Hartford Wolf Pack Weekly: Nathan Sucese finds game amid team struggles

Credit: Hartford Wolf Pack

Concerning trends are emerging for the Hartford Wolf Pack as the New York Rangers’ American Hockey League affiliate is falling short in the win column. The sixth-place Wolf Pack (16-16-2-1, 35 points) are holding onto the final playoff spot in the Atlantic Division, and tied for 11th in the Eastern Conference and tied for 21st in the AHL. The Wolf Pack have a two-point cushion over seventh-place Springfield.

There were mixed results for the Wolf Pack last weekend as their lone was against Lehigh Valley (3-2 in overtime) on Friday, led by Adam Sykora’s two-point (one goal, one assist) effort and Nathan Sucese’s two assist game. Hartford was shut out 3-0 by Lehigh Valley on Saturday, and lost 3-1 to Springfield on Sunday. The Wolf Pack are 2-3-0-0 in their past five games and 4-6-0-0 in their past 10.

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Hartford Wolf Pack news-n-notes

Credit: Hartford Wolf Pack

Nathan Sucese picking up the pace

Sucese has six points (one goal, five assists) in his past seven games. That’s significant because the 28-year-old forward has struggled all season and was held out of the lineup in 10 games. He started the season with just two assists in his first 13 games and still has only two goals and nine points in 25 games. Just last season he scored 23 goals with Chicago in the AHL.

His improvement of late comes at a moment when Hartford is struggling to score and key veteran Bo Groulx was recalled by the Rangers. Groulx is second on the Wolf Pack with 29 points (11 goals, 18 assists), though his loss is countered by the fact that the Rangers reassigned Brett Berard, who led Hartford with 25 goals last season.

But Hartford’s been shutout in three of 10 games and recorded four goals in its past five defeats. Sucese’s shots on goal are on the rise as he gains confidence. He has 11 shots in the past five games, opposed to four in his first five. Furthermore, he positions himself well for high-danger opportunities along with setting up productive plays in the offensive zone.

Despite his struggles in the first half of the season, Sucese will play an important role in Hartford’s second half. He comes off from a career high in points last season, (37), and much is stil lexpected from him with the Wolf Pack.

Home not so sweet home

After a terrific start to the season on home ice, Hartford dropped four straight (0-4-0-0) and is 11-8-1-0 at the XL Center. The Wolf Pack began the season posting a 8-2-0-0 record at home, which was one of the league’s best at the time. However, they are 3-6-1-0 since. The Wolf Pack were outscored 28-20 and gave up the first goal in five of the past 10 home games. Hartford’s not exactly built to play from behind, just 1-6-1-0 when trailing after the first period and 1-15-0-1 when trailing after two this season.

Coach Grant Potulny’s strategy relies on the Wolf Pack to perform strong at home while maintaining a .500 mark on the road. Though they improved on road performance, a focus is needed on winning more consistently at home. At this rate, Potulny has work ahead of him to ensure the Wolf Pack can clinch a playoff spot for a third consecutive season.

Penalty kill improves

One area of improvement for Hartford is on the penalty kill. A struggle in the first half of the season, the Wolf Pack are finding ways to kill penalties more consistently now. They are 30-for-35 (85 percent) in their past 10 games. Hartford improved to 24th in the AHL, operating at 80.1 percent. While they are in the bottom tier for the penalty kill, the consistent performance is slowly pushing them to the middle of the league.

Special teams is a huge focus for Potulny. The power play has also improved, tied for 22nd in the AHL at 16.4 percent. December featured Hartford going 8-for-25 with the man advantage in 11 games. Similar to the penalty kill, the power play suffered early on, especially with Brennan Othmann out injured for more than two months.

Upcoming Games

All games can be watched on AHLTV and listened on Mixlr.

Wednesday, January 15th vs Utica Comets (Devils) at 7pm, Adirondack Bank Center

  • This is the first of two meetings this season. Hartford was 1-1-0-0 against Utica last season.
  • Utica is 9-18-2-2 for 22 points. They are seventh in the North Division and 14th in the Eastern Conference. The Comets are 2-3-0-0 in their past five games and 4-5-1-0 in their past 10.
  • Brian Halonen leads the Comets with 21 points (13 goals, eight assists). Adam Beckman is next with 20 points (seven goals, 13 assists).

Saturday, January 18th vs Charlotte Checkers (Panthers) at 4pm, Bojangles Coliseum

  • This is the third of eight meetings in the season series. Hartford won the first two games.
  • Charlotte is 19-9-2-2 for 42 points. They are third in the Atlantic Division and sixth in the Eastern Conference. The Checkers are 6-3-1-0 in their past 10 games.
  • John Leonard leads the Checkers with 32 points (15 goals, 17 assists) and is tied for eighth in the AHL. Trevor Carrick is next with 28 points (six goals, 22 assists).

Sunday, January 19th vs Charlotte Checkers (Panthers) at 4pm, Bojangles Coliseum

  • This is the fourth of eight meetings this season and concludes a weekend set in Charlotte. The season series will shift to Hartford on Feb. 7.
  • The Wolf Pack’s last trip to Charlotte will be on Feb. 15 and 16.
Ricky Milliner is a Hartford Wolf Pack season ticket holder. While growing up, he discovered hockey by attending a ... More about Ricky Milliner
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