Wolf Pack Eliminated from Playoff Race by Bruins in 4-1 Loss

The Hartford Wolf Pack continued to play for their season on Friday night. They hosted the Providence Bruins for the final matchup between the rivals this season. A regulation loss, combined with a Springfield point against Rochester, would eliminate the Wolf Pack from Calder Cup Playoff contention.

The Wolf Pack fell behind early and couldn't find their way back into the game. Providence took a 4-1 decision, eliminating the Wolf Pack from the playoff race.

Lamb Bam Shang-a-Lang

Providence found the icebreaker about eight minutes into the opening frame. John Farinacci carried the puck into the Hartford zone, but fell down before he could get a shot away. However, the puck trickled to Frederic Brunet, who buried the loose change by Spencer Martin to give the visitors the game's first lead. The Bruins took the 1-0 lead into the first intermission.

Providence struck twice more in the middle frame. Georgii Merkulov doubled the lead early in the stanza, sniping home a power play goal after some slick passing from the Bruins. Farinacci followed up in the final minutes of the period, hammering a rebound past Martin to make it 3-0 as the teams headed into the second intermission.

The Wolf Pack finally got on the board in the waning minutes of the third period. Brendan Brisson corralled a puck down low in the Providence zone and sent a feed to Brody Lamb in the high slot. The rookie forward walked in before ripping a shot that snuck by the blocker of Michael DiPietro to snap the shutout bid.

The goal was Lamb's third as a professional, as well as his seventh point through 10 games on an amateur tryout contract with the Wolf Pack.

The Countdown Begins

The Wolf Pack pressed hard in the final minutes of the contest. However, Jake Schmaltz would nail the empty net to secure a 4-1 decision for the visitors. That result, combined with a 3-1 Springfield win over Rochester, officially eliminated the Wolf Pack from Calder Cup Playoff contention. It's the second straight year the Wolf Pack will watch the dance from home.

"I didn't like the first period," Wolf Pack head coach Grant Potulny told Blueshirt Banter after the contest. "We weren't finishing enough hits on the forecheck. We weren't slowing people down in the neutral zone. In the D zone, I thought we were trying to use our stick too much and not playing through people. That put us on our heels a little bit."

The slow start ultimately did the Wolf Pack in, and contributed to their elimination from the playoff race. Five games remain in their season; all five contests are rivalry matchups against the Bridgeport Islanders and Springfield Thunderbirds.

"You're gonna win some, you're gonna lose some, but you gotta [play with] pride," Potulny noted after the contest.

Up Next

The Wolf Pack will hit the road tomorrow, visiting the Springfield Thunderbirds for round 11 of the I-91 Rivalry this season. Puck drop is set for 6:05 pm.

The Wolf Pack return to the Connecticut capital on Wednesday, April 15, hosting the Bridgeport Islanders in the final ever Battle of Connecticut matchup. Puck drop is set for 6:30 pm.