For the first time in a while, the Hartford Wolf Pack are playing winning hockey. It’s come through sticking to an identity and style of play that suits them. Their Friday night 4-1 loss to the Providence Bruins saw them battle until the end. Then, their 4-1 win over the Bridgeport Islanders saw them control the pace from start to finish against a rival they needed to defeat to move past in the standings.
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“These past two games have been huge for us and understanding what it takes to win,” Trey Fix-Wolansky noted after the recent game. The Wolf Pack have found what works and how they’ll turn the season around, and they must lean into it.
Hartford Needs Roobroeck & Fix-Wolansky to Get Going
Both Dylan Roobroeck and Fix-Wolansky found the back of the net in the 4-1 win. The two forwards were expected to be key parts of the offense but have disappointed, failing to live up to the expectations set for them at the start of the season. It was pivotal for them to snap out of their slumps, and it will be key for them to get going as the Wolf Pack tries to climb out of the bottom of the division.
“It felt good to get that monkey off my back,” Fix-Wolansky stated after the game, and it’s a sentiment the rest of the team can feel as well. He’s the motor of the team as a smaller skater who plays above his weight and battles on every shift. When he plays well, the Wolf Pack plays well. The problem is that’s not always the case. “This is my first year coaching Fix-Wolansky but he seems like the kind of player who can be a little streaky. So hopefully, with the monkey off his back, he’ll score in bunches,” head coach Grant Potulny noted after the game (and somebody has to get those monkeys out of the locker room or something).
Roobroeck, meanwhile, has struggled in his new role this season. It’s taken time for him to learn the top-six center spot and all the responsibilities that come with it. “He’s in every situation and playing 20 minutes a night,” Potulny mentioned after the game, which, for a player who played a checking role the previous season, it’s an adjustment. The good news is that Roobroeck is finding his footing in the top-six role and, like last season, is poised for a big second half.
Goaltending Will Save Them
In the past two seasons, the Wolf Pack had stability in the net, and it was their strength. In the first half of this season, the position was a weakness as they struggled to find someone to split starts with Dylan Garand. They have an answer with the Spencer Martin addition, and it’s given the Wolf Pack a reliable duo.
Garand has particularly put together a few strong starts. He’s won three of his last four games and allowed only eight goals in the process. The game against the Islanders saw him stop 22 of the 23 shots to secure the victory and prove he’s a big part of the turnaround.
“I think he looked really calm. Dylan did a great job breaking pucks out, and that alleviates pressure for him for us for everybody,” Potulny stated after the latest game but it’s something he’s talked about all season. The difference is that the defense is starting to work off of his strength and make the most of the rebounds. Garand’s play sets up the offense, which ultimately makes the Wolf Pack a better all-around team.
Hartford Must Play Fast
Last season’s team, especially the first half team, was a heavy and hard-hitting team. It was built around Matt Rempe and Jaroslav Chmelar. It allowed them to build up a strong first half but when Rempe was called up to the New York Rangers, the team was playing a style that didn’t work. It’s one of the reasons the Wolf Pack fell apart in December and January and missed the playoffs.
This is a speed-based team, especially when Fix-Wolansky and Brennan Othmann are on the ice. They play fast and are best when there’s a flow to the game. Potulny noted that the loss to the Bruins had a great flow to it, and they got their shots but ran into a wall in Michael DiPietro. “We’re a forecheck-based team, and you need speed to get in on the forecheck,” he added after the recent win, and using speed to set up the pressure is how they’ll win games.
The question is whether the Wolf Pack leans into their speed and how they approach the games. “We’re not a team that can go East-West, we have to go North and defend well. When we do those things, we’re a good hockey team,” Potulny noted. This is a team that can skate but how they skate will determine whether they climb out of the bottom of the division and make a playoff push or not.
