Tale of the Tape: Central Division Semifinals Game 3 vs. Rockford

The postseason does not come without adversity, and champions aren’t crowned without scars of battle. For the Chicago Wolves, Thursday will either mark the end of a too-short Calder Cup run or the beginning of greatness borne from the lowest point. The current two-game elimination deficit the Wolves are in against their in-state rival, the Rockford IceHogs, isn’t the first time the team has been here. Last time the Wolves and IceHogs met in the Calder Cup Playoffs — a decade ago — Chicago was the No. 1 seed in the Western Division Final and had to overcome a 3-2 brink-of-elimination deficit to move on to the conference final and eventually claim their fourth championship in 11 seasons. Captain Paul Thompson & Co. will look to slay their largest dragon of the season.

MADE FOR THIS

The 2017-18 version of the Chicago Wolves have been here. This team began its season with an abysmal 6-12-4-1 record that included losing five of eight games in October. November was not much better as the Wolves suffered through an eight-game losing streak from Nov. 8-24. However, in December, the team took a long, hard look in the mirror and everyone began rowing the same direction to produce a 36-11-3-3 record since Dec. 9. The mark carried them from dead-last in the league to the top of the Central Division for the franchise’s ninth division title. In the postseason, the Wolves again are looking in the mirror and finding the adjustments necessary to row the boat forward.

SWEEPS

Although rare, it is not unheard of for the Chicago Wolves to be swept in the postseason. However, for the Wolves be to swept in the opening round of competition is almost non-existent. The only time Chicago has gone winless in Round 1 of the postseason was its inaugural season (1994-95) when the Kalamazoo Wings outscored the Wolves 16-9 in three games. In 24 seasons, the Wolves have only been swept four times — once in the International Hockey League (Kalamazoo) and three times (2003, 2005, 2014) in the American Hockey League. In AHL competition, Chicago hasn’t faced an 0-2 deficit in a Calder Cup Playoff series since the 2014 Western Conference Semifinals. That’s when John Anderson’s crew fell behind against the Toronto Marlies and wound up getting swept 4-0. The only other time Chicago was swept 4-0 was in the 2005 Calder Cup Final. After barreling through the first three rounds of competition with a 12-2 record that included sweeping the Manitoba Moose in the conference final, the Wolves ran into a buzzsaw and were shredded by the Philadelphia Phantoms in four games.

FIVE ON IT

Prior to their most recent sweep four years ago in the best-of-seven set against the Toronto Marlies, the Chicago Wolves haven’t faced an 0-2 deficit in a best-of-five series since the 2012 Western Conference Quarterfinals. That’s when Craig MacTavish’s squad dropped the first two at the San Antonio Rampage before coming home and claiming the next two. In the winner-take-all Game 5, the Rampage scored in the second overtime at Allstate Arena to advance to the next round. The only time the Wolves have been swept in a best-of-five set was in 1995 by the Kalamazoo Wings.