What’s Behind the Hartford Wolf Pack’s Offensive Resurgence?

The Hartford Wolf Pack were trailing in the third period 3-1 to the Bridgeport Islanders on Feb. 12, something that’s been a theme of the season. They looked poised for another home defeat which would extend the losing streak at XL Center to eight games. Then came the goals.

Defenseman Connor Mackey took the puck from the faceoff circle and fired it to the top shelf far post to cut the deficit to one. Brennan Othmann found a loose puck near the net and tied the game with just under two minutes left in the third period and the Wolf Pack net empty on the other end. Then came the goal that completed the comeback with Othmann firing a shot on an overtime breakaway to the back of the net to give the Wolf Pack a 4-3 victory.

The offense, for the final period of play and overtime, looked great and was playing with a sense of urgency. To be fair, the Islanders are the worst team in the Atlantic Division and known for snatching defeat from the jaws of victory, but nonetheless the Wolf Pack offense is starting to turn a corner. The Wolf Pack scored four goals against the Islanders and four in their Feb. 8 4-2 win against the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. It’s a noticeable shift that’s allowing this team to turn a corner on what has otherwise been a rough season.

The Berard-Othmann Connection

Othmann and Brett Berard connected a few times in the win against the Islanders and the duo has fueled the offense for a while. Alex Belzile and Benoit-Olivier Groulx are the leaders and the top duo with 29 goals and 31 assists but they aren’t the focal point of the offense anymore.

Berard found the back of the net against the Phantoms and added two assists in the win over the Islanders. He’s the playmaker in the top six and he’s particularly worked well alongside Othmann, the other dynamic skater on the offense. “We’ve built a pretty good relationship over the years. When you have good chemistry off the ice it translates on the ice,” Othmann noted after the 4-3 win over the Islanders.

For as well as Berard has played, Othmann’s proving why he’s capable of scoring at the NHL level. He’s only played 23 games this season, missing multiple weeks with an injury but has 10 goals and seven assists while adding two goals and an assist in the latest game. “I need to start doing more is shooting the puck,” he stated after the game since his shot makes the offense work as well as it has recently.

With the duo leading the offense, the Wolf Pack have changed how they play. “Your best players have to be your best players,” head coach Grant Potulny noted after the latest win. Berard and Othmann have been that and while the offense still tries to win with the forecheck and physical hockey, they are a faster team and finding their spots in the offensive zone to pick apart opponents. “We had a lot of zone time and we’re getting people in the areas we want them to get to,” Potulny stated for an offense that is led by speed but when needed, can slow the game down and find scoring chances with great puck movement in the offensive zone.

A Pivot in Style

In the first few months of the season, the Wolf Pack had Matt Rempe in their forward unit and Othmann out with injury and this set the tone for how this offense would play. They played a physical brand of hockey often with Rempe and Jaroslav Chmelar leading the way. With power forward Rempe in the NHL and Othmann back, the team is still trying to play a physical style but is starting to build around the speed and skill of their top six.

“If we can’t win wall battles, we can’t win 50-50s, then the systems don’t matter,” Potulny noted after the recent win, proving that this team is still trying to win with the forecheck. That said, the third period, a frame where they fired 25 shots on the net, proved they can abandon that style to take over games. “We just got pucks to the net,” Othmann noted after the game, and it came with quick passes and the entire offense stepping up to generate pressure on the Islanders. “That’s the team we’re capable of being,” Potunly stated after the comeback which was fuelled by their ability to create open looks and take advantage of them.

The Wolf Pack are a possession-based team and to allow their star players to score, they must create separation and open looks in the offensive zone. Potunly discussed postgame that the forwards are skating back to the red line when the puck leaves the offensive zone and not just to the blue line, a shift that forces the defense to move up the ice and allows the offense to get behind them. The Wolf Pack are controlling the puck and starting to manipulate the defense and it’s why they have eight goals in the last two games.

Offense From the Point

Erik Brannstrom was acquired as part of the J.T. Miller trade the New York Rangers made a few weeks back with the Vancouver Canucks. He was brought in to add a spark from the point to the Wolf Pack offense. He’s only played three games but has provided the offense with that playmaking presence and his recent game was his bast yet. “He (Brannstrom) can dance out there with the puck,” Othmann noted after the win where he scored the team’s first goal and added an assist, both in highlight fashion.

While he led the production from the point, the Wolf Pack are starting to see the rest of the defense pick up the slack and generate offense as well. Mackey had an open look and he fired it to the goal to start the Wolf Pack comeback. It was his third goal of the season but he has 10 assists. Considering Matthew Robertson also has 15 assists, the defense has the ability to give their forwards scoring chances.