran defenseman Travis Dermott is week to week with an upper-body injury. Dermott, who signed a Professional Tryout (PTO) with Hartford on Feb. 7, was hurt Wednesday, when he blocked a shot with under two minutes remaining in the game. The veteran appeared in five games, recorded three assists, and played well coming back from offseason shoulder surgery.
Up front, veteran center Justin Dowling remains day to day with a lower-body injury. His last game was on Feb. 28, when he scored the shootout deciding goal to give Hartford a 5-4 win. Anchoring Hartford's first line, Dowling won critical draws throughout the season, and is a key two-way player and veteran on the roster. He's second on the Wolf Pack with 29 points (nine goals, 20 assists) in 43 games.
There's a possibility that Dowling returns this week, after missing four games.
A fan favorite and recurring promotion, the Wolf Pack hosted "Star Wars Night" at PeoplesBank Arena on Saturday. The night featured characters walking around the concourse and taking pictures with fans, a Wolf Pack lightsaber giveaway, lightsaber training during the first intermission, and recorded Star Wars music played over the sound system.
A new season high of 9,055 fans in attendance were greeted with a thrilling 5-2 win, featuring two altercations between the teams in the final minute of the game. Tensions were high when Hartford goalie Dylan Garand was speared by Sam Bitten of Hershey with six seconds left in the game. Bitten was suspended one game by the AHL, and the teams meet again in Hartford on April 4.
The Wolf Pack struck two times in the first period, once in the second, and twice more in the third. Hartford's second line of Brisson, Fix-Wolansky, and Sýkora accounted for five of Hartford's 14 points on the score sheet.
All games can be viewed on AHLTV and heard on Mixlr .
This is the third of four meetings in the season series. Hartford is 2-0-0-0 against Cleveland.
Cleveland is 30-19-6-1 (67 points,) third in the North Division and sixth in the Eastern Conference.
Luca Del Bel Belluz leads the Monsters with 46 points (17 goals, 29 assists). Next is Mikael Pyyhtiä with 35 points (12 goals, 23 assists).
This is the fourth and final meeting in the season series.
Hartford is 10-14-3-1 at home.
This is the ninth of 10 meetings in the season series. Hartford is 2-4-1-1 against Providence.
Providence is 43-11-1-0 (87 points), first in the Atlantic Division and Eastern Conference. They are second overall in the league standings.
Patrick Brown leads the Bruins with 49 points (17 goals, 32 assists), and is tied for 14th in the AHL scoring race. Next is Riley Tufte with 45 points (25 goals, 20 assists).
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