Wolf Pack Downed by Rocket 5-2

After a disappointing result in their home opener, the Hartford Wolf Pack returned to action on Sunday afternoon, capping off their first three-in-three stint of the campaign. They welcomed the Laval Rocket to town for the first of four matchups between the teams this season.

Hartford struck first for the second straight game, but they allowed their opponents to take control. Laval tallied five goals to eventually take a 5-2 decision.

Blidhing Heart

For the second straight game, the Wolf Pack broke the ice with a power play goal. Nathan Aspinall carried the puck into the offensive zone, split the defense, and attempted a centering feed. The puck deflected off the skate of a Laval defender and sat in the crease. Anton Blidh crashed in and tapped it home to put the Wolf Pack on top first.

The goal was Blidh's first of the campaign.

However, Laval would strike twice in the remainder of the frame to take the lead. Luke Mittelstadt tied the contest with a shot from the left circle that snuck by Callum Tung. A double minor for high-sticking against Glenn Gawdin gave the visitors a four-minute power play bid, and Josh Nadeau deflected a shot in to put the Rocket up by one heading into the first intermission.

Seeing Green

A barrage of penalties from Hartford late in the second frame allowed Laval to put the game out of reach. Sasha Pastujov potted a five-on-three power play goal to make it a two-goal game.

Laurent Dauphin tacked on a goal midway through the third period to push it to 4-1.

The Wolf Pack got one back 11 minutes into the final frame. With Mittelstadt in the box for holding, Kaapo Kähkönen went out to play the puck behind the cage. However, he had it stripped away, and Liam Greentree nailed the vacant net to bring Hartford back within two.

The goal was Greentree's second of the season, as well as his second in as many games.

"The puck finds him," Wolf Pack head coach Jay Leach said of Greentree following the contest. "At the same time, I think he'd tell you that he's still working to figure out professional hockey and what his role is going to be."

However, Xavier Simoneau capitalized off a turnover in front of the net, snuffing out Hartford's chances at a comeback. Laval eventually took the 5-2 decision.

"We fell short, there's no question," Leach told Blueshirt Banter after the game. "We've run up against some injuries and some fatigue, and we're learning to play professional hockey. A lot of our younger guys are in pretty big roles that are learning that [the AHL] is a pretty good league."

While the result was a disappointing one, Leach mentioned that he was encouraged by some of the things the Wolf Pack did in the game. However, Hartford has "a long way to go," as the bench boss put it.

Up Next

The Wolf Pack welcome the Lehigh Valley Phantoms to town on Wednesday, October 14. Puck drop is set for 6:30 pm.