The Hartford Wolf Pack lost 6-3 Tuesday night to the Charlotte Checkers. It was New York Rangers first round pick Vitali Kravtsov’s first game back and it was also the first game that Igor Shesterkin was pulled.
The Wolf Pack were routed by the Checkers on Tuesday, giving up five straight goals after taking a 1-0 lead. It was the first stinker for Igor Shesterkin, the presumptive New York Rangers goalie of the future. Shesterkin was pulled after giving up five goals in the first 25 minutes of the game.
Vitali Kravtsov notched the primary assist on Hartford second goal with a pass to Phil DiGiuseppe who put the puck past the Charlotte netminder. Kravtsov finished the night on the positive side of the plus/minus with a +1.
In his first stint with Hartford, Kravtsov had one assist in five games so he is off to a better start.
Charlotte is in 6th place in the Atlantic Division, but they just swarmed the Wolf Pack, outshooting Hartford 19-3 in the first period and leading 2-1. They came out in the second period and scored on their first three shots forcing Shesterkin from the game.
Ironically, the goal that forced him from the game was scored by ex-Ranger Fredrik Claesson who was the number one star of the game with a goal and two assists. Claesson was not offered a contract this summer after one season in New York and he signed a one year deal with Carolina.
Adam Huska came in to relieve Shesterkin and stopped 22 of 23 shots. The Checkers ended with 42 shots to Hartford’s 22.
Shesterkin was coming off a 26 save shutout over the weekend so this game was definitely out of the ordinary. The five goals was the most he has allowed in his 18 starts. In fact, he had kept the opposition to two goals or less in 11 of his first 17 games.
Despite the shelling, Shesterkin’s numbers are still stellar as he has a league best 2.05 Goals Against Average and .929 Save Percentage, third best in the AHL. The loss dropped his record to 11-4-5.
Other Wolf Pack goals were scored by Tim Gettinger and Vinni Lettieri. Defenseman Joey Keane added two assists and is now third in scoring among AHL defensmen with six goals and 15 assists. The 20-year old is a righthanded shot and if he keeps this up, he could make it easier for the Rangers to deal a defenseman at the deadline.
The Wolf Pack remain in first place in the Atlantic Division. They get a rematch against Charlotte Wednesday night, also in North Carolina.