Wolf Pack Lose Overtime Heartbreaker to Phantoms 4-3

The Hartford Wolf Pack hosted the Lehigh Valley Phantoms for a rematch on Saturday night. The Wolf Pack sought revenge after the Phantoms took Friday's contest in overtime with a 4-3 decision.

Another intense battle between the teams couldn't be decided after 60 minutes. However, an unfortunate bounce allowed the Phantoms to bury a goal in overtime and secure the extra point for the second night in a row.

He Can Fix It

Lehigh Valley broke the ice in this contest. Carl Grundström held the puck down low and sent a pass to a crashing Jordan Kyrou. The defenseman corralled the feed and ripped a shot by Dylan Garand to break the ice.

The Wolf Pack got a few chances late in the opening frame, but Yaniv Perets stood tall, sending the game into the first intermission with Hartford trailing by one.

An interference call against Hunter McDonald midway through the middle frame gave the Wolf Pack their first power play bid of the contest. Trey Fix-Wolansky would draw the teams even on the man advantage, taking a feed from Derrick Pouliot and sniping a shot by Perets just over twelve minutes into the period.

The goal was Fix-Wolansky's fourth of the year, tying him for the team lead.

However, the Phantoms struck again just over a minute later. With traffic in front of Garand, Garrett Wilson was able to corral a loose puck and push it home to reinstate the Lehigh Valley lead.

Roo-beating the Clock

The Wolf Pack pressed hard in the waning minutes of the stanza. Perets made a number of stops as time ticked away, but he couldn't hold on long enough. Jaroslav Chmelař forced a turnover behind the Phantoms net, and Gabe Perreault corralled it. Perreault fed Dylan Roobroeck in front, who ripped a shot home with just 2.4 seconds to play in the period.

The goal was Roobroeck's second of the season. Additionally, Perreault's assist kept him at a point-per-game pace. The teams would enter the second intermission with the score knotted at two.

Perreault Picks His Spot

The Wolf Pack gained their first lead of the contest just over four minutes into the final frame. Roobroeck collected a loose puck in the offensive zone and attempting a centering feed. The pass deflected off the stick of a Phantom, but the puck popped right to Perreault, who rifled a shot by Perets to put the Wolf Pack up by one.

The goal was Perreault's team-leading fifth of the season and his fourth in as many games.

However, the Phantoms would strike back. With Carey Terrance in the box for tripping, Grundström potted a power play goal to even the score at three.

Hartford would get a late power play bid thanks to a scrum, but they couldn't find the net, sending the game to overtime.

Another Overtime Heartbreaker

The Wolf Pack peppered Perets in the opening mintues of overtime, including a premium bid by Fix-Wolansky. However, they couldn't convert on their chances.

Just over the three minute mark in the extra session, Garand went to play a puck behind his own net as the Wolf Pack made changes. However, he couldn't settle it, and Cooper Marody collected the puck. Marody buried it into the empty net before Garand could recover, delivering the win and the extra point to the Phantoms.

"Last night was a game I thought we could've won, tonight was a game we should've won," Wolf Pack head coach Grant Potulny told Blueshirt Banter following the contest.

However, Potulny was confident the team would eventually turn things around.

"Some of those looks that we haven't gotten to go, they're gonna go. I do feel very strongly that these things even themselves out. You can't let all the progress you're making be lost on the outcome of two games you played well in."

Up Next

The Wolf Pack will hit the road, traveling north of the border to visit the Laval Rocket next Friday, November 7th. Puck drop is set for 7:00 pm.

The Wolf Pack return home in two weeks, on Friday, November 14th. They'll host the Rochester Americans, and puck drop is set for 7:00 pm.