The week got off to a rough start for the Hartford Wolf Pack when they lost Wednesday night’s match-up with the division-leading Worcester Sharks, but Hartford’s Heroes bounced back over the weekend with two convincing wins over the Lowell Devils and Springfield Falcons.  When coupled with a pair of losses by the Bridgeport Sound Tigers, it meant the playoff berth that once looked completely out of reach remains tenuously attainable.  But with the team sitting five points back of the Sound Tigers with four games remaining, and the Norfolk Admirals in between, it still remains an extremely long shot.

And if this year’s edition of the Wolf Pack is to avoid becoming the first squad in the franchise’s 13-year history to fail to earn an invite to the post-season dance, they’re going to have to continue winning without some important pieces.  Last week they did it without leading scorers P.A. Parenteau and Corey Locke, who both spent the week with the Rangers.  They’ll get top point-getter Locke back following his two-game debut in a Rangers uniform, but they’ll be without the services of Dale Weise, who earned his first call-up to the NHL with a four-game goal scoring streak and a career-high seven game points streak.  The sophomore winger has picked up ten points in the span, bringing his season totals up to 28 goals (second on the team behind Locke’s 29) and 50 points, handily eclipsing his 11 goal, 23 point rookie campaign.

Four of Weise’s points came in the past week, beginning with a goal in the Wolf Pack’s 5-3 loss to visiting Worcester on Wednesday.  After Donald Brashear gave the Pack a rare early lead at 8:30 of the first period, the Sharks answered with three goals in the final 8:24 of the frame, sending the Pack to the locker room 3-1 down.  Weise gave his club hope late in the second period when his centering pass went in off a Worcester defenseman and cut the lead to 3-2.

An early man advantage in the third period should have provided the perfect opportunity for the Pack to tie things up, but instead their power play surrendered its eleventh shorthanded goal against, all but sealing the team’s fate.  Captain Dane Byers added his 22nd of the campaign on a deflection on the power play at 8:44, but Worcester shut the door 1:15 later with its fifth and final goal of the night.

Having entered the week tied with Bridgeport at 82 points and by no means assured of a playoff spot, you’d think the Devils would come out anxious to put the Wolf Pack further back in their rearview mirror on Friday night.  Instead, they started the game flat, allowing the Pack another early lead after Ilkka Heikkinen snuck in from the point on the power play to deflect Kris Newbury’s shot home at 7:02.

After holding the Devils to just five shots in the opening frame, the Pack tripled their lead in the second period on goals by Ryan Garlock — a perfectly-executed wraparound off the rush at 1:36 — and Weise, who picked up a Devils clearing attempt and scored from his office in the right faceoff circle 1:14 later.

The Devils finally found their legs in the third, and peppered goaltender Chad Johnson with 21 shots in the final period alone.  They converted on two of them in a 49 second span beginning at 2:29.  With their lead cut to one, the Pack roared back.  Paul Crowder tallied his 12th goal of the campaign by batting home Evgeny Grachev’s rebound after goaltender Jeff Frazee was unable hold on to the rookie foward’s wrist shot.  The goal was Crowder’s first in 18 games, and with the assist Grachev’s earned his first point in 11 matches. Bobby Sanguinetti capped the scoring just over five minutes later with a one-timer from the right circle, his ninth tally of the season off a perfect set-up from Brodie Dupont.  Johnson went on to finish the game with 36 saves, in one of his most convincing wins of the season’s second half.

On Saturday the Pack made the short trip up the I-91 to visit the cellar-dwelling Springfield Falcons.  Long since eliminated from the playoffs (like their parent club in Edmonton) the Falcons had little to play for and it showed.  Recent Ranger signing Lee Baldwin, inked to an NHL deal two weeks ago and currently playing for the Pack on an amateur try-out deal, earned his first professional goal with quick slapshot from the left point a mere 47 seconds into the contest.  Justin Soryal made it 2-0 with his fifth goal of the season two minutes later.  Jorden Eberle, perhaps the lone bright spot for the Falcons at the end of a dreadful season, cut the lead in half at 6:52 of the second.

That was the only goal the Falcons would get.  The Wolf Pack, meanwhile, added four more of their for a 6-1 final. Weise and Derek Couture each added tallies in the second, while Andreas Ambuhl and Dupont each scored in the third.  It was the first multi-point game for Swiss import Ambuhl, who also earned an assist on Weise’s goal.  Johnson was once again strong in his seventh consecutive start in goal, stopping 30 of 31 shots faced.

And so the Wolf Pack enter the final week of the regular season winners of five of their last seven games but still with absolutely no margin for error.  Working in their favor is the fact that the final game of the season pits the Pack against the Sound Tigers, who currently hold the Eastern Conference’s final playoff berth.  But any combination of four points won by Bridgeport or lost by the Wolf Pack between then and now would render that game meaningless.

And then there’s the matter of the Norfolk Admirals who stand between Hartford’s 77 points and Bridgeport 82 with 80 ticks of their own.  However, the Admirals have to face the league-dominating Hershey Bears twice in their final three games this week, a daunting task for any club.

What’s Next
Unlike the two teams they’re chasing, each of which have three games remaining, the Wolf Pack will play four games in five nights this week.  Unfortunately, two of those games are against Atlantic-leading Worcester, who’ve emerged victorious in each of the last two match-up between the two clubs.  The teams kick off their home-and-home series on Wednesday night in Hartford at 7:00pm before heading to Worcester for a 7:05pm start on Friday night.  The 47-23-3-3 Sharks will have plenty to play for, too, since their lead in the Atlantic Division over the second place Pirates has withered to just one point.

The Wolf Pack play their final home game of the 2009-2010 campaign on Saturday against the last place Springfield Falcons.  It’s “Fan Appreciation Night” at the XL Center, and will feature a variety of in-game giveaways and the annual post-game “jersey’s off our backs” giveaway.  Former Wolf Pack coach John Paddock will also be honored for his induction to the AHL Hall of Fame prior to the game.  Faceoff is 7:00pm.  Bring a non-winning Connecticut Lottery ticket with you to the box office on Saturday night for buy-one, get-one-free red level seats.

On Sunday the Wolf Pack travel to Bridgeport for a game that could decide who makes the playoffs.  Or, if things don’t go the Pack’s way earlier in the weak, it could mean absolutely nothing at all.  The Pack have won just once in four previous visits to Bridgeport this season..  Puck drop is 3:00pm.

Laurie covers the Wolf Pack and the Rangers’ Russian players and prospects for her blog, Beyond the Blueshirts. She’ll be bringing us weekly updates on the Rangers’ top farm club throughout the 2009-2010 season. For updates as they happen, follow her on Twitter @byndblueshirts