SPRINGFIELD, Mass. -  The Springfield Thunderbirds (32-22-2-5) continue their push toward a Calder Cup playoff berth when they visit the Hartford Wolf Pack (26-24-4-7) for back-to-back games on Friday and Saturday night at the XL Center in Hartford. 

Puck drop on Friday is slated for 7:00 p.m., while the two clubs will tangle at 6:00 p.m. on Saturday for the second duel of the weekend.

The Thunderbirds have won three straight games against their I-91 rivals and hold a 7-1-0-1 record thus far in the season series. Springfield has outscored Hartford 29-17 over the prior nine matchups.

Goaltending has been at the forefront of the Thunderbirds' I-91 rivalry success in 2022-23. Prior to his recall to the St. Louis Blues, Joel Hofer posted a 6-1-1 record against Hartford with a 1.59 goals-against average and .949 save percentage, allowing just 13 goals in eight starts. 

Rookie Vadim Zherenko picked up right where Hofer left off last Friday in a 4-2 Springfield win inside XL Center. Despite trailing 2-0 less than 10 minutes into the game, Zherenko was perfect the rest of the way to pick up his third consecutive win, stopping 29 of 31 Wolf Pack attempts on goal. So far in his rookie campaign, the 22-year-old Zherenko has posted the third-best save percentage in the AHL (.925) while going 10-7-3 with a 2.71 goals-against average. 

Since Jan. 15, Zherenko has been one of the league's best goalies, going 6-0-2 over his last eight starts with a 2.27 goals-against average and a .937 save percentage.

Offensively, Martin Frk has continued to spark the T-Birds attack, scoring 18 of his 27 goals since Jan. 1, tied for the most in the AHL. He is now just three goals off the league lead in that department, while Matthew Highmore (55 points) sits just behind Frk in a tie for 12th in league scoring. 

Will Bitten has continued to be a thorn in Hartford's side this season, posting a hat trick in the third period of last Friday's 4-2 win and generating 12 points (seven goals, five assists) over nine games against the Pack. 

Entering Friday's action, the Thunderbirds' magic number to clinch a playoff spot sits at 14. That number will decrease with each point in the standings earned by the T-Birds, as well as each point that is not attained by the team sitting in seventh in the Atlantic Division. Hartford currently holds seventh position, so the Thunderbirds can potentially earn up to eight points toward the magic number this weekend.

After the local road trip, the Thunderbirds fly down to Charlotte for three straight matchups at Bojangles' Coliseum against the Checkers on Wednesday, March 29 (7:00 p.m.); Friday, March 31 (7:00 p.m.); and Saturday, April 1 (6:00 p.m.). 

Thunderbirds fans can reserve their seats for upcoming games by calling (413) 739-GOAL (4625) or visiting www.SpringfieldThunderbirds.com.