The Hartford Wolf Pack came up just short in Wilkes-Barre on Saturday night, falling 3-2 to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins after a late push in the third period briefly pulled them even.
Hartford carried plenty of the play early. In the opening 20 minutes, the Wolf Pack outshot the Penguins 12-9 and spent much of the period applying pressure in the offensive zone. Taylor Gauthier held the line for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, stopping all 12 shots he faced in the frame, while Callum Tung matched him on the other side with nine saves to keep the game scoreless and extend Hartford’s stretch of shutout hockey to four straight periods.
The breakthrough finally arrived 4:50 into the second period. Glenn Gawdin finished off a clean look from the slot for his second goal as a member of the Wolf Pack, cashing in after Nathan Aspinall found him with a pass in the middle of the ice. Jackson Dorrington picked up the secondary assist, his first of the season, as Hartford grabbed a 1-0 lead.
The Penguins answered late in the third. Finn Harding tied it at 1-1 with his first goal of the season at 10:27, then Tristan Broz gave the home team the lead at 14:34. Broz’s third goal of the year came after Harding’s shot was turned aside by Tung, leaving a rebound near the netminder’s right side for Broz to jam home.
Hartford still had one more response left. With Harrison Brunicke in the box for hooking, the Wolf Pack went to the power play and then attacked six-on-four late in regulation. Juuso Pärssinen buried Justin Dowling’s backdoor feed at 17:52 for his second goal of the season, tying the game 2-2 and giving Hartford a lifeline.
But the Penguins had the final word. Owen Pickering stepped into a shot from the left-wing circle and beat Tung for the winner at 18:40, sending the Wolf Pack home with a 3-2 loss.
Hartford now heads into the next stop on its eight-game road trip Thursday night against the Hamilton Hammers. Puck drop is set for 7:00 p.m., with coverage on AHLTV on FloHockey and Mixlr. Alex Thomas will have “Wolf Pack Pregame” beginning at 6:45 p.m.
The Wolf Pack return to PeoplesBank Arena on Saturday, Nov. 14, when they host the Springfield Thunderbirds at 7:15 p.m. “Wolf Pack Pregame” starts 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 🡒]