New York Rangers Prospects: Hartford Wolf Pack Weekly Roundup
We are at the point of the season where a team is looking forward to the postseason or for the season to end as soon as possible. For the Hartford Wolf Pack, the New York Rangers AHL affiliate, they want the season to end as fast as it can.
The Hartford Wolf Pack, the AHL affiliates of the New York Rangers, started the week on a seven-game losing streak, tying their season-high. The only thing standing between them and stopping their losing ways was the Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins.
The Scranton Penguins are the kryptonite to the Wolf Pack this season. Going into Tuesday the 21st’s game, the Wolf Pack were winless against the team (0-6-0). Following Tuesday’s game, the Wolf Pack remained winless for the season (0-7-0) against the Penguins.
It was a 5-2 loss for the Wolf Pack which featured goals from Chris Brown and Marek Hrivik. However, adding insult to injury, former Wolf Pack forward Ryan Haggerty scored twice for the Penguins. Jeff Malcolm started in net for the Wolf Pack but the Penguins chased him after the fifth goal, and Mackenzie Skapski would be the replacement. Skapski would stop all 20 shots he faced.
New York Rangers
The next game for the Wolf Pack was against the Providence Bruins on Friday night. The Wolf Pack, on an eight-game losing streak, looked to rebound from Tuesday’s game. Magnus Hellberg, who served as the backup to Antti Raanta while Henrik Lundqvist recovered from a hip injury, started in net.
Despite his 46 saves, the Wolf Pack would fall to the Bruins 3-1. The only Wolf Pack goal scored was off the stick of Taylor Beck. The losing streak extended to nine in a row.
Saturday, March 25, 2017, the Bridgeport Sound Tigers paid a visit to the XL Center, looking to extend the Wolf Packs losing streak to 10 games. However, that would not the be case.
The Pack won 4-3 over the Sound Tigers. They scored two in the second period and two in the third. Despite giving up three goals in the third, the Wolf Pack were able to hold on to the lead, giving them just their second win in the month of March.
The next night, the Wolf Packs would play their third game in three nights against the Providence Bruins. They dropped the tilt by a score of 5-2, creating what has the potential to be a new losing streak.
Stats Leaders for the Week
Michael Joly led the team in goals scored, as he tallied three goals over the course of the week. Hrivik led the team in assists with three. Both players finished the week with four points.
Tending the net, Skapski was the only goalie for the Wolf Pack who collected a win this week. The win gave him just his second win of the season (2-8-0). In his win, he stopped 27 of 30.
Next: Rangers Defensive Decisions
Upcoming Week
The Wolf Pack have three games next week as they face the Hershey Bears, the Albany Devils, and then Bruins. After this week, the Wolf Pack have five games remaining. Then, its back to the drawing board to try and fix what happened this season and rebound for the next.