With the Rangers coming through for two goals in the third, the Blueshirts take home ice back for a 1-0 lead in the series.

And this was a Devil Fans nightmare. Their ‘favorites’ like Scott Gomez and Sean Avery performed and Marty Brodeur looked like a rookie out there [or at least like Mike Dunham] in the third when he tried to handle pucks that should have been just covered up.

Good job by the young Rangers like Callahan and Brandon Dubinsky who didn’t melt under the pressure and good work from Brandan Shanahan scoring the first goal.

The star of the night was Henrik Lundqvist who outplayed Brodeur and could have had a shutout if Marty Straka’s stick didn’t break causing a 5-4 powerplay to be a 5-3 since the Rangers couldn’t clear the puck and Straka couldn’t do too much.

But that’s water under the bridge, because the Callahan and Avery goals were the difference.

And what leadership from Chris Drury at the end of the game, giving the puck to Nigel Dawes for the empty netter so he can get his first goal.

All in all, a nice win.  

«FULL STORY»

The Wolf Pack went into the AHL’s All-Star break on a high, sweeping three games last week and allowing a total of only one goal in the process. After not managing to shut out any opponents in their first 44 games, the Pack posted two zeros in a span of three contests, blanking Albany on the road, 1-0, on Wednesday night and downing league-leading Providence by a score of 3-0 at the XL Center on Saturday.  That was the Wolf Pack’s first triumph in five tries this year vs. the P-Bruins (1-2-1-1), and sandwiched in between those two shutouts was a 3-1 home victory over Worcester on Friday that upped the Pack’s record against the Sharks this season to 6-0-0-0.  Miika Wiikman was in goal for all three of the week’s games and stopped a total of 92 out of 93 shots.  The two shutouts were the first of his North American pro career.  The duo of Ryan Callahan and Dane Byers paced the offense with 2-2-4 each.
This week:
After the conclusion of the All-Star Break, the Wolf Pack continue a season-high five-game homestand this week with games at the XL Center vs. Springfield this Friday, February 1^st, and against Bridgeport this Saturday, February 2^nd.  Both contests face off at 7:00.  Friday is a Guida’s Family Value Night, and Saturday evening’s GEICO Connecticut Cup game features the Wolf Pack’s annual “Scout Sleepover”.

Tonight, Monday, January 28^th – The AHL All-Star Game at the 2008 AHL All-Star Classic, presented by Reebok, at the Broome County Arena in

Binghamton, NY

The world’s best young hockey players and the NHL stars of the future light up the Broome County Arena in Binghamton tonight, in the 2008 AHL All-Star Game.  Faceoff is 7:00 PM.  The 2008 AHL All-Star Classic, presented by Reebok, began last night with the CCM AHL All-Star Skills Competition, won by the Planet USA team over the Canadian squad, 15-9.  Forward Greg Moore, who is representing the Wolf Pack at the All-Star Classic, went 3/5 for Planet USA last night in the CCM U+ Stick Rapid Fire event and was 0/1 in the Toyota Breakaway Relay event.  Tonight’s All-Star Game will be shown live in Connecticut on NESN, and NESN will replay it to all its customers at 10:30 PM.  The game can also be seen live on Cox Cable and Charter Cable systems in New England, and Comcast SportsNet New England will show the game on delayed broadcast tomorrow, Tuesday, January 19^th, starting at 12 noon.  A Broadband video webcast of the All-Star Game is available, at no charge, through B2 Networks at www.theahl.com, and the All-Star Game will also be carried live on the NHL Center Ice package.  An audio cybercast of the All-Star Game can also be heard at www.thahl.com.

 

Friday, February 1^st vs. Springfield at the XL Center, 7:00 p.m.
·         Friday nights are Guida’s Family Value Nights at the XL Center.  Family Value Night packages are available that include tickets, hot dogs or pizza slices, sodas and a Wolf Pack souvenir.  Packages start as low as $39 per family.  To purchase a Family Value Night package, call the Wolf Pack ticket office at (860) 548-2000, or go on-line to Ticketmaster.com and use the promo code: TFAM.
·         This game features a special appearance by Dora the Explorer.
·         The Falcons are winless in four games (0-1-1-2) since a 3-1 home victory over the Wolf Pack January 18^th.  The fourth-place Falcons (20-18-4-5, 49 pts.) trail the third-place Pack by 13 points in the Atlantic Division.
·         Planet USA All-Star Rob Schremp leads the Springfield club in points and assists, with 11-32-43 in 45 games.  His 32 assists tie him for fifth in the AHL in that department.
·         The Wolf Pack are 3-1-0-0 in the season series vs. the Falcons and have won both previous games between the two teams in Hartford.
·         Radio – live with Bob Crawford on ESPN Radio 1410, and on the web at: www.hartfordwolfpack.com, or watch on B2 Networks!  Go to www.harfordwolfpack.com for details.
 

