BY: Gerry Cantlon, Howlings HARTFORD, CT - The NHL has reached the Conference Finals  with the NY Islanders taking on the Tampa Bay Lightning and in the Western Conference, the two combatants are the Dallas Stars and the Las Vegas Golden Knights.  Both series are being played at Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. While the excitement is building to a Stanley Cup climax, there is plenty of news going on outside the bubble in Edmonton. HARTFORD WOLF PACK After a troubled first season of North American pro hockey, Vitali Kravtsov is heading back to Russia. Without any fanfare, or even a press release from either the New York Rangers or the KHL's Traktor Chelyabinsk, Kravtsov, the Blueshirts' young, first round pick (ninth overall) in 2018 was loaned to his former Russian team once again. As the KHL's 13th season begins, and donning his number 74 jersey, Kravtsov joins Traktor as they play Kunlun on Sunday in their first game. The Beijing-based team will play in Mystichi, Russia (near Moscow) as part of the league's restriction-based COVID rules. Ex-Pack, Danny Kristo, plays for the Red Star. Last year Kravtsov tallied a meager 15 points in 39 games in Hartford. He left for Russia after playing just five games that included his being benched in the first game of the season after the first period. Kravtsov went back to the KHL and under-performed there as well. Read the full article