Wolf Pack Need A Response In Game 2

HERSHEY, Pa. - Coming off a 6-1 loss in Game 1 of the Atlantic Division Finals against the Hershey Bears on Thursday night, the Hartford Wolf Pack know they need a much better effort Saturday night in Game 2.

"We just weren't as physical as they were. They out hit us, they won more battles than us. We're going to need to win more battles," Wolf Pack interim head coach Steve Smith explained after the Game 1 loss, adding, "We're going to have to get back to a simple style of game where we chip it in behind their defense, make them turn, create some chaos at the front of the net and make some plays from there."

While the final score and overall play was lopsided, the Wolf Pack came out ready to play in a hostile environment to open Thursday's contest - preventing Hershey from getting their first shot on goal through the opening five minutes of play due in large part to possessing the puck in Hershey's defensive zone for a majority of the first few shifts of the contest.

"I really liked our start. We started by winning a face-off, we got the puck in deep, we made their [defense] turn we chased it down and made a few plays they threw pucks to areas where we could get them back and we kept the game simple," Smith said."

Ultimately, a lack of generated shots and chances of their own plagued Hartford - as Hershey got to their game after an unnecessary roughing penalty by Nikolas Brouillard in a post-whistle scrum stymied any momentum the Wolf Pack began the game with.

"I think maybe we got a little bit frustrated that we didn't get pucks on net. They did a good job of defending in and around their net. Their big strong defense did a good job collapsing to their net. We could have done a little better job of fighting to get there. We took took a penalty we shouldn't have. They took some momentum from that. And the game sort of got away from us from there."

Smith couldn't be truer to his comments post-game Thursday, as even when it was a 2-1 game in the second period it didn't really feel like a one-goal game due to the large margin between the two teams' play in terms of scoring chances and shots on goal.

Eventually Hershey broke through and finished on their chances on their way to the 6-1 win with six different goal scorers and all four lines contributing in a total team domination.

The lone Wolf Pack goal was recorded by Jake Leschyshyn, blocking a Joe Snively bid to the net from the left point and converting on the ensuing breakaway in a timely goal that came moments after Ethen Frank had given the Bears a 2-0 lead on an early 2nd period power play tally.

An emerging storyline of the series came moments before the pre-game warmup Thursday evening when the New York Rangers announced they had called up Hartford Wolf Pack starting goaltender Dylan Garand to be the Rangers' third goalie for their Game 6 series-clinching win over the Carolina Hurricanes Thursday night in Raleigh.

Wolf Pack staff was notified Thursday afternoon, while some players came to the rink following a pre-game nap unaware that Garand had been called up.

It was definitely a system shock leading up to Thursday's Game 1.

"I think it's something, obviously you don't expect it but it's something you learn to deal with, especially in the [AHL], just with the uncertainty of what's going on up top," Leschyshyn said of the last-minute change to the lineup. "You always just have to be ready for what's thrown at you. And we trust our other goalies here. So hopefully they step up."

Garand's call up prompted Olof Lindbom, the Rangers' 2nd round draft pick from the 2018 NHL Draft, to make his AHL playoffs debut in his first game action in over a month.

"Well, I think what we try to do is just control what we can control, Right?" Smith asked rhetorically when asked about dealing with Garand's call up on such short notice leading up to puck drop. "There's really nothing we can do about that. We had confidence in [Lindbom] going into the game. I thought he was fine tonight, He certainly wasn't the difference or reason that we lost the game, I just felt that we just weren't strong enough," Smith added.

Lindbom kept the game close in the opening half of the game before the Bears' offense finally broke through. Unfortunately for Lindbom, he sustained a lower body injury while attempting to stop Ivan Miroschnichenko's breakaway goal in the third period. He exited the game and Talyn Boyko finished out the remaining 8:49 of the contest.

The Rangers closing out their series in six games against Carolina helps Hartford's goaltending situation - at least temporarily - as Garand was loaned back to AHL-Hartford in advance of Saturday night's Game 2.

Hartford had a similar lopsided loss in the last round against Providence in a 6-0 loss in Game 2 of that series before responding well and winning a pair of overtime games on home ice to advance to this Atlantic Division Finals series against Hershey.

"Well, I think what we learned from that [is] adversity can be can be a great thing," Smith said of overcoming that 6-0 loss in Providence. "And it's just one game, whether it's 1-0 or 6-1, it really doesn't matter. We have to be better. We know we have to be better. We'll try to make some adjustments and get back at it."