Saturday, February 2^nd vs. Bridgeport at the XL Center, 7:00 p.m.
·         This game features the Wolf Pack’s annual “Scout Sleepover”.  Scouts from throughout the area will be camping out in the XL Center’s Exhibition Hall after the game, and enjoying all kinds of scout jamboree-type fun.  To order Scout Night tickets and register your scouts for the sleepover, call the Wolf Pack ticket office at (860) 548-2000.
·         After dominating the GEICO Connecticut Cup series with the Sound Tigers last season, to the tune of a 9-1-0-0 record, the Wolf Pack are just 1-2-0-1 in the first four games of this year’s matchup.
·         Bridgeport’s Jeff Tambellini, a Canadian AHL All-Star, leads the AHL in goals with 26 and sits fourth overall in points, with 53 in 41 games.
·         The Sound Tigers are currently seven points out of a playoff spot in the East Division, with a record of 23-22-1-0 for 47 points.
·         This night is also Channel 3 Kids Camp Night.  Fans can purchase $23 Red-level seats for only $18 apiece.  For every discounted ticket purchased using the promotional code “kidscamp”, $4.00 will be donated to the Channel 3 Kids Camp, which provides educational, fun filled experiences for more than 4,000 children 6-16 years of age.  The program welcomes boys and girls from all walks of life, but primarily those who typically do not have financial abilities to experience the joys and value of a high quality program.  To purchase the discounted tickets, go to www.hartfordwolfpack.com, click on “Buy Tickets Now” at the bottom of the page and select the February 2^nd home game on the Wolf Pack schedule.  Chose “promotions and special offers” on the purchase page and select the $23 Red-level seats.  Type in the promotional code “kidscamp” in the space provided for the discount.
·         Radio – live with Bob Crawford on ESPN Radio 1410, and on the web at: www.hartfordwolfpack.com, or watch on B2 Networks!  Go to www.harfordwolfpack.com for details.
 

Sunday, February 3^rd  – Wolf Pack “Kids’ Club Day” at the XL Center, 9:00 a.m.

This special day, for members of the Wolf Pack’s Kids’ Club, presented by Click-It-or-Ticket, features an open, narrated Wolf Pack practice, a chance to meet the Wolf Pack players for pictures and autographs, face-painting, raffles, pictures with Sonar, and more.  Plus, all Kids’ Club members will receive great gifts, including a special set of Wolf Pack trading cards.  Doors open at the XL Center at 9:00 AM, and the practice starts at 10:30.  The Wolf Pack Kids’ Club is open to kids of all ages, and membership is free.  New members can sign up at Kids’ Club Day, or you can call the Wolf Pack office at (860) 246-7825 or join on-line at www.hartfordwolfpack.com.  
 

Recent Transactions:
Jordan Owens – returned on loan by the Wolf Pack to Charlotte (ECHL) January 21^st, and recalled by the
Wolf Pack January 24^th.
Practice:
All Wolf Pack practices are open to the media at the XL Center or Champions Skating Center in Cromwell.  As schedules are subject to last-minute changes, please call the public relations department at (860) 246-7825 before attending a practice.
Tue., January 29            No Practice – All-Star Break
Wed., January 30           11:00 AM – 1:00 PM, Champions Skating Center
Thurs., January 31         11:00 AM – 1:00 PM, XL Center
Fri., February 1              10:00 – 10:30 AM, XL Center (Game vs. Springfield)
Sat., February 2             Game vs. Bridgeport
Sun., February 3            Wolf Pack Kids’ Club Day, XL Center (10:30 AM practice)
Mon., February 4           11:00 AM – 1:00 PM, XL Center
 

Pack Tracks:
This next edition of Wolf Pack Confidential, the Wolf Pack’s Tuesday-night talk show, is coming up next Tuesday, February 5^th, with Greg Moore and Jake Taylor as scheduled guests.  The show originates live from the M&M Restaurant at the Hilton Hartford, located at 315 Trumbull St. in downtown Hartford, from 7:00-8:00 PM.  Fans are welcome to be on hand at M&M for an exclusive opportunity to ask questions and speak one-on-one with the guests.  Wolf Pack Confidential can be heard live on the radio home of the Wolf Pack, ESPN Radio 1410.

