GAME PREVIEW - GRAND RAPIDS GRIFFINS AT IOWA WILD 3.21.14
Mar 21, 2014Grand Rapids Griffins (39-18-2-4, 84 points) at Iowa Wild (25-26-6-4, 60 points)
Friday’s game is the eighth of ten meetings this season between Iowa and Grand Rapids. The two teams will play again on Saturday afternoon. They last met in Grand Rapids on Mar. 8 and Iowa picked up a 3-1 win at Van Andel Arena. The Griffins are 5-2-0-0 against the Wild this season, outscoring Iowa 18-11 in the season series. Four of the six games have been decided by one goal. Iowa and Grand Rapids will conclude its season series at Van Andel Arena on Apr. 2.
Iowa had its three-game winning streak snapped on Wednesday night, falling to the visiting Texas Stars 4-2 at Wells Fargo Arena. The defeat dropped Iowa’s record to 11-16-3-1 at home, having been outscored 87-66. Iowa is 3-7-0-0 over the last ten outings and 11-15-3-2 against the Midwest Division.
The defending champs lead the Midwest Division and are second the Western Conference with 84 points, third best among all AHL teams. Grand Rapids is 19-7-2-2 on the road this season, outscoring the opposing teams 103-78. The Griffins are 22-10-0-1 against the Midwest Division. The club is coming off back-to-back wins, including a 4-3 win at Oklahoma City on Mar. 15.
Upcoming Games:
Team Date Time Radio / TV
vs. Grand Rapids 3/21 7:05 PM KXNO / iHeartRadio
vs. Grand Rapids 3/22 1:05 PM KXNO / iHeartRadio
vs. Charlotte 3/25 5:35 PM Mediacom 22 / KXNO / iHeartRadio
Latest Transactions:
3/14 – Delete forward Mike Ullrich (released from PTO)
3/13 – Delete defenseman Colton Jobke and forward Taylor Matson (assigned to Orlando – ECHL)
3/5 – Delete goalie Hannu Toivonen (released from PTO)
Last Time Out:
The Iowa Wild was defeated by the Texas Stars 4-2 in front of 3,871 fans at the Wells Fargo Arena on Wednesday evening. Forward Brett Ritchie snuck a rebound past Johan Gustafsson in the last three minutes of regulation, breaking a 2-2 tie and giving Texas the lead for good. Gustafsson stopped 32 of 36 in the defeat, which ended the team’s three-game winning streak. Texas goalie Jack Campbell stopped 12 of 14 for the victory, as Texas claimed its fifth straight road win. Iowa forwards Tyler Graovac and Brad Winchester each scored in the loss, as Iowa fell to 11-16-3-1 at home this year.
Iowa Wild
After 61 games, forward Brad Winchester leads the team in scoring with 18 goals and 33 points in 63 games. He has two goals and three points in eight games with Iowa since he was acquired from Rockford via trade. Defenseman Jonathon Blum, as well as forwards Carson McMillan and Zack Phillips: are also among the top scorers. Blum has seven goals and 21 assists for 28 points in 52 games played with Iowa. Forward Zack Phillips has a career-high, 11 goals and 18 assists for 29 points in 61 games played. McMillan has 11 goals and 13 assists for 24 points in 53 games played. Tied for second in goal scoring, Brett Bulmer (11 goals) has 18 points in 36 games played. Center Warren Peters is also among the active skaters in points with 19 (8g/11a).
Goalies John Curry and Johan Gustafsson man the nets for Iowa. Curry is 7-7-2 with a 2.31 GAA and a .928 SV%. Johan Gustafsson is 11-14-2 with a 2.94 GAA and a .907 SV %.
Iowa is 41-for-248 (16.5%) on the power play and has allowed 47 power-play goals against on 231 attempts (79.7%). The Wild is 29th in the AHL with a 2.36 goals per game average and the team sits 19th with a 2.97 goals against average.
Notables –
· Grand Rapids ranks 6th in shots per game average and 10th in shots allowed per game.
Grand Rapids Griffins
Right wing Teemu Pulkkinen leads the Griffins in scoring with 26 goals and 51 points in 60 games played. He has a team-high 175 shots on goal and is second with 25 assists. Defenseman Adam Almquist is first on the team with 41 assists and second with 45 points in 60 games played. Almquist also leads the Griffins with 21 power-play assists. The team is missing forward Tomas Jurco, who is in Detroit after scoring 13 goals and totaling 32 points in 32 games played. Cory Emmerton is also among the team leaders with 14 goals and 35 points in 43 games played. Right wing Mitch Callahan is among the team leaders with 22 goals and 36 points in 63 games played.
Goalie Tom McCullom and Petr Mrazek split time in net for Grand Rapids. Mrazek is 18-5-1 with a 2.01 GAA and a .928 SV%. He has made eight appearances for the Red Wings this season, going 1-4-0 with a 2.01 GAA and a .916 SV%. McCullom is 21-11-3 with a 2.29 GAA and a .923 SV %.
Grand Rapids is tenth in the league on the power play, going 52-for-260 (20.0%). The Griffins penalty kill has allowed 37 goals on 273 chances (86.4%). The team averages 3.21 goals per game (4th overall) while allowing 2.43 per game (first overall).