ROCKFORD ICEHOGS GAME RECAP: Afternoon Nap CHI (5) RFD (2)
(Photo by Todd Reicher via IceHogs Flickr)
After a good effort in the season opener on Saturday, the Rockford IceHogs didn’t have to wait very long for a rematch against the Chicago Wolves. This time they faced off in Hoffman Estates which is the 2020-21 home of the Wolves.
There were a lot of positives to take from game number one and build off of for an even better game number two. That sounded like a great game plan, but it isn’t what happened.
There were a few differences between the two games.
The IceHogs went 3/3 on their first few power plays of the season. In game 2, the Hogs went 1/9.
The IceHogs looked like the better team at puck drop on Saturday. On Tuesday, they were out-skated from the beginning.
Even though they couldn’t get the tying goal on Saturday, they had a bunch of great scoring chances. Tuesday’s game saw a severe lack of quality chances.
There were a few lineup changes for Rockford. Here was Tuesday’s lineup:
L1: #47 John Quenneville “A” - #26 Evan Barratt - #84 Andrei Altybarmakyan
L2: #67 Matej Chalupa - #39 Dylan McLaughlin - #79 D.J. Busdeker
L3: #76 Tim Soderlund - Chad Yetman - #57 Chris Wilkie
L4: #68 Riley McKay - #14 Garrett Mitchell “C” - #59 Mikael Hakkarainen
D1: #48 Wyatt Kalynuk - #11 Cody Franson “A”
D2: #43 Chad Krys - #63 Michal Krutil
D3: #75 Alec Regula - #56 Dmitry Osipov
#33 Scott Darling
#31 Cale Morris
So, how did it play out?
Each team had two power plays in the first period. Dmitry Osipov got it all started by taking an elbowing penalty 1:15 into the game. Neither team could break through until about 4 minutes left in the period.
Wolves Goal #1: Seth Jarvis (PP) - Joey Keane, Philip Tomasino
The Wolves were moving the puck around the zone with ease. Jarvis received the puck on the right side of the ice, shot it at Darling, and apparently scored. Darling thought he had it. It looked like he made the save. But, the scoresheet tells us otherwise. Unfortunately, the scoresheet has the final say.
1-0
It appears that both first periods so far have set the tone for the whole game. In game 1, the IceHogs played well and just couldn’t keep Chicago from also scoring. In game 2, the IceHogs’ power play looked bad, they weren’t getting good chances, and they were outmatched/outskated/outworked.
END OF 1:
Wolves - 1
IceHogs - 0
SOG: 11-6 CHI
A 1-goal deficit isn’t a huge mountain to climb - especially with 40 minutes to play. So, going into the second period, it was easy to have hope that the IceHogs could come back and tie this thing up.
And they did!
IceHogs Goal #1: D.J. Busdeker (PP) - Chad Krys, Alec Regula
10:19 into the second period, Evan Barratt took a rogue knee from Max Lajoie that led to a major penalty for the Wolves. But, not before some fisticuffs.
Barratt was not looking good as he left the ice, and Andrei Altybarmakyan was not a fan of the hit on his teammate. He dropped the gloves and showed Lajoie that he’s not going to stand around and let them injure his guys. Altybarmakyan picked up an instigator minor, but the IceHogs had 3 minutes of power play time after the full 2 minutes of 4 on 4.
Here’s the fun thing about major penalties and the ensuing power plays.
Normal minor penalties lead to a 2 minute power play. If the team with the man advantage scores at any point during the power play, that’s where it ends. The opposing player comes out of the box, and the game is back to even strength.
When a team takes a major penalty, they have to kill the penalty for a full 5 minutes - regardless of whether the team with the man advantage scores or not.
Here is where I’ll point you to Game 7 of the 2019 Playoff series between the Vegas Golden Knights and San Jose Sharks.
Of course, had the IceHogs scored a bunch of goals, it wouldn’t have been as intense as that video. The point is, they had the chance to do some real damage on the scoresheet.
But . . .
