The Hartford Wolf Pack’s skid stretched to five straight on Saturday night, with Charlotte handing them a 4-2 loss at Bojangles Coliseum in the weekend finale.
Hartford got itself out of an early two-goal hole, but the Checkers answered when it mattered and pulled away in the third period.
Charlotte struck quickly. Brett Chorske opened the scoring just 1:07 into the game after a Gracyn Sawchyn attempt from the right side bounced around and slipped behind Gabriel Carriere. Chorske was right there to finish it off for his first goal of the season and a 1-0 lead.
The Checkers doubled it at 6:37 when Tobias Björnfot hammered a shot through traffic from the left point. Angus Crookshank and Nathan Bastian picked up the assists on Björnfot’s first goal of the season, making it 2-0 before the game had even settled in.
Hartford finally punched back at 8:45. On the club’s first power play, Glenn Gawdin sent a shot toward the net from the right point, and Jaroslav Chmelař redirected it home for his first goal of the season in just his second outing.
The Wolf Pack found the equalizer early in the second period. At 3:48, Gawdin slid a pass into the right circle, and Liam Greentree tipped it past Cooper Black for Hartford’s second powerplay goal of the night. That made it 2-2 and briefly swung the momentum.
Charlotte took it right back at 10:44. Jack Devine jumped on a clearing attempt along the left side, moved up to the top of the circle and snapped a shot over Carriere’s left shoulder for his third goal of the season.
The Checkers added insurance 8:13 into the third on another power play. Cole Schwindt’s shot from the right circle was turned aside, but Crookshank was in position to bury the rebound and put Charlotte ahead 4-2 with his first goal as a Checker.
Hartford kept pressing in the final period and generated 15 shots in the third, finishing with a season-high 35 shots overall. It just couldn’t close the gap.
The Wolf Pack return to PeoplesBank Arena on Friday, Oct. 23, when they host the Providence Bruins. Puck drop is set for 7:00 p.m., with “Wolf Pack Pregame” beginning at 6:45 p.m. on AHLTV of FloHockey and Mixlr.
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Rangers Took One Bad Loss And The Overreaction Was Immediate
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Still, the reaction around the league moved fast, and it showed how thin the margin can be in October and November when power rankings are chasing form more than results. The Rangers have already beaten teams they needed to measure themselves against, which is why the sudden slide in perception feels more severe than the standing alone would suggest. [Read more 🡒]