Hartford Wolf Pack weekly: Ben Harpur suspended 4 games amid struggles for Rangers’ AHL affiliate
There’s a cause for concern with the Hartford Wolf Pack. Dropping four of their past five games (1-4-0-0), the New York Rangers AHL affiliate is struggling, particularly on defense and with a lack of overall consistency.
Hartford collected two out of six points (1-2-0-0) last week and lost two weekend games to remain winless on the road (0-4-1-1). The Wolf Pack begin a six game homestand this week, which benefits them since they are 5-1-0-0 at the XL Center.
Head Coach Grant Potulny will attempt to right the ship since it feels the season is at an early critical moment.
Related: Rangers NCAA prospects report: Gabe Perreault extends point streak to 8 games
Wolf Pack news-n-notes
Ben Harpur – photo courtesy Hartford Wolf Pack
Ben Harpur suspended four games
Hartford defenseman Ben Harpur was suspended four games for his charging incident against Rochester Americans goalie Felix Sandstrom in a game played Friday. The 29-year-old who played 42 games with the Rangers in 2022-23 is eligible to return on Nov. 23. Harpur received a major and game misconduct for charging Sandstrom.
Providing context, Sandstrom was involved in Harpur’s season-ending injury in 2023-24, when the goalie played for Lehigh Valley. Harpur rushed the net and scored, then was injured. Sandstrom was attempting to stop the defenseman and there was a brief collision. Considering the blatant charge by Harpur, this appears to be retaliation against Sandstrom.
Defensive breakdowns persist
Through 12 games, Hartford’s goal against is 43 (25th in league) and goals for is 33 (18th in league) for a deficit of 10. While there were improvements as they gave up three goals or fewer in four straight, Hartford was unable to keep that up this past weekend, losing to Rochester 6-3 and 4-2 to Providence. The 10 goals surrendered was a combination of power play goals against and defensive errors, especially when the Bruins recorded a goal on a three-on-zero as two Wolf Pack players collided leading to a goal against. Furthermore, the Wolf Pack struggle the most in second periods as they are outscored seven to 19. Diving into the stats from last week, Rochester registered three goals in the middle frame, followed by Providence recorded two. Hartford gave up 38 shots on goal in two games (18-6 against Rochester, 20-7 against Providence). The second periods have made or break games for the Wolf Pack. In fact, Hartford lost 2-1 to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton with the Penguins recording both goals in the second. The lack of consistency from the defensive core has hurt the Wolf Pack.
Special teams struggle
Focusing on the power play, Hartford has yet to score since Brennan Othmann’s injury on Oct. 19. The Wolf Pack had 10 opportunities in their past three games and are now 0-for-31 with Othmann out. The Wolf Pack have yet to look lethal with the man advantage, and at times play defensively as the play falls apart leading to an opportunity the other way. The unit will need to find a spark as the power play is ranked 26th in the league, operating at 11.8 percent (51 opportunities).
The penalty kill ties into Hartford’s defensive struggles. The Wolf Pack are ranked 31st in the league down a man, operating at 72.3 percent. They’ registered 15 goals against for the units’ve allowed 15 power-play goals, second most in the AHL. Addressing this is critical since the Wolf Pack gave up five power play-goals this past weekend alone. The Wolf Pack got off to a rough start with Rochester, when the Americans recorded two power-play goals within the first 11 minutes of the game. Each of Providence’s two power-play goals gave them the lead.
Notes
- Veteran goalie Louis Domingue lost his past four starts. He played one game last week and struggled once again (allowed six goals on 35 shots). Domingue is 1-4-1 with a 4.14 goals-against average and .875 save percentage. He’s allowed three or more goals in five of six games.
- The Wolf Pack have a new captain. Casey Fitzgerald received the “C” prior to the game against Syracuse on Wednesday. Alex Belzile and Anton Blidh are the alternate captains.
- Bryce McConnell-Barker recorded his first pro goal in Hartford’s 2-1 win over Syracuse.
Upcoming Games
All games can be watched on AHLTV and listened on Mixlr.
Friday, November 15th vs Charlotte Checkers (Panthers) at 7pm, XL Center
- This is the first of eight meetings in the season series. The clubs met in the Calder Cup Playoffs last season in the first round, when the Wolf Pack defeated the Checkers 2-1 in a best-of-three series.
- Entering the week, Charlotte is 7-2-0-1 for 15 points. They are third in the Atlantic Division and fifth in the Eastern Conference. The Checkers are 3-0-0-1 on the road.
- Forward Kyle Criscuolo leads the Checkers with 13 points (five goals, eight assists). Aidan McDonough is second with 12 points (nine goals, three assists).
Saturday, November 16th vs Providence Bruins (Boston) at 6pm, XL Center
- This is the second of 10 meetings in the season series. Hartford dropped the first decision by a score of 4-2 last Sunday.
- Entering the week, Providence is 6-6-0-0 for 12 points. They are fifth in the Atlantic Division and tenth in the Eastern Conference. The Bruins won three straight and are 3-2 in the last five games.
- Forwards Vinni Lettieri (seven goals, four assists) and Georgii Merkulov (two goals, nine assists) are tied for the team lead in points with 11 apiece. Former Rangers and Wolf Pack forward Tyler Pitlick has one goal and one assist against Hartford this season.
More About:New York Rangers News