The Hartford Wolf Pack’s three-game point streak came to a halt Wednesday night in Hershey, where the Bears controlled the game from the opening stretch and rolled to a 4-1 win.
This was the first of six meetings between the Atlantic Division clubs this season, and the home side wasted little time setting the tone. Just past the five-minute mark, Andrew Cristall fired a shot that clipped Josh Dunne in front and trickled across the line for the opening goal. Hershey carried that 1-0 lead into the first intermission and never gave it back.
The second period brought more of the same. With Lucas Vanroboys serving a tripping penalty, Louie Belpedio found space and lifted a shot through traffic past a screened Joonas Korpisalo to make it 2-0 early in the frame. Then, just after the 13-minute mark, Alex Suzdalev added another on the power play, finishing with Korpisalo out of position to push the Bears in front 3-0 heading into the third.
Hartford finally broke through late. Taylor Raddysh sent a cross-ice pass to Liam Greentree in the right circle, and Greentree snapped a shot past Mitch Gibson to spoil the shutout bid. It was Greentree’s sixth goal of the season, tops on the Wolf Pack, and Marc Del Gaizo earned the secondary assist to extend his point streak to four games.
The comeback push never fully materialized. With Korpisalo pulled, Petr Sikora sealed it with an empty-net goal and closed out the 4-1 final.
Korpisalo, who was assigned to Hartford on a conditioning loan earlier in the day, stopped 34 of 37 shots. He wasn’t left much room to work with on the goals against, and he still came up with several key saves despite the loss.
Hartford now moves on to Rochester, where the Wolf Pack will face the Americans on Friday for the only time this season. Puck drop is set for 7:05 pm.
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Rangers Just Took An Important Step Toward Goalie Relief
The Rangers took a practical step toward easing their goaltending squeeze by sending Joonas Korpisalo to the AHLs Hartford Wolf Pack on a conditioning loan as he works back from a lower-body injury and a foot infection. The move gives him a chance to get game action again while remaining on the NHL roster and payroll, a useful bit of flexibility for a team that has had to manage the position carefully.
Korpisalos return would give New York another experienced option at a time when Igor Shesterkin has been out for the season because of injury. The loan is governed by the NHL collective bargaining agreement, so the Rangers can keep him with Hartford for a limited stretch while they monitor his recovery and hope the next step is a smoother path back to the crease. [Read more 🡒]
Rangers May Have Found An Unexpected Answer To Their Center Problem
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The line did more than just survive the assignment. Cuylle looked comfortable enough in the middle, and the trio tilted the ice with strong expected goal numbers while also getting on the scoresheet, a promising sign for a team still searching for stability at center. Whether it becomes a real solution or just a useful emergency patch is still to be determined, but it gave the Rangers something they have been lacking: a credible option they had not planned on using. [Read more 🡒]
Rangers Trade Search Just Zeroed In On A Crucial Need
The center search around the Rangers has become impossible to ignore, and it has a lot to do with how the roster is being forced to function right now. Will Cuylle has been asked to fill a gap down the middle, but that is not viewed as a long-term answer, which is why the front office is believed to be looking hard at younger center options that could better fit the group moving forward.
Among the names being floated are Ryan Hartman, Josh Norris and Cole Sillinger, though the market is still murky and nothing appears close. The Rangers need a dependable center who can bring more stability to that spot, but each possible target comes with uncertainty, whether it is availability, fit or how realistic a trade would be for a team trying to solve a problem without creating another one. [Read more 🡒]