November Report: Inconsistency, Struggles Remain With Wolf Pack

"We want to be a team that's hard to play against, and we want to do it for 60 minutes." - Hartford Wolf Pack Head Coach Kris Knoblach

HARTFORD, CT - The Hartford Wolf Pack (5-7-5) find themselves in a tough spot early in the season, resulting from inconsistencies and struggles throughout October and November.

As we enter the final month of the 2022 calendar year, Hartford is looking to change course before the 2023 Calder Cup Playoffs slip away from the club.

"We're trying to put together a little streak, [and start] winning some games," head coach Kris Knoblach told InsideAHLHockey.com earlier this month after a Sunday win in Hershey. "We've only been able to put together a two-game win streak. And we've only done that once. And, you know, that's not enough."

While the season progresses questions continue to arise for a roster that has potential, especially on offense.

The defense has shown growth over the last month despite a few hiccups in games.

Goaltending is the brightest spot for Hartford as Dylan Garand and Louis Domingue continue to help keep Hartford in games. Unfortunately, the goaltenders have found themselves on the losing end.

One positive from this season is the expanded playoff format in the American Hockey League as the top six teams will make post-season in the Atlantic Division. The Wolf Pack are three points away from the sixth and final playoff spot in the division entering Wednesday's games.

The month of November featured a record of 3-5-0-3 for nine points out of a possible 22 for the Wolf Pack. Despite a losing record for the month, Hartford is finding ways to stay afloat - just enough to remain relevant in the standings to compete for a playoff spot.

Hartford is 5-7-1-4 for 15 points through 17 games. In the Atlantic Division, the club is ranked eighth (last). The Rangers AHL affiliate will have heavy work to do if they want to climb the standings and join the middle of the pack in the division for additional opportunities for playoff seeding.

Forward Group Remains Cold

The off-season acquisitions for the Wolf Pack have yielded disappointing results from the forwards group thus far.

The roster has a high potential and is not realized from their performance. Despite the multiple lineup changes, Hartford’s coaching staff is struggling to find the right balance for scoring. They have veterans such as C.J. Smith, Jonny Brodzinski, Tanner Fritz, and Turner Elson to provide an offensive boost.

The players returning such as Tanner Fritz, Tim Gettinger, and Lauri Pajuniemi is also part of the critical core.

The struggle for offense is concerning, given the history of these players in previous seasons. They are reliable and should be giving Hartford quality scoring opportunities nightly. The opposite happened thus far in the season.

The Wolf Pack have scored the fewest goals in the AHL to date with just 41 tallies in 17 games. The Utica Comets have 41 goals as well, but have played two fewer games than the Wolf Pack. The Wolf Pack also has the lowest per-game average in the AHL currently at 2.41 goals-per-game.

The power play is also suffering as well after a strong start to the season. Hartford is ranked 29th in the league out of 32 teams heading into November 30's games.

The Rangers prospects attempted to jump start the team, but were mostly unsuccessful.

Will Cuylle opened the season with four points (two goals, two assists) in his first five games this season, but had since cooled off before registering goals in back-to-back games on November 20 and 23.

Bobby Trivigno, who was a highly sought after undrafted NCAA free agent last year, has recorded six points (three goals, three assists) on the season to date.

The forward group has limited time to figure out their offensive woes. The coaching staff must find the best lines to ensure success and utilization of all the available skillsets Hartford has. Considering December will be a tough month for opponents, the Wolf Pack will sink or swim.

The Bright Spot: Goaltending

Veteran netminder Louis Domingue and rookie Dylan Garand continue to give Hartford a fighting chance nightly despite struggles on offense and defense.

While the stats are not great for either goalie, their performance tells a different story. Both goalies proved to be consistent and reliable for the club. They can make huge saves and be able to perform well multiple times in a game when the opponents are all over Hartford.

Louis Domingue is the 18th busiest goaltender in the league, playing 572 minutes and 36 seconds. In ten games, the veteran secured 2.51 goals against average, which is 13th best in the AHL. The veteran netminder has given Hartford opportunities to secure a win or a point. The Wolf Pack tend to go to overtime and shootouts. Domingue is 4-3-3 with a .910 save percentage.

Rookie Dylan Garand recorded his best performance of the season against the Hershey Bears on November 26. The Rangers prospect stopped a season high of 38 shots to earn his first shutout in the professional ranks. Unfortunately, that performance was not enough as the Wolf Pack dropped the game in the shootout 2-1 and the game 1-0. Garand stopped one of three shooters in the skills competition.

The Wolf Pack’s offense was quiet with a couple of shots each frame in the November 26 game vs Hershey, and Hartford generated no high-quality opportunities. The Bears were knocking on Garand’s crease often and the rookie kept cool, especially when Hartford was short-handed. The Wolf Pack had no business on securing a point. Once again, goaltending bailed out the club to earn a point to keep pace in the Atlantic Division. Garand is 1-4-2 with 3.21 goals against average and a .902 save percentage.

The Outlook

As we approach December, the Wolf Pack will be busy on their schedule. Considering Hartford will face opponents within the Atlantic and Central Divisions, games will be tougher. As teams begin to settle with their respective rosters, the Wolf Pack will need consistency along with heart and soul efforts if they want to remain competitive.

The month of December will be telling. Can they steer the ship in the right direction or will they continue to find consistency as a team. While the season is still young, Hartford has limited time to figure it out.

"Even [finishing at] .500, [you] barely, might be getting into the playoffs, and [we] have to be much better than that," Knoblach said. "So [we] have to put together some winning streaks."

Hartford will play 13 games in the month of December to close out 2022. They have seven home and six away games. For the first time since the 2010-11 season, Hartford will face a team from the Western Conference.

Did you know?

As Hartford will face teams in the Central Division, here are a few fun facts about the upcoming games:

The Hartford Wolf Pack and Rockford Ice Hogs have not met in franchise history. The first all- time meeting will be at the XL Center on December 3.

Hartford will face the Milwaukee Admirals for the second time in franchise history. The first game was on February 14, 2003. The Admirals will visit the XL Center on December 9

The Grand Rapids Griffins return to Hartford for the first time since the 2008-09 season. The Griffins last game at the XL Center was on January 2, 2009.

All opponents from the Western Conference will be a two-game series. Hartford will face the three clubs between December 14-17.