Kyle Rau knew the Hartford defenseman had only one option to continue attacking on a power play with the Wolf Pack down a goal in the waning minutes of the second period.
A pass along the blue line to his partner was coming but never completed because Rau’s stick got in the way.
UP NEXT
WHO: Hartford Wolf Pack at Portland Pirates
WHEN: 7 p.m. Friday
Rau raced the other way with the puck, faking a shot before sliding it inside the left post for the first short-handed goal of the year for the Portland Pirates, who ended a five-game losing streak Wednesday night with a 6-2 victory at Cross Insurance Arena.
An announced crowd of 1,668 saw Portland (4-6) add three scores after Rau’s backbreaker and extend a losing streak to five for Hartford (6-7-1).
Rau, who also chipped in with two assists, said he was trying to slip the puck between the legs of Hartford goalie Magnus Hellberg but was slightly off target.
“It didn’t go five-hole but that’s all right,” Rau said. “It still counts.”
Logan Shaw added two goals. Greg McKegg scored after returning from a three-game absence because of injury, and John McFarland and Wade Megan also scored for the Pirates, who face Hartford again Friday night at home.
Mike McKenna made 28 saves for the victory and backstopped a defensive effort that thwarted all five Hartford power plays, including a five-on-three advantage that bridged the first and second periods.
“The penalty kill was great,” said Pirates Coach Tom Rowe. “You’ve got to pay the price on every penalty kill, but Shaw blocks a shot, Rau blocks a shot and McKenna comes up with a save when he needed it.”
With both teams desperate to win, it wasn’t shocking to see a fight break out on the opening faceoff. Sena Acolatse of the Pirates and Tanner Glass of Hartford traded a flurry of punches three seconds into the game.
Glass later got Hartford’s first goal, but the Pirates scored twice in the first period to take a 2-1 lead.
“That was nothing more than to try to get our bench up and to try to snap us out of this slump,” Megan said. “So hats off to Sena for doing that and getting the boys going.”
Megan put the Pirates ahead 1-0 by intercepting an airborne pass at the Hartford blue line and skating in alone on Hellberg. Glass tied it two minutes later after a blocked shot fell to his feet in the slot in front of Pirates defensemen Brent Regner and Mike Matheson, and Glass was able to knock it in.
Another two minutes passed before a failed clearing attempt by Hellberg led to Shaw’s first goal of the night. Rau dumped in the puck to earn the assist.
McKegg made it 3-1 early in the second in a four-on-four situation shortly after the Pirates killed off a 3:18 power play, much of it while two men down. Regner and Matheson assisted on the tic-tac-toe goal.
A tip-in by Luke Adam midway through the second pulled the Wolf Pack within 3-2, but Rau ruined the comeback and the Pirates (McFarland, Shaw) scored twice in the third to seal it.
“It’s a long season so five games, we weren’t hitting the panic button or anything,” Rau said. “We were fine. We came out and played a good game (Wednesday) and got back in the winning column.”
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