The Hartford Wolf Pack will be looking for their sixth win in a row when they play the Portland Pirates tonight in Maine and the game against the Pirates may be the final appearance for Sean Avery in a Wolf Pack uniform.
Avery is expected to be placed on recall waivers by the Dallas Stars on Sunday or Monday and then reunited with the New York Rangers in the NHL.
The Rangers have lost 12 of their last 14 games, going 2-8-4. Rangers fans hope Avery will add some spice to the team which has been termed 'vanilla' in recent months.
"They are widely perceived as a vanilla team that's a walk in the park as an opponent, Larry Brooks recently wrote in the New York Post. "They won't be either of those things once Avery comes back home again."
With the Wolf Pack, Avery has just one penalty. The last time that he played in the AHL, several years ago, with the Cincinnati Mighty Ducks, he had 304.
Avery joined the Wolf Pack earlier this month, and in seven games, the Hartford AHL team has won five in a row. This season, their previous best winning streak was three in a row.
The recent string of victories has put the Wolf Pack in second place—three points ahead of the Portland Pirates.
Hartford is 32-23-2-3 for 69 points.
Portland is 29-23-3-5 for 66 points.
The last time that these two teams played, Avery set up defenseman Mike Sauer's goal—2:21 into overtime, in a 2-1 win against the Pirates at Hartford.
The headline in the Portland Press Herald and the Maine Sunday Telegram says "NHL Bad Boy In Town To Face The Pirates". The papers called Avery "the player fans love to hate", saying he was one of the NHL's top agitators for the past eight years, and promised him a very bad reception.
In their last game the Pirates beat the Sharks 2-1 in Worcester. The Pirates are returning home, after seven straight road games.
It will be Labatt Blue Light Hockey Night in Portland, with pregame drink specials at The Stadium from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. The first 1,500 fans in attendance will receive thundersticks, sponsored by U.S. Cellular. Positive 89.3 will present a live concert at the game.
The game will be televised on Time Warner Cable (Channel 22 in Cumberland and York Counties and on TWC where available). Fans can follow the Pirates on U.S. Cellular Pirates Radio Network or watch the game LIVE on the internet courtesy of AHL Live by clicking the icon on the left side of the home page.
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