Hartford Wolf Pack weekly report: Adam Sykora shines amid team struggles
After winning three straight to begin a six-game homestand, the New York Rangers’ AHL affiliate found itself dropping a pair of games this past weekend. Those defeats followed the Hartford Wolf Pack’s 5-4 win against the Charlotte Checkers on Tuesday.
In Hartford’s 4-2 loss to the Springfield Thunderbirds on Saturday, Matt Rempe and Brett Berard each scored a goal and then were summoned to play in New York with the Rangers in a 5-2 loss to the St. Louis Blues on Monday.
A 4-1 loss to the Bridgeport Islanders on Sunday featured a goal from Benoit-Oliver Groulx.
The Wolf Pack enter Thanksgiving week fifth in the Atlantic Division, 10th in the Eastern Conference, and 18th in the AHL with a record of 8-7-1-1 (.529) for 18 points.
Related: Rangers send Matt Rempe right back down to AHL Hartford after appearance against Blues
Hartford Wolf Pack storylines
Adam Sykora – photo courtesy Hartford Wolf Pack
Adam Sykora’s work ethic shines
Adam Sykora continues to stand out with his solid two-way play. The 20-year-old forward has five points (one goal, four assists) in his past six games and 10 points (three goals, seven assists) in 17 games this season. Sykora is tenacious and finds ways to get the puck on net, something Hartford struggles to do consistently. He has 29 shots on goal, tied for fifth on the Wolf Pack, just six back of team leader Groulx (35).
In the neutral and defensive zones, Sykora’s game features grit and frustrates opponents. He has a knack to break up plays and can control play to help Hartford transition from defense to offense. One aspect the Rangers prospect does well is focus on key details of the game. He’s adept at keeping the puck away from defenders. And he regularly makes smart passes, lately with linemates Rempe and Jake Leschyshyn.
Sykora continues to have great positioning as he is one of two forwards on the roster who’s not taken a penalty this season (Blade Jenkins is the other). Furthermore, Rempe’s improved play as of late is influenced by Sykora, since they’ve developed nice chemistry. Pairing Sykora’s speed and skill with Rempe’s size benefits the Wolf Pack.
Defensive inconsistencies
Hartford coach Grant Potulny must revisit the Wolf Pack’s defensive struggles. Initially improving in the prior weekend when Hartford gave up four goals in two games, the Wolf Pack allowed 12 goals in three games this past week. Furthermore, they was outshot 101-84 in their past three games and surrendered a season-high 45 against Charlotte.
This also led to Hartford’s offensive struggles — three goals in its past two games. The Wolf Pack recorded 10 shots or less in five of six periods. Expand the scope to three games, the number goes to seven of nine periods. The lack of offensive zone time has hurt production. The Wolf Pack cannot generate offensive opportunities if they are out-shot heavily with most of the game played in their own end of the ice.
Notes
- Benoit-Oliver Groulx has scored two goals in the past three games.
- Alex Belzile had five points (three goals, two assists) in five games.
- Hartford no longer has the best home record in the AHL. It is 8-3-0-0 at the XL Center. The Toronto Marlies have the best home mark this season, 8-0-0-2.
Upcoming Games
All games can be watched on AHLTV and listened to on Mixlr.
Wednesday, November 27th vs Lehigh Valley Phantoms (Flyers) at 7 p.m., XL Center
- This is the third of six meetings in the season series. The Wolf Pack are 1-0-0-1 against the Phantoms. These rivals meet again in back-to-back games on Jan. 10-11.
- Entering the week, Lehigh Valley is 6-6-3-1 for 16 points. The Phantoms are seventh in the Atlantic Division and 13th in the Eastern Conference.
- Samu Tuomaala leads the Phantoms with 16 points (six goals, 10 assists). Olle Lycksell is second with 11 points (three goals, eight assists).
Saturday, November 30th vs Springfield Thunderbirds (Blues) at 4:05 p.m., MassMutual Center
- This is the fourth of 10 meetings in the season series. Hartford is 1-2-0-0 against the Springfield. The Wolf Pack look to record their first road win of the season. They are without a victory in six road contests so far.
- Entering the week, Springfield is 8-8-1-0 for 17 points. The Thunderbirds are sixth in the Atlantic Division and 11th in the Eastern Conference. They are on a four-game winning streak.
- Nikita Alexandrov and Dalibor Dvorsky are tied for the team lead in points with 13. Each forward has six goals and seven assists. Marcus Sylvegard has 12 points (seven goals, five assists).
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