GAME PREVIEW - GRAND RAPIDS GRIFFINS AT IOWA WILD 2.12.16
Feb 12, 2016Grand Rapids Griffins (26-17-1-1, 54 Points) at Iowa Wild (14-28-3-3, 34 Points)
Iowa and Grand Rapids meet for the fourth of eight meetings this season. Iowa fell 4-3 in OT in the last meeting at home on Dec. 13. The Griffins have outscored the Wild 14-6 this season. After Friday, the Wild hosts the Griffins for a rematch on Saturday. The Griffins have dominated the all-time series by going 15-2-0-0 in 17 all-time meetings. Grand Rapids is 8-0-0-0 in Des Moines, while Iowa is 0-6-2-0 at Wells Fargo Arena. Iowa is 2-13-2-0 all-time against the Griffins. Dating back to 2013-14, Grand Rapids has taken the last 10 meetings over Iowa. The Wild’s last win in the series came on Mar. 8, 2014 – a 3-1 win at Van Andel Arena.
Iowa is 6-15-3-2 at home this season, having been outscored 60-83 by the visitors. Iowa is 5-4-1-0 over its last ten games and is 9-6-1-0 since Dec. 26. Iowa is coming off a 5-1 victory on the road against the Chicago Wolves.
Grand Rapids is 10-9-0-1 on the road, outscoring the home teams 62-55. The Griffins are 4-5-1-0 over the last ten games. Grand Rapids is coming off a 4-3 OT win at home against the Rockford IceHogs.
Upcoming Games:
Team Date Time Radio / TV
vs. Grand Rapids 2/12 7:00 PM CT KXNO / iHeartRadio / MC22
vs. Grand Rapids 2/13 7:00 PM CT KXNO / iHeartRadio
at Milwaukee 2/14 5:00 PM CT KXNO / iHeartRadio
at Chicago 2/18 7:00 PM CT KXNO / iHeartRadio
at Milwaukee 2/21 3:00 PM CT KXNO / iHeartRadio
Transactions:
2.6.16: Add – F Jared Knight – recalled from Quad City (ECHL)
2.8.16: Delete – D Mike Reilly – recalled by Minnesota (NHL)
2.8.16: Delete – G Jeremy Smith – reassigned by Boston (NHL) to Providence (AHL)
2.8.16: Add – F Tyler Graovac – reassigned by Minnesota (NHL)
Last Time Out
The Iowa Wild defeated the Chicago Wolves 5-1 in front of 9,053 fans on Saturday night at Allstate Arena. The Wild blasted the Wolves with four goals over a 5:57 first-period span and goalie Steven Michalek took care of the rest with 36 saves. Wild forwards Brett Sutter, Grayson Downing and Rob Bordson, as well as defenseman Zach Palmquist each scored in the game’s opening period. Chicago goalie Jordan Binnington was tagged with the loss. He was chased from the net at 15:09 of the first after allowing his third goal of the period and finishing with seven saves. Backup goalie Niklas Lundstrom finished up, stopping 12 of 13 without the decision. Wild forward Christoph Bertschy also added an empty-net goal.
Iowa Wild
Forward Grayson Downing leads the team with 28 points in 31 games played. Downing has 15 points in his last 15 games. Forward Zack Mitchell leads the team with 16 goals in 48 games. Mitchell and forward Jordan Schroeder are tied for second on the team with 27 points. Schroeder has points in his last six straight games, totaling two goals and nine assists over that span. Right wing Christoph Bertschy is fourth on the team in points with 25 in 45 games played. Bertschy and Schroeder lead the team with 17 assists each. Mike Reilly, recently called up to Minnesota (NHL), led all defensemen with 21 points in 40 games before his call up.
Leland Irving and Steven Michalek split time in net for Iowa. Leland Irving has made 25 appearances, going 7-14-3 with a 2.78 GAA and a .912 SV%. Rookie Steven Michalek has posted two victories in two games for Iowa, posting a 1.00 GAA and a .971 SV %.
Iowa ranks 18th after going 26-for-160 (16.3%) on the power play. The team is 125-for-155 (80.6%) on the penalty kill – 23rd in the AHL.
Notables –
● Wild forward Jordan Schroeder has 11 points in his last six games, tying the franchise record for consecutive games with at least one point.
Grand Rapids Griffins
Center Andy Miele leads Grand Rapids in scoring with 35 points in 45 games played. Miele has a team-leading 26 assists. Veteran left wing Eric Tangradi is second on the team with 33 points, tallying 17 goals and 16 assists in 41 games. Forwards Martin Frk and Anthony Mantha are tied for third on the team in scoring with 28 points. Frk leads the Griffins with 18 goals in 36 games played. Rookie Robbie Russo leads all defenseman in scoring with 19 points in 40 games played. Russo also ranks fifth in plus-minus in the league with a plus-24.
Jared Coreau (21-8-2) has played the majority of the season for the Griffins, posting a 2.30 GAA and .927 SV% in 32 games played. Tom McCollum (5-8-0) holds a 2.69 GAA and .921 SV% in 14 appearances.
Grand Rapids is 30-for-198 on the power play and sits 23rd at 15.2%. The Griffins penalty kill 146-for-172 and 6th at 85.4%.