Anderson hopes 'X' factor goes Wolves' way
Chicago Wolves coach John Anderson has participated in enough playoff games to know that it's not always smooth sailing for even the best teams.
The Wolves found that out the hard way in Wednesday's 4-3 overtime loss to the Milwaukee Admirals in Game 1 of the American Hockey League's Western Conference semifinals.
The Wolves had a key referee's call go against them, wiping out an apparent goal, another non-call that resulted in a Milwaukee goal, and then saw the winning score go in off a skate.
"We have to regroup, we have to stay composed and come back and do the same thing and hopefully we'll get a break," Anderson said. "Playoffs are about playing hard and doing all the right things, but there's one other thing called the 'X' factor. That's referees' calls, that's bounces -- that's the 'X' factor. Hopefully we have it next game."
The two teams meet again tonight at Allstate Arena in Game 2 of the best-of-seven series, and a Wolves team that finished the regular season with 53 victories and 111 points needs to respond.
The Wolves led 3-1 in the third period of Game 1 before penalties and referee Shaun Davis came into play.
Even after Milwaukee's Josh Langfeld scored during a 5-on-3 power play to make it 3-2, the Wolves thought they should have gone ahead 4-2 on Joel Kwiatkowski's goal at 7:44 of the third period.
But Davis' quick whistle blew the play dead and the goal was disallowed. Then Langfeld tied it with 6:56 to play when he bumped Wolves goalie Ondrej Pavelec before scoring. Davis let that goal stand.
"Kwiatkowski scored a goal, no question," Anderson said. "He said he blew the whistle. OK, fine, blow the whistle for us, too. That's all I ask. It's not that difficult."
The Admirals won in overtime on a goal off the skate of Cal O'Reilly in front.
"They got a little bit of a lucky bounce on the fourth goal," Pavelec said. "But it's only one game and our heads are up. We just have to try to win the next game."
Pavelec played well, but Admirals goalie Pekka Rinne was better in stopping 34 shots. Solving Rinne, who won an AHL-best 36 times in the regular season, may hold the key to the rest of the series for the Wolves.
The Wolves were 1-for-7 on the power play, which included a failed attempt for the first 1:43 of overtime.
Langfeld's hat trick was only the fourth against the Wolves in their playoff history.
"He was in the right place at the right times and you have to like that about a guy who rises to the occasion in the playoffs," Anderson said.