The Wolves close out their regular-season schedule this week with three games against division opponents while continuing to chase Grand Rapids for the Midwest Division title, sitting 4 points back with a game in hand; Chicago clinched the 16th playoff berth in team history on April 5 and needs 1 point to ensure home-ice advantage for the Calder Cup playoffs.
THIS WEEK:
Wed., April 16*
at Iowa Wild
Wells Fargo Arena
7 p.m.
Fri., April 18*
at Rockford IceHogs$
MetroCentre
7 p.m.
Sat., April 19*
vs. Milwaukee Admirals#
Allstate Arena
7 p.m.
*U-Too
#Amtrak Rivalry
$Illinois Lottery Cup
GAMES WILL BE TELECAST LIVE ON THE U-TOO OR WCIU
Log on to ChicagoWolves.com for broadcast schedule, or to watch or listen to the action live online
PLAYOFFS ARE COMING
The Wolves close out their regular-season schedule this week with three games against division opponents while continuing to chase Grand Rapids for the Midwest Division title, sitting 4 points back with a game in hand; Chicago clinched the 16th playoff berth in team history on April 5 and needs 1 point to ensure home-ice advantage for the Calder Cup playoffs.
WOLVES HEADLINERS
— Alexandre Bolduc: Bagged four goals and a +3 plus/minus rating in three games last week as he stepped up in the absence of forwards Ty Rattie, Adam Cracknell, Keith Aucoin, and Sergey Andronov … Has tallied in four of six games in April, including his third and fourth two-goal games of the season … Sits second on the Wolves in goals (17) and points (36) with 21 of his points coming since February … Represented Team Canada at the Spengler Cup in December … Held scoreless in 14 NHL games with Phoenix last season … Was the second-leading scorer for Portland in the AHL with 51 points (24G, 27A) in 56 games
— Jake Allen: Extended his win streak to three games with victories on Friday and Sunday, allowing just three goals in the span … Possesses a 3-0-1 record, 0.98 goals-against average, .958 save percentage, and 1 shutout in April … Named to the AHL’s First All-Star Team on Thursday, the week after entering Wolves record books by tying the franchise record for shutouts in a single season (6) and becoming the fourth goaltender in team history to record 30 wins … Paces the league with a 2.07 goals-against average, .927 save percentage, 32 wins, six shutouts, and 3,078:28 minutes played
— Pat Cannone: Dished out three assists last week, including two on Sunday, to bring his season total to 32 points (15G, 17A), good for third on the Wolves … Missed 16 games following an injury on Jan. 21, but has contributed 7 goals and 10 assists in 17 games since returning to the lineup … Paces Chicago with a +21 plus/minus rating, which would tie his career-high set last season … Tallied 25 points (10G, 15A) and 41 penalty minutes in 74 AHL games with the Binghamton Senators in 2012-13
— Yannick Veilleux: Reassigned to the Wolves on Saturday, recording his first AHL fight and point with a bout against Milwaukee and an assist on the game-winning goal against Rockford … Was held scoreless in his two games with the Wolves in October … Has collected 39 points (16G, 23A) and a +16 plus/minus rating in 62 games with Kalamazoo (ECHL), with 36 of his points coming since January
WOLF TRACKS
— The Wolves scored on the penalty kill on Friday (Alexandre Bolduc) and Saturday (Christian Hanson) last weekend, their first shorthanded goals since Feb. 28 and first of the season without defenseman David Shields on the ice; Chicago is tied for third with 11 shorthanded goals this season and forward Nathan Longpre leads the league in shorthanded assists (4) and is tied for first in shorthanded points (6).
— Chicago collected 4 of a possible 6 points in last week’s three-in-three, the team’s final of the season; the Wolves posted a 12-3-2-1 record over six of these marathons, a .750 winning percentage, and never dropped a Game 3.
— Head coach JOHN ANDERSON needs just one more victory this season to pick up the 700th regular-season win of his career as a head coach, spanning the SHL, CoHL, AHL, and NHL; of his 699 wins, 548 of them have come with the Wolves.
— With the victory over Rockford on Sunday, Chicago boosted its home winning percentage this season to .716, third-best in the league behind conference leaders Texas (.797) and Manchester (.776).
GOING TO THE DOGS
— Sunday’s regular-season home finale against Milwaukee will feature not only the Wolves’ final Adopt-A-Dog Night of the season but the annual Adopt-A-Dog Drive. Fans are asked to help out our furry friends by bringing items such as new toys, treats, and food to the game that will benefit Chicago Animal Care and Control. Each fan that donates will receive a raffle ticket for a team-autographed helmet. Tickets for the game can be purchased by calling 1-800-THE-WOLVES or visiting ChicagoWolves.com.
WOLVES REWIND (2-1-0-0)
Sunday, April 13
(at) Chicago 4, Rockford 2
— Three third-period goals boosted the Wolves over the IceHogs in a physical matchup at Allstate Arena
— Alexandre Bolduc (PP, EN) led the way with two tallies while Michael Davies and Tyler Shattock also had goals
— Goaltender Jake Allen thwarted 24 shots to earn the win
Saturday, April 12
(at) Milwaukee 4, Chicago 1
— The Wolves surrendered a power-play hat trick to Admiral Austin Watson as they fell in Milwaukee
— Center Christian Hanson scored shorthanded for Chicago’s lone goal
— Goaltender Matt Climie kicked out 20 of 24 shots
Friday, April 11
Chicago 4, (at) Iowa 1
— The Wolves scored once in the first and twice in the second, and again in the third as they rolled to a victory at Wells Fargo Arena
— Forwards Sergey Andronov (PP), Alexandre Bolduc (2, SH), and Shane Harper scored for Chicago
— Goaltender Jake Allen came 1:35 short of a franchise-record seventh shutout this season as he stopped 22 of 23 shots
