HARTFORD, Conn – The Sharks and Wolfpack will meet in the AHL’s first round in a small proxy war between the parent Rangers and Sharks’ organizations. This may shape up to be an entertaining battle between those in waiting for the bright lights of Broadway and those waiting for the beaches of California. Offense
Hartford sports the fifth leading scorer in the circuit with Artem Anisimov notching 37 goals and 81 assists in 80 games this season. He was a +12 on the season and was whistled for 50 PIM. Not far off the pace (ninth in AHL scoring) for the ‘Pack this season was Pierre-Alexandre Parenteau 29 goals and 78 assists in 74 games. He was a -1 with 142 PIM. For the Sharks Ryan Vesce picked up 24 goals and 71 points in 67 games in Worcester. He was +4 with only 28 PIM on the 2008-2009 season. Vesce was the only Shark in the top 20 in AHL scoring this season. Though he missed 13 games in the AHL season he managed good numbers. Riley Armstrong was second on the team in goal scoring with 25 goals and 42 points and was a +8 on the season with 101 PIM. Scoring dropped off from there for the Sharks but was balanced amo0ng a number of players with goals in the mid-teens. D efense
On the blueline, Broadway is calling after rookie Bobby Sanguinetti who demonstrated an offensive threat this season by picking up 6 goals and 36 assists in 78 games. He was a -8 with 42 PIM. He was the only Hartford player in the top 20 for scoring defensemen. As a stay-at-home defenseman, the Pack’s Michael Sauer was a +29 in 64 games. In 78 games, Patrick Traverse had 42 points on nine goals and 33 assists. He was the Sharks’ 4th leading scorer with -3 and 28 PIMs. Derek Joslin was a solid blueliner for the Sharks this season and picked up 30 points on 11 goals. He was a -6 and was whistled for 40 PIM. Goaltending
Hartford’s go-to goalie is Matt Zaba who finshed the season with a 25-10-0-0 record with two shutouts. His 2.33 GAA and .920 save percentage were good enough to place him in the top 10 for goalies. The rookie backstopped the Worlfpack well and gave the club a chance to win every night. The Sharks’ number one netminder is Thomas Greiss who skated in 57 contests this season. He recorded a 2.47 GAA and .907 save percentage and was in the top twenty goalies this season. The Koln, Germany native will need to be spot on to outduel the Pack’s rookie Zaba. Outlook
The Wolfpack finished first in the Atlantic Division this year, 12 points ahead of the Sharks. The ‘Pack gained the division crown with a balanced attack, solid stay-at-home defensemen (something the Rangers need next season) and a rookie sensation in net. The solid blueline corps is the difference maker in this series. Add in the Zaba factor and the Wolfpack will be hard to beat over a seven game series. Wolfpack win this first round 4-2. Contact lm.davis@prohockeynews.com .
You must be logged in to post a comment.