Hartford Wolf Pack Weekly: Morrow goal is to get back to Rangers
The Hartford Wolf Pack’s push for the Calder Cup Playoffs suffered a setback last week. They were swept by the Cleveland Monsters, losing 3-2 on Wednesday and 3-1 on Friday. Hartford concluded the weekend with a 7-0 loss to the Providence Bruins on Saturday, giving the Wolf Pack their fifth shutout loss of the season.
The eighth-place Wolf Pack (22-30-4-2, 50 points) remain six points out of a playoff spot in the Atlantic Division.
The loss in Providence began a five-game trip for the New York Rangers’ AHL affiliate that continues with back-to-back games against the Charlotte Checkers on Tuesday and Wednesday. The Wolf Pack gets two days off before a weekend back-to-back at Toronto on Saturday and Rochester on Sunday.
Hartford Wolf Pack News-n-Notes
Scott Morrow takes advantage of opportunities
The 23-year old defenseman is benefiting from plentiful ice time since the Rangers sent him down on March 3. Morrow, a second-round pick (No. 40) by the Carolina Hurricanes in the 2021 NHL Draft who was acquired in the K’Andre Miller trade last July, has four points (two goals, two assists) in his past six games.
On the Wolf Pack’s second defensive pairing with Jackson Dorrington, Morrow is playing with an edge. On Wednesday, he recorded his second multi-point game of the season by scoring twice. His first goal was a wrist shot after protecting the puck. The second featured Morrow going coast-to-coast, utilizing his speed. On Saturday, he delivered a monster hit in the neutral zone, thendropped the gloves with Ty Gallagher of Providence.
Coach Grant Potulny elected to place Morrow on Hartford’s first power-play unit, with Brett Berard (swapped with Aidan Thompson on Saturday), Dylan Roobroeck, Brendan Brisson, and Trey Fix-Wolansky. After the trade that sent Derrick Pouliot to the Chicago Blackhawks organization on March 6, Morrow is taking take his place as the quarterback. He produced five points (one goal, four assists) on the power play.
Morrow’s first season in the Rangers’ organization has had ups and downs. He’s struggled in New York but continues to enhance his game in Hartford.
Brendan Brisson continues solid AHL season
Brisson returned to the Wolf Pack on March 10 and scored his 16th goal of the season on Friday. The fourth-year pro has 14 points (seven goals, seven assists) in his past 17 AHL games. He’s second on the team in goals and tied for third (with the since-departed Pouliot) in points (28). His six power-play goals are tied for first in this category with Fix-Wolansky.
Most recently paired with Fix-Wolansky and Adam Sykora on the first line, Brisson finds a way to score. On Friday, he was in front of the net while Fix-Wolansky was attempting a wraparound. That show was stopped, but Brisson stepped in and converted with a backhand shot. He scored twice on March 6: The first goal came from on the rebound of a shot by Sykora; the second was a high-shot, beating Bridgeport goalie Marcus Hogberg.
Brisson surpassed his points total from last season (25). Given his consistency, Potulny is deploying him in critical moments when Hartford needs offense. Brisson impressed the Rangers enough to earn two brief callups and could be a dark horse candidate for a spot in New York next season.
Injuries pile up for Wolf Pack
The Wolf Pack, already without defenseman Travis Dermott (week-to-week) and center Justin Dowling (day-to-day, missed seven games), have two additional injuries.
Berard is listed as day-to-day with an upper-body injury. He took warmups on Saturday but was a late scratch. He’s a top-six forward, rotating between the first and second line.
On the blue line, Blake Hillman left Saturday’s game in the second period after a hit. Hartford called up Chris Ortiz from ECHL Bloomington on Monday.
Veteran Connor Mackey also missed a portion of the game Saturday but returned.
Upcoming Games
All games can be viewed on AHLTV and heard on Mixlr.
Tuesday, March 17 vs. Charlotte Checkers (Panthers) at 7 pm, Bojangles Coliseum
- This is the fifth of eight meetings in the season series. Hartford is 2-2-0-0 against Charlotte.
- Charlotte is 35-18-5-0 (75 points), third in the Atlantic Division and tied for fourth in the Eastern Conference.
- Ben Steeves leads the Checkers with 36 points (19 goals, 17 assists). Next is Wilmer Skoog with 34 points (18 goals, 16 assists).
Wednesday, March 18 vs. Charlotte Checkers (Panthers) at 7 pm, Bojangles Coliseum
- This is the sixth of eight meetings in the season series. The final two will be in Hartford on March 28 and 29.
- Hartford is 12-14-1-1 on the road.
Saturday, March 21 vs. Toronto Marlies (Maple Leafs) at 4 p.m., Coca-Cola Coliseum
- This is the second and final meeting in the season series. Hartford lost the first meeting 4-1 on Jan. 24.
- Toronto is 29-20-5-5 (68 points), fourth in the North Division and seventh in the Eastern Conference.
- Former Ranger Benoit-Oliver Groulx leads the Marlies with 50 points (27 goals, 23 assists) and is tied for 14th in the AHL (he’s currently with the parent Maple Leafs). Next is Logan Shaw with 40 points (19 goals, 21 assists).
Sunday, March 22 vs. Rochester Americans (Sabres) at 3:05 pm, Blue Cross Arena
- This is the second and final meeting in the season series. Hartford lost the first meeting 4-3 in overtime on Nov. 14.
- Rochester is 25-23-5-4 (59 points), fifth in the North Division and ninth in the Eastern Conference.
- Former Rangers defenseman Zac Jones leads the Americans with 50 points (eight goals, 42 assists), tied for 14th in the AHL. Next is Konsta Helenius with 45 points (15 goals, 30 assists).
