GAME PREVIEW - GRAND RAPIDS GRIFFINS AT IOWA WILD 2.13.16
Feb 13, 2016Grand Rapids Griffins (26-18-1-1, 54 Points) at Iowa Wild (15-28-3-3, 36 Points)
Iowa and Grand Rapids meet for the fifth of eight meetings this season. Iowa cruised past Grand Rapids 4-2 on Friday night in Des Moines. After Saturday, the two teams play on Feb. 26 at Van Andel Arena. The Griffins have outscored the Wild 16-10 this season. Friday’s win ended a ten-game winless skid for the Wild against the Griffins, and it also ended Grand Rapids string of eight straight wins at Wells Fargo Arena. The Griffins have dominated the all-time series by going 15-3-0-0 in 18 all-time meetings. Grand Rapids is 8-1-0-0 in Des Moines, while Iowa is 1-6-2-0 at Wells Fargo Arena. Iowa is 3-13-2-0 all-time against the Griffins.
Iowa is 7-15-3-2 at home this season, having been outscored 85-64 by the visitors. Iowa is 6-3-1-0 over its last ten games and is 10-6-1-0 since Dec. 26. Iowa is coming off a 4-2 victory at home over the Griffins on Friday.
Grand Rapids is 10-10-0-1 on the road, outscoring the home teams 64-59. The Griffins are 3-6-1-0 over the last ten games. Grand Rapids is coming off a 4-2 loss at Iowa on Friday.
Upcoming Games:
Team Date Time Radio / TV
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
vs. Manitoba 2/22 7:00 PM CT KXNO / iHeartRadio
Transactions:
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 Grand Rapids Griffins 4-2 in front of 10,097 fans on Friday night at Wells Fargo Arena. Iowa scored four-unanswered goals over a span of 13:16, ending a 10-game winless streak against Grand Rapids. Wild forward Christoph Bertschy scored two goals and added an assist for a three-point night and forward Jordan Schroeder extended his point streak to seven games, breaking the Iowa Wild franchise record. Iowa goalie Steve Michalek stopped 35 of 37 shots in the victory. Forwards Tyler Graovac and Zack Mitchell added a goal each in the Wild win. Grand Rapids goalie Tom McCollum made 24 saves on 28 shots in the Griffins’ first loss at Wells Fargo Arena in franchise history, dropping their record to 8-1-0-0 in Des Moines. Defenseman Ryan Sproul and forward Tomas Nosek added a goal each in the Grand Rapids loss.
Iowa Wild
Forwards Grayson Downing, Jordan Schroeder, Zack Mitchell and Christoph Bertschy lead Iowa in scoring. Downing has 29 points off 13 goals and 16 assists in 31 games played. Mitchell leads the team with 17 goals and 29 points in 49 games played. Schroeder and Bertschy are tied for third on the team with 28 points each. Schroeder has points in his last seven straight games, totaling two goals and 10 assists over that span. For the season, he has 10 goals and is tied for the team lead with 18 assists in 30 games played. Bertschy has five goals in his last five games played. He is tied for the team lead with 18 assists and is tied for third with 28 points in 46 games played. Mike Reilly, recently called up to Minnesota (NHL), led all defensemen with 21 points in 40 games before his call up. All-star defenseman Gustav Olofsson leads all active blueliners with 15 points in 46 games played.
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 three straight victories to start his AHL career. He is 3-0-0 with a 1.34 GAA and a .963 SV %.
Iowa ranks 16th after going 28-for-164 (17.1%) on the power play. The team is 128-for-158 (81.0%) on the penalty kill – 23rd in the AHL.
Notables –
● Wild forward Jordan Schroeder has 12 points in his last seven games, breaking 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 46 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 42 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 37 games played. Rookie Robbie Russo leads all defenseman in scoring with 19 points in 41 games played. Russo also ranks among the league leaders in plus/minus with a +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 (5-9-0) holds a 2.79 GAA and .917 SV% in 15 appearances.
Grand Rapids is 30-for-201 on the power play and sits 24th at 14.9%. The Griffins penalty kill 148-for-175 and 9th at 84.6%.