The Hartford Wolf Pack have spend most of this season in first place in the Atlantic Division of the AHL. They did it on the shoulders of their goaltenders, especially future New York Rangers netminder Igor Shesterkin. The team is not an offensive powerhouse and it finally caught up to them.
The Wolf Pack were in first place when they went into a tailspin on November 20, losing five games in a row, losing two of them in overtime. In the five losses, they scored eight goals while allowing 19.
To add to the concern about Hartford, assistant coach David Cunniff left the Wolf Pack to take over as GM/Coach of the ECHL Worcester Railers, an Islander farm team.