Following last night’s debacle against Hershey, and with Dane Byers and P.A. Parenteau staying in up in New York for at least the weekend, Wolf Pack General Manager Jim Schoenfeld has made a number of roster changes:

Reassigned by NY Rangers to Wolf Pack from Charlotte (ECHL):
Goaltender Matt Zaba (3 GP with Charlotte, 2-1-0, 3.58 GAA, 88.4% save percentage)
Forward Chris Chappell (3 GP with Charlotte, 0-1-1)

Recalled by Wolf Pack from loan to Charlotte (ECHL):
Forward Ryan Garlock (4 GP with Charlotte, 1-2-3)

Signed Professional Tryout (PTO) agreement with Wolf Pack:
Forward Derek Couture (4 GP with Charlotte, 0-5-5, 6 PIM)

Reassigned by NY Rangers from Wolf Pack to Charlotte (ECHL):
Goaltender Miika Wiikman (4 GP with Wolf Pack, 2-2-0, 3.27 GAA, 88.8% save percentage)
Forward Ryan Hillier (4 GP with Wolf Pack, 0-0-0, 2 PIM)

So when it all shakes out, Zaba, Chappell, Garlock and Couture — who was a late cut from training camp because the team just didn’t have room for him — end up in Hartford.  Hillier and Wiikman — who had actually been playing pretty well — end up in Charlotte.  I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t puzzled by the decision to send Wiikman to Charlotte.  It would appear he just doesn’t fit in the organizations plans, regardless of how he plays.

The Pack are back on the ice at home tonight against the Providence Bruins at 7:00pm.

Photo: AP

Artem Anisimov earned a place on the New York Rangers roster with an impressive September, leading the team in preseason scoring with four goals and two assists.  But ice time proved harder to come by once the 2009-2010 regular season campaign got underway in October, and that, along with the increased level of competition brought about by games that “mean something” meant points became harder to come by for the 21-year old rookie as well.

Still, after fourteen games his seven points are good enough to tie him for seventh in rookie scoring with Colorado wunderkind Matt Duchane — despite being the only first year player averaging under ten minutes per game.  Through the first month of the season, Anisimov has averaged just 9:42 in playing time per game, or 8:26 if you exclude the 16:20 he played in last night’s not-so-wild showdown in Minnesota.

Not that the Yaroslavl native is complaining.  After scoring his third goal of the season against the Pheonix Coyotes on Monday, Anisimov told Sport-Express reporter Vasily Orlov that he values every minute he spends on the ice.  In addition, the league’s leading Russian rookie shared his feelings on playing for fiery head coach Tortorella, spending two years “on the farm” with the Hartford Wolf Pack, and how, in his first season, he had thoughts of giving up on his goal of making NHL.  He started by describing the spin-and-score goal he put past fellow Russian Ilya Bryzgalov:

- It was all simple enough. Brashear intercepted the opposition’s pass, we came out three on two, and I went to the net. When I got the pass, the puck was on my backhand, so I couldn’t shoot it right away, and I swung around, fooling the defenseman and Bryzgalov in the process.

- What’s it like for you to work with the somewhat oppressive and unpredictable coach, Tortorella?

- You won’t believe it, but I really like his coaching style. I like coaches who can start a team up, tune it in for a tough fight. In such a situation you don’t let yourself relax, you play to the limit of your capabilities at all times. Only that way is it possible to improve. And in Hartford we had a similar coach. He could shout, throw things in the locker room. I remember a game that we were losing after the second period, 0-3. We listened to the coach, came out and scored four goals in the third! So it’s easier to me to play for a strict and exacting coach.

- Today your team managed an early blitz — you quickly overwhelmed your opponent and scored two goals…

- We always prepare like that for home games, we try from the very beginning to play aggressively, to press our opponent.

- You spent two years on the Rangers farm club. What impressions of that [experience] remain?

- When I left for America I set a clear goal for myself — to earn a spot on the NHL team. And since I was drafted by the Rangers I had to fight my way on to one of the most popular clubs in the league. And so the two years in Hartford can be considered the process of fulfilling my dreams. (smiles) In the first year it was particularly difficult because I didn’t know the language, and plus, Americans have a completely different mentality — you have to get used to that. At times thoughts of giving it all up and returning [home] crept in. But I endured, learned English, and started to communicate more with my teammates and coaching staff.

- Don’t you think that you haven’t been given enough playing time so far, playing on the checking line?

- That’s the coaches decision. The only thing that remains for me is to give absolutely everything I’ve got in the shifts that are given to me. I value even those few minutes I spend on the ice very much.

- Do you remember your initial impression when you arrived in America?

- Yes, I went straight to camp. It was obvious how much everything differed from Russia. I remember, in Lokomotiv, coach [Vladimir] Yurzinov gathered us, the youth, in the middle of June and worked us until September. Here you get 2-3 weeks, and in that time, you better show everything you can. In the first exhibition game in Madison Square Garden they put me on the first line with Shannahan and Avery. Back then I couldn’t understand what was happening on the ice for a long time.

- And what in particular shocked you about the way of life?

- That I didn’t understand anything at all. Everything here is completely different. And so I acted strictly on intuition (laughs). Only in the second year did I begin to orient myself to America.

- Would you like to get on the Olympic roster?

- It’d be very nice to play for the national team, but for now there is nothing in particular for me to to say on this matter. The time will come when the coaches of the national team decide who to invite there.

Looks like I picked a perfect night to get stuck late at work.  By the time I got home the Wolf Pack was already down by four and the Rangers game was just about to kick off.  I opted to watch the Rangers game, and despite the fact they lost too, I’d say I made the right decision.  I won’t be watching this one in the archive, so we’ll all have to make do with Bruce Berlet’s take, compliments of the Wolf Pack.

