Now that we are officially a month into the season, the time is right to look at what has been a frustrating beginning to the season for not only the Rangers, but the Hartford Wolf Pack as well. The Wolf Pack have played 11 games in the four weeks since the season began, with a record of 3-6-2. They are currently 2-2-2 at home and 1-4-0 on the road, which means unlike their parent team, Hartford is struggling everywhere, not just at home or away.

Hartford is struggling mainly due to their inability to start games off on the right foot or finish them out. The Wolf Pack have been outscored 11-8 in the first period, and 10-4 in the third period. They are only managing to outscore opponents 15-10 in the second period, with 8 of those 15 goals coming in their three wins so far this season. 

Unfortunately this isn’t the only reason why Hartford is struggling to start the season. They have also struggled to play with discipline. On the surface, the Hartford special teams seem to be doing okay—they are 16th in the league on the power play and 5th in the league on the penalty kill—but when you take a closer look, the issues become more obvious.

In the first six games of the season, the Wolf Pack had a best-in-the-league penalty kill, going 25 for 27, but on the opposite end, their power play struggled, going a measly 1 for 17. Their past five games have highlighted the sort of Jekyll and Hyde manner in which this team has been playing. They have seemingly solved their issues on the man advantage, going 5 for 16 on the power play, but their penalty kill has hit a rocky patch and only gone 16 for 21. 

There have been some promising signs from the coaching staff during this underwhelming start to the season. This past weekend, they healthy scratched veteran defenseman Derrick Pouliot after he took an undisciplined double minor spearing penalty at the end of the game against Laval that lead to Laval’s game-winning goal on the ensuing power play. This doesn’t fix the lack of discipline, but it is a sign that there are consequences for poor decision-making.

Despite all the reasons why Hartford is struggling, there have been some bright spots for this relatively young Wolf Pack team. One of them has been the play of rookie forward Gabe Perreault, who was just recalled to the Rangers. Though he missed this past weekend’s games in Canada with an upper-body injury, he still leads the team with 10 points (5 goals, 5 assists) in 9 games. Perreault is currently first on the team in goals, assists and plus/minus.

What’s even more impressive is that only 1 of his 10 points has come on the power play; his even-strength play has had a strong impact on the team, which will only get bigger once he breaks through on the man advantage, too. For now, though, he has the chance to make a splash in the NHL, as he just got his call-up to the Rangers.

Perreault isn’t the only Wolf Pack player who has been effective so far this season. Bryce McConnell-Barker is in his second year on the team and has looked like a completely different player since the season started. While he has always been a strong defensive player, this season he has been given a chance higher up in the lineup, playing on the third line and on the power play. His improved offensive game has given the Wolf Pack the ability to play a more balanced lineup, even if the results haven’t been what they would like yet. 

Another player who has been quietly impressive has been rookie defenseman Jackson Dorrington, who was acquired from the Vancouver Canucks in the trade for JT Miller in January. While Dorrington hasn’t been flashy, he has been a steady and reliable addition to the blue line, playing solid defense for a team that has struggled overall to play a strong brand of hockey in their own end of the ice.

We have already seen another Wolf Pack player who has been playing well get called up to make his NHL debut: Jaroslav Chmelar. While he is headed back to Hartford, which will help the Wolf Pack immensely, as they sorely miss his positioning, shot, and skating abilities, particularly in the offensive zone, it’s also great to see the players who work hard get rewarded for it. 

There is a lot to be frustrated about when it comes to how the first month of the season has turned out for the Wolf Pack, but I think it’s also important to shine a light on some of the positives as well, as it hasn’t been all bad thus far. There are still 61 games left in the season. As long as the coaching staff make necessary changes and the players put in the effort, this team can turn things around. If they fall into the same bad habits that led to them missing the playoffs last year, it might be time to make some big changes to their coaching and management staff. 

More About: