Head-to-head:
This is the seventh of ten meetings in the first-ever season series between the Wolf Pack and the Thunderbirds, the top affiliate of the Florida Panthers, and the fourth of five Springfield visits to Hartford. The Thunderbirds have taken the last two encounters, and the Wolf Pack are 2-4-0-0 overall in the season series, 1-2-0-0 here at home. Adam Tambellini (3-1-4) and Justin Fontaine (1-3-4) share the Wolf Pack team scoring lead in the series, and Jared McCann (3-1-4), Mackenzie Weegar (1-3-4) and Shane Harper (0-4-4) are tied for tops among Springfield point-getters. Thunderbird goaltender Mike McKenna is 4-0-0 in action against the Wolf Pack on the year, with a 1.50 goals-against average, a 95.2% save percentage and one shutout.
Wolf Pack Notebook:
The Wolf Pack (20-30-3-2, 45 pts., .409) come into this game off of a 3-1 win over the Binghamton Senators Sunday here at the XL Center, a triumph that broke a four-game losing streak. Steven Fogarty had his first career pro game-winning goal in that contest, and added an assist. Nicklas Jensen, who leads the Wolf Pack in points and goals with 23-15-38 in 49 games, also scored Sunday, reaching an AHL career high for points, and Matt Carey had his 13th of the year, good for second on the club in goals. Chris Brown returned from a three-game injury absence and chipped in his fourth assist in his last three games. Magnus Hellberg made 26 saves, to even his record on the year at 11-11-5. Tonight’s game is the second of a four-game Wolf Pack homestand.
Thunderbirds Notebook:
The Thunderbirds (22-24-7-2, 53 pts., .482) saw a season-high five-game winning streak come to an end in their last action, a 3-0 defeat at Providence on Sunday. That was the Thunderbirds’ third shutout-against of the season, two of which have come at the hands of the Bruins. Reto Berra stopped 39 out of 42 shots in the Springfield net in Sunday’s game, after stablemate Mike McKenna had blanked the Wolf Pack with 32 saves Saturday night, in a 2-0 home win for the Thunderbirds, McKenna’s third straight win. Springfield points Chase Balisy (10-18-28 in 55 GP) had the power-play game-winner in Saturday’s game, and Dryden Hunt had the other tally, an empty-net goal with 45.9 seconds remaining.
Last Night in the AHL:
Milwaukee 5 @ Charlotte 2 Grand Rapids 1 @ Cleveland 4 Manitoba 5 @ Rockford 3 San Diego 5 @ Tucson 3
Texas 0 @ Bakersfield 5
Tonight in the AHL (all times Eastern):
Milwaukee @ Charlotte (7:00) Texas @ San Jose (10:00) Ontario @ Stockton (10:00)
New York Rangers Notebook:
The parent New York Rangers (40-21-2, 82 pts.) fell to Washington last night at Madison Square Garden, 4-1. That was New York’s second straight loss, after a 9-1-1 run in the previous 11. Brady Skjei opened the scoring for the Rangers 5:08 into last night’s game, but that would be the only Blueshirt goal. Henrik Lundqvist made 34 saves in the Ranger net. The Rangers return to action tomorrow night at Boston (7:00) and then host Montreal on Saturday (7:00).
Tonight in the NHL (all times Eastern):
Carolina @ Tampa Bay (7:00)
Pittsburgh @ Chicago (8:00)