The IceHogs got through the 4 on 4 with no goals either way. Once it came time for their 3 minute power play, they could not get any sustained offensive zone pressure. They were chasing the game and chasing the puck.
Thankfully, D.J. Busdeker was able to get one past Jeremy Helvig. Chad Krys took the initial shot, the rebound sat right in front of the net, and Busdeker was there to put it into the back of the net.
That was Busdeker’s first AHL goal!
1-1
You know what happens whenever we start to feel the warm and fuzzies. Ugh.
The IceHogs were feeling generous on Tuesday. Not only were they showing mercy by not scoring on all of their power play chances, they also made sure Philip Tomasino scored his first professional goal.
Wolves Goal #2: Philip Tomasino - Ryan Suzuki, Joey Keane
Tomasino was the 2019 1st round draft pick of the Nashville Predators, and he showed up his quick shot. With the second period winding down, the Wolves broke into the zone. Both teams were in the middle of a change and it looked like a nothing play. But, Tomasino cut to the middle of the ice with the puck on his stick and flicked it right over the glove of Scott Darling.
2-1
Don’t worry. It gets worse.
The tale of the power play for the IceHogs was summed up nicely at the end of the second period. Down by only 1, once again, they had a chance to tie the game on the PP.
But . . .
Wolves Goal #3: Rem Pitlick (SH) - unassisted
The IceHogs were passing the puck around trying to set up a play. Chad Krys got the puck at the point. While trying to get a shot off, he just . . . fell over. Unless the blue line jumped up and bit him, he basically tripped over his own thoughts.
Rem Pitlick grabbed the loose puck and had a clear breakaway all the way down to Scott Darling. And, of course, he scored.
END OF 2:
Wolves - 3
IceHogs - 1
SOG: 17-17
The IceHogs entered the second period only down by 1 and managed to tie it up. Heading into the third period, they were down by 2. That’s still not an impossible deficit to overcome.
But, they sure weren’t determined to make things easy on themselves.
Wolves Goal #4: Philip Tomasino - Jeremy Davies, Tanner Jeannot
The Wolves were putting the pressure on the IceHogs. Jeremy Davies got the puck at the point, put a shot toward the net, and Tomasino tipped it right in front of Scott Darling to extend their lead.
4-1
The third period wasn’t all terrible.
IceHogs Goal #2: Chris Wilkie (SH) - Dylan McLaughlin
While killing a penalty, Chris Wilkie found the puck in the corner on the goal line and a Dylan McLaughlin shot. They always say it’s never a bad play to get the puck to the net, and that’s what he did. It looked like an impossible angle. But, there the puck was - in the net behind Jeremy Helvig. I still have no clue how that puck went in. It was one of the weirdest angles I’ve seen in a long time. But, I won’t argue it. The puck was in, and Chris Wilkie picked up his first professional goal.
4-2
And, because this franchise can’t seem to start the season without giving up 5 goals per game . . .
Wolves Goal #5: Rem Pitlick - Stelio Mattheos, Tanner Jeannot
With a minute and a half to go, the Wolves had to add insult to injury. Stelio Mattheos and Rem Pitlick had an odd man rush. Mattheos sent the puck over to Pitlick who put it top shelf over the blocker of Darling.
5-2
And that was that.
FINAL
Wolves - 5
IceHogs - 2
SOG: 27-25 CHI
There aren’t a lot of great things to say about Tuesday’s game, but I came up with some positives.
Alec Regula is seeing some time on the power play. He had a decent scoring chance but couldn’t get it past the goaltender.
Andrei Altybarmakyan had another good game. There were a few times he held onto the puck a smidge too long, but that should get cleaned up with time. Adding a fight to his day while sticking up for a teammate was definitely a plus.
D.J. Busdeker and Evan Barratt both returned to the game after leaving the ice shaken up
That game is over and we can leave it in the past. The IceHogs are now headed to Iowa to take on the Wild on Saturday the 13th at 6:00 pm CST. Let’s hope they take absolutely nothing from this game into that one and start over with a clean slate and a good effort.