Apr 30, 2024
The current Calder Cup Playoff format began in the spring of 2022 when the AHL decided to expand the postseason to include the best-of-three, First Round series. In the three years since that decision, 21 series have been played in the First Round. 19 of them have seen the winner of Game 1 win the series. That’s 90.48%.
The Hartford Wolf Pack is one of two, the 9.52%, who fell behind 1-0 in the First Round and won the series. Off to the Atlantic Division Semifinals we go.
Onto another playoff edition of the blog!
1.) Losing Game 1 the way the Wolf Pack did could have easily been the final blow. Giving up a shorthanded goal at 16:46 of the third period in a 1-1 game is a tough pill to swallow. That’s amplified in a major way when that goal puts you up against elimination against an opponent who, to that point, had beaten you in eight of nine meetings since the start of the regular season.
If you want to know how much leadership there is in that Wolf Pack locker room, look no further than here.
This team never quit and never shied away from the challenge.
Should this turn into a lengthy playoff run, the response to Game 1 in Charlotte should be looked at as the turning point.
2.) Throughout Hartford’s stretch of 13 losses in 14 games, there was one constant message from the group. They believed that it was much better to face that kind of adversity then as opposed to during the playoffs.
The lessons learned during that stretch were painful, to be sure, but the Wolf Pack’s ability to bounce back and fight through that certainly helped them when down 1-0 to the Checkers over the weekend.
3.) Garand Larceny. There isn’t much more to say about Dylan Garand’s spectacular performance in North Carolina. Garand went 2-1 in the series with a sparkling .955 save percentage and 1.61 goals-against-average.
Oh, and Garand also collected a powerplay assist in Game 2 on Nic Petan’s goal.
For his career, Garand is now 7-4 in eleven Calder Cup Playoff games with a .942 save percentage, 1.72 goals-against-average, and two shutouts.
Big players step up in big moments. Dylan Garand is proving he is a big-game goaltender.
4.) Ryder Korczak had a big game for the Wolf Pack in Game 2, scoring his first career Calder Cup Playoff goal 3:06 into the third period to force overtime. Korczak also assisted on Petan’s powerplay goal in the second period, giving him two points in the victory.
With Karl Henriksson…
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