 

This Wednesday, January 30^th, Wolf Pack players Michael Sauer, Jordan Owens and Mike Ouellette will be visiting Sage Park Middle School, 25 Sage Park Rd. in Windsor, CT (860-687-2030), from 2:30 – 4:00 PM.  The players will be speaking to students about how they became professional athletes, and about the importance of good behavior and reading.  Also on Wednesday, Pack players Artem Anisimov and Miika Wiikman will be attending a practice of the Connecticut Clippers Squirt Minor team at Champions Skating Center, 6 Progress Drive in Cromwell, CT (860-632-0323), from 5:30 – 6:30 PM.  The Wolf Pack players will be talking with the youth hockey players about their own youth hockey experiences, and helping with the practice.
 

This Saturday, February, 2^nd, from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM, Sonar, the Wolf Pack’s lovable mascot, will be appearing at the Big-Y “Yeah Baby” Expo at the Connecticut Expo Center, 265 Reverend Moody Overpass in Hartford.  Sonar, along with members of the Pack Attack promotions team and the Wolf Pack Cheer Squad, will be meeting and greeting fans, signing autographs and handing out Wolf Pack promotional items.
 

Girl Scout Night with the Hartford Wolf Pack is coming up Saturday, February 16^th at the XL Center, as the Pack host the Providence Bruins in a 7:00 game.  The event includes discounted tickets, a unique Girl Scout patch, a Wolf Pack T-shirt, a post-game surprise, and much more.  For more information, contact Wolf Pack account executive John Suchenski at (860) 246-7825 ext. 450 or jsuchenski@hartfordciviccenter.com, or
Andrea Gargano with Girl Scouts at (860) 522-0163, ext. 250.
 

Monday, February 18^th is the date for the Wolf Pack’s annual “Tip a Player” Dinner and Sports Carnival, which benefits Gaylord Hospital.  The event takes place on the floor of the XL Center and features dinner served by the Wolf Pack players, great food provided by area restaurants, raffles, zamboni pictures, tours of the Wolf Pack locker room, sports competitions, pictures and autographs with the players, a silent auction, and more.  For more information and to purchase tickets, call the Wolf Pack office at (860) 246-7825, or go on-line to www.hartfordwolfpack.com.
 

The Wolf Pack have moved their home game vs. the Providence Bruins that had been scheduled for Friday, February 22^nd to the night before, Thursday, February 21^st.  Faceoff time remains 7:00.  The change was made to accommodate a concert by the Spice Girls, who will appear at the XL Center on February 22^nd.  Tickets already purchased bearing the game date February 22^nd will be honored on February 21^st, and fans holding tickets dated February 22^nd who cannot attend on February 21^st can exchange those tickets, at the point of purchase, for tickets to any future 2007-08 Wolf Pack home game.  Also, despite the fact that the game is being rescheduled from a Friday night to a Thursday night, February 21^st will still be a Guida’s Family Value Night.  Family Value Night packages are available that include tickets, hot dogs or pizza slices, sodas and a Wolf Pack souvenir.  Packages start as low as $39 per family.  To purchase a Family Value Night package, call the Wolf Pack ticket office at (860) 548-2000, or go on-line to Ticketmaster.com and use the promo code: TFAM.
 

The Wolf Pack are offering a new “Saturday Six-Pack” ticket package.  Fans can select any six of the Wolf Pack’s remaining Saturday-night dates, and purchasers of the Saturday Six Pack will receive a free Wolf Pack T-shirt.  Saturday Six-Pack prices start at just $96 for adults (and $60 for fans 16 years old or younger) in the Blue Seats.  For details, call the Wolf Pack ticket office at (860) 548-2000.

96.5 TIC’s Acoustic Café Volume 7, the proceeds from which benefit the Hartford Wolf Pack Community Foundation, is on sale now at the Wolf Pack store at Hartford 21, Strawberries and FYE stores and on-line at www.965tic.com.  Acoustic Café Volume 7 features exclusive performances by Daughtry, KT Tunstall, Lifehouse, Avril Lavigne, Mat Kearney, Bowling for Soup, The Fray, Collective Soul and Mandy Moore.  The CD costs only $9.65, and each CD also includes a voucher redeemable for a free ticket to a Wednesday or Sunday Wolf Pack home game.

