James Reimer wasted no time making an impression in Hartford.
In his Wolf Pack debut on Friday night, Reimer backstopped a 2-0 win over the Providence Bruins at PeoplesBank Arena, snapping Hartford’s five-game losing streak and delivering the club’s second shutout against Providence this season. The Wolf Pack are now 2-0-0-0 against their Atlantic Division rivals.
Providence came out flying and dictated the opening period, piling up a 14-4 edge in shots. Reimer was the reason the game stayed scoreless, turning aside all 14 he saw in the first frame.
He stayed locked in through the second, stopping another 12 Bruins chances to carry a 0-0 tie into the third period.
Hartford had a real chance to open the scoring late in the middle period. After killing off a penalty, Liam Greentree broke free on a breakaway, but Simon Zajíček stopped him with the right pad. Greentree was hooked on the play, and that drew the Wolf Pack’s second power play of the night heading into the third.
That man advantage did the trick. Glenn Gawdin held the puck in at the blue line and sent it across to Greentree at the backdoor, where the rookie finished for his team-leading fourth goal of the season just 57 seconds into the third period.
From there, Reimer took over again. He added nine more saves in the final frame to lock down his first AHL win and shutout since Jan. 22, 2011, when he was with the Toronto Marlies.
Carey Terrance wrapped it up with an empty-net goal at 19:18, his first goal of the season.
Hartford now heads into an eight-game road trip starting Saturday night at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. Puck drop is set for 6:05 p.m., with coverage on AHLTV on FloHockey.
The Wolf Pack return to PeoplesBank Arena on Saturday, Nov. 14, to face the Springfield Thunderbirds. That one starts at 7:15 p.m., with “Wolf Pack Pregame” beginning at 7:00 p.m. on AHLTV of FloHockey and Mixlr.
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Mike Sullivan has made it clear he wants to get Bjorkstrand on the ice more often, and the Rangers are looking at different ways to make that happen without creating another hole elsewhere. The addition of Luke Glendening was meant to help steady the center depth after Joe Veleno's injury, but it also adds another layer to the lineup puzzle as the Rangers try to balance veterans, depth needs and the best way to use one of their most productive scorers. [Read more 🡒]
Rangers Face Another Big Road Test With Goalie Questions Lingering
The Rangers head into Saturdays game at Canadian Tire Centre looking for a steadier answer away from home, where they have gone winless in their last four road outings. They also remain without No. 1 goalie Linus Ullmark, who is on injured reserve, leaving another layer of uncertainty as they try to solve a road stretch that has become a little too familiar.
Ottawa, meanwhile, is set to turn the page in net with a new face, and New York is expected to have one of its own lineup changes as veteran Luke Glendening is poised to dress for the first time as a Ranger. For a team trying to get its footing on the road, the trip now comes with fresh personnel on both sides and a matchup that could hinge on which group settles in faster. [Read more 🡒]