Hartford Wolf Pack Weekly: Weekend split before AHL holiday break, Dylan Garand shines again
The Hartford Wolf Pack entered the AHL holiday break on a good note, after snapping a two-game skid (0-2-0-0) with a 4-2 win against the Providence Bruins on Saturday. Hartford’s win was led by Anton Blidh’s two-goal effort and Adam Sykroa’s two assists. The Wolf Pack responded after they were shut out for the second time this season on Friday, 1-0 by the Bruins.
The New York Rangers’ AHL affiliate is 13-11-2-1 (.537) for 29 points. They are tied for fifth with Lehigh Valley in the Atlantic Division (sixth is the last playoff spot in the division), 10th in the Eastern Conference, and 21st in the AHL. Hartford is four points behind Providence and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, who are tied for third. The Wolf Pack are six points behind Charlotte for second.
Looking behind the Wolf Pack, there is a fight for the final playoff spot in the division with Springfield two points behind Hartford and Lehigh.
Related: Rangers week ahead includes 3-day break, trip to Florida
Hartford Wolf Pack news-n-notes
Dylan Garand continues strong season
Dylan Garand kept Hartford in a game they had no business even being close in, the 1-0 loss to Providence. He stopped 43 of 44 shots, just the latest stellar outing for the 22-year-old goalie this season. His personal four-game winning streak ended. but he was still so impressive. Hartford was outshot 21-5 in the first period and 16-5 in the second. The Bruins were testing Garand consistently, including on six powerplay opportunities.
Garand bailed out the Wolf Pack on numerous odd-man rushes against, and covered up pretty much all of the mistakes Hartford made. Providence came in scoring 22 goals in five games prior to Friday, making Garand’s performance stand out even more.
Garand is seventh in the AHL with a 2.12 goals-against average, tied for fourth with an outstanding .931 save percentage, and tied for sixth in wins (nine). Furthermore, he’s one of 12 goalies who have two or more shutouts. He also played the 14th most minutes, registering 849:16. Simply, the stats support the eye test. Garand is having a terrific season and has taken a major step forward in his third professional season.
Lack of discipline continues
Lack of discipline remains a problem with Hartford’s roster. In the past five games, Hartford was penalized 26 times. Their past four games featured two games with five penalties against while the remaining two were six penalties against. Reflecting on their shutout, the Wolf Pack had limited offensive zone time and lack of danger quality chances. The majority of play was focused on defending.
The offense cannot sustain production with limited offensive zone time if the Wolf Pack are shaving off 10-plus minutes in the penalty box. While there is an improvement to their penalty kill (the Wolf Pack was 23-for-26), they cannot lean on it all the time.
The Wolf Pack are the third most penalized team in the league with 113 calls against them. Their penalty kill is 27th in the AHL operating at 78.8 percent. The recent success will gradually improve their ranking after a terrible start for the PK this season.
Game Notes
- Goalie Louis Domingue secured his fourth win of the season on Saturday. He is 4-8-1 with a 3.68 goals against average and .885 save percentage. He snapped his personal four-game losing streak. The veteran has allowed three or more goals in 10 of 13 starts.
- The Hartford power play is 10-for-31 (32 percent) in the past eight games. Hartford improved to 18th in the league operating at 17.5 percent.
- Hartford will be on the road for 11 of its next 16 games. The Wolf Pack are 2-6-1-1 away from the XL Center. Each of those wins came in December.
Upcoming Games
All games can be watched on AHLTV and listened on Mixlr.
Friday, December 27th vs Springfield Thunderbirds (St. Louis) at 7:05pm, MassMutual Center
- This is the fifth of 10 meetings in the season series. Hartford is 1-3-0-0, so far. Its lone win was the first meeting on Oct. 18.
- Entering the week, Springfield is 12-12-2-1 for 27 points. They are seventh in the Atlantic Division and 13th in the Eastern Conference. The Thunderbirds are on a five-game losing streak (0-3-1-1).
- Dlibor Dvorsky and Matt Luff lead Springfield with 21 points apiece. Dvorsky has posted 11 goals and 10 assists, Luff has recorded nine goals and 12 assists.
Saturday, December 28th vs Providence Bruins (Boston) at 6pm, XL Center
- This is the sixth of 10 meetings in the season series. Hartford is 2-3-0-0, including a 4-2 win on December 21 in the most recent meeting.
- Entering the week, Providence is 15-11-3-0 for 33 points. They are tied for third in the Atlantic Division and eighth in the Eastern Conference. The Bruins are 3-1-1-0 in their past five and 7-2-0-1 in their past 10 games.
- Vinni Lettieri leads the Bruins with 29 points (11 goals, 18 assists) and is fifth in the league in scoring. Georgii Merkulov has 25 points (six goals, 19 assists), second best on Providence and tied for 14th in the league.
Tuesday, December 31st vs Springfield Thunderbirds at 3:05pm, MassMutual Center
- This is the sixth of 10 meetings in the season series. Hartford will next host Springfield on January 12.
- The Wolf Pack are 11-5-1-1 at the XL Center. They are tied for second in the league in home wins.
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