HARTFORD, Conn. About the only good news for the Hartford Wolf Pack Friday night was that they killed successive 5-on-3 power plays for the Hershey Bears early in the third period.

Unfortunately for the depleted Wolf Pack, they were already six goals down and on the way to seeing their unbeaten record at home come to an end.

And left wing Alexandre Giroux, the AHL MVP last season just back from three games with the parent Washington Capitals, led a former Wolf Pack theme, getting two goals and two assists in a 6-0 victory before 2,531.

“They’re one of the elite teams in the league, and when you come out nonchalant, that’s what happens,” said Wolf Pack defenseman Brent Henley, who was involved in two fights. “Giroux is a terrific player, but as a team, they’re solid, move the puck, took advantage of our mistakes, outworked us in the corners, and if you don’t work, you’re generally going to lose, especially to a team that’s that skilled.

“When you get outworked by that amount of skill, you lose 6-0 at home and get booed. This stinks, especially on home ice. And if getting booed doesn’t extra motivate you for the next game (tonight against Providence), then you shouldn’t be in the game. We all lost together (Friday night), and we better all win together (tonight).”

It was the Wolf Pack’s worst loss since an 8-2 loss at Lowell on Jan. 27, 2006. It also was the second-worst shutout loss to a 7-0 loss to Worcester on Dec. 22, 2000. The Wolf Pack (4-6-0-0) had their fewest shots of the season (26) as they lost their first game in four starts at the XL Center.

The Wolf Pack were without right wing P.A. Parenteau, who led the AHL in goals (eight) and the team in points (14), and left wing Dane Byers, who are on recall to the New York Rangers. They were replaced by Nigel Williams and Tyler Arnason, who missed two games last weekend because of his aunt’s death. And with Parenteau and Byers missing, defensemen David Urquhart and Mathieu Dandenault played some up front.

But coach Ken Gernander didn’t want to hear anything about the team not having Parenteau and Byers.

“That doesn’t excuse what transpired,” Gernander said. “If you battle like crazy and goals are hard to come by, that’s another story. But if you’re not 100 percent committed or mentally into it, you’re not going to look good in anything. This is an opportunity to play. Guys are getting called up to the New York Rangers because they’re playing hard, participating and doing what they’re supposed to do. Guys should be chomping at the bit.”

So did the game have any redeeming value?

“No. None,” Gernander said.

That made it easy for Bears’ goalie Jason Bacashihua to get his first shutout of the season and 13th in his AHL career.

After Bacashihua denied Corey Locke in front off a 2-on-1 at 3:52, the defending Calder Cup champion Bears (6-4-0-0) scored on successive shots on the way to a 3-0 lead after the first period.

With the Wolf Pack on a power play, Steve Pinizzotto passed to Andrew Joudrey, who got behind back-checking Paul Crowder for a breakaway and put the puck between Miika Wiikman’s legs at 9:30. The Bears doubled their lead on their next shot as Francois Bouchard got around Ilkka Heikkinen and slid the puck into the left corner of the net at 11:47.

Then with the period winding down, Giroux took a pass from Patrick McNeill, got behind Michael Sauer and Nigel Williams and beat Wiikman to the stick side with 21.2 seconds left.

Another former Wolf Pack left wing, Boyd Kane, gave the Bears a 4-0 lead when he took a centering pass from Pinizzotto and scored from 25 feet in the slot at 3:35 of the second period. The Wolf Pack were basically shorthanded because Brodie Dupont hadn’t got back into the play after getting a new stick at the bench. Wiikman was then pulled in favor of Chad Johnson after allowing four goals on 13 shots.

And the former Wolf Pack theme continued when Giroux’s centering pass deflected off the knee of Mathieu Perreault and into the open side of the net for a 5-0 lead at 9:30. Giroux scored his second of the game at 2:39 of the third period, taking a pass from Bouchard, skating into the slot and beating Johnson from 20 feet.

The Wolf Pack then killed off the Bears’ back-to-back, two-man advantages and had their best chance to score, but Andres Ambuhl shot high after picking off a Hershey clearing attempt and skating in alone with 5:45 left.

SUMMARY

Hershey    3  2  1 — 6
Hartford    0 0  0 — 0

First Period-1, Hershey, Joudrey 2 (Pinizzotto, Alzner), 9:30 (sh). 2, Hershey, Bouchard 4 (Giroux), 11:47. 3, Hershey, Giroux 6 (McNeill, Bouchard), 19:38. Penalties-Amadio, Her (slashing), 9:11; Amadio, Her (interference), 13:07.

Second Period-4, Hershey, Kane 2 (Pinizzotto, Beagle), 3:35. 5, Hershey, Perreault 1 (Giroux, Bouchard), 9:30. Penalties-Arnason, Hfd (hooking), 0:12; Sugden, Her (fighting), 3:37; Henley, Hfd (fighting), 3:37; Osala, Her (hooking), 10:13; Amadio, Her (fighting), 15:13; Dupont, Hfd (fighting), 15:13.

Third Period-6, Hershey, Giroux 7 (Bouchard), 2:39. Penalties-Soryal, Hfd (roughing), 5:34; Weise, Hfd (roughing), 6:23; Potter, Hfd (roughing), 7:22; Osala, Her (fighting), 9:58; Henley, Hfd (fighting), 9:58; Bruess, Her (tripping), 18:22.

Shots on Goal-Hershey 10-7-7-24. Hartford 9-8-9-26;
Power Play Opportunities-Hershey 0 of 4; Hartford 0 of 4;
Goalies-Hershey, Bacashihua 3-0-0 (26 shots-26 saves). Hartford, Wiikman 2-2-0 (13-9); Johnson (11 shots-9 saves); A-2,531;
Referee-Zac Wiebe; Linesmen-Paul Simeon, Glen Cooke.