Individual tickets for Wolf Pack games are on sale now at the XL Center Box Office and all Ticketmaster locations including Macy’s at the Buckland Hills Mall and at the Westfarms Mall.  Tickets may also be charged by phone at (860) 525-4500, (203) 744-8100, (203) 624-0033 or (413) 733-2500 or online at www.Ticketmaster.com.  Season tickets, five, 10 and 20 game packages and group tickets are also available.  Contact 860-548-2000 for more details.
 

 

 

Scott Gomez will now be centering Jaromir Jagr and Marty Straka with Chris Drury becoming Brendan Shanahan’s pivot. Brandon Dubinsky goes to line No. 3 with Ryan Callahan and Petr Prucha.

Now this makes sense. As long as the Rangers were winning, Renney wanted to leave well-enough alone, but now it’s time to get Jagr a true puck moving center like Gomez and Drury with Shanahan works well too.

Let’s see if it puts more goals in the net tonight.

It was Tom Renney’s call, who felt he wanted Callahan in New York.

According the reporters in Greenburgh, Renney changed the lines up. You can read more on Sam Weinman’s blog on that topic.

Also Henrik Lundqvist is still sick with the flu, so if doesn’t take a turn for the better tomorrow and practices in the morning, expect Steve Valiquette again in goal against the Pens tomorrow night.

Speaking of the flu, didn’t Lundqvist get sick last year at this time? Maybe it’s time for a flu shot or something.

Marcel Hossa is out and will be replaced by Nigel Dawes. Greg Moore will be on the third line replacing the demoted Ryan Callahan and Jason Strudwick is on the fourth line replacing Ryan Hollweg.

That means Marek Malik is back with Michal Rozsival and Marc Staal will be with Paul Mara.

Confused yet?

Outside of Lundqvist none of these moves are too earth shattering as they take on the Phoenix Great Ones – I mean the Coyotes.

Speaking of the Great One. Wayne Gretzky has laryngitis and can’t address to the media.

BTW, a good friend is back. Hockeybird, who has been very helpful to me has returned and Bird is posting his daily posts again. He went offline back in October and now is back.

Sean Avery though did practice in a non-contact drill, wearing the yellow jersey.

Now, Avery said he expects to play tomorrow,  but expect to have him have a few days for on the shelf until he’s fully ready, so maybe Sunday against Wayne Gretzky’s Phoenix Coyotes.

The rest of the team play tomorrow in Washington as the Rangers look to build on their overtime win on Sunday against the Devils.

The Isles went to a six round shootout last night beating the now slumping Ottawa Senators and may be tired for the game at the Garden.

But these are the Rangers they are playing and the Isles tend to play up to the Rangers.

As for the lines, Marcel Hossa played on the second line with Scott Gomez and Brendan Shanahan and Ryan Callahan is back on the third line.

As for Avery, no word on how the surgery went but we may have more of a word after the game.

Right now, as I press send, Jaromir Jagr just scored to make it 1-0 Rangers,

Avery said to me after the last Islander game at the Garden, he hurt the wrist in the “Tucker Fight” as he was leaving. HE then had a puck hit it in Tampa.

After having a Cat Scan, it was determined that surgery was necessary to clean it out. So expect Ryan Callahan to slot right into the lineup as a replacement.

The Rangers will miss Avery though. They were 17-6-6 with him last season and 9-4-1 this year. Without the forward, the Rangers stuggled to a 4-5-1.

Now there’s no telling until after the surgery how long he will be out. He said to reporters in Greenburgh today a “week or two,” but he said that to me a week after his shoulder was seperated and he was out a month.

“Obviously, that’s my ultimate goal to be here,” he said. ”So I’m just trying to go out every night to [show] our management and coaching staff. That’s what I am fighting for.” 

Looking sharp, the rookie won 8 of 13 faceoff won and got coach Tom Renney’s attention. “He’s good; he’s responsible,” Renney said. “He worked both ways and played with confidence. He was very vocal on the bench. I liked him.”

Competiting for the third line center slot is Artem Anisimov, who also looked good on the night skating with Sean Avery and Brendan Shanahan, but Dubinsky was a little better. Only Ryan Callahan, goal and an assist, was comparable to the Alaska native. 

And Dubinsky loved it. “Obviously it was pretty exciting to be in MSG again and I felt like my legs were there. I was just happy to contribute tonight.”

You can read more on the game at NY Sports Day.