GAME PREVIEW - IOWA WILD AT CHICAGO WOLVES 2.18.16

Feb 18, 2016

MEDIA KIT - HERE

Chicago Wolves (23-22-2-2, 50 Points) at Iowa Wild (15-30-3-3, 36 Points)

Iowa and Chicago meet for the eighth of 12 meetings this season. Iowa claimed the last meeting, a 5-1 decision on Feb. 6 at Allstate Arena. The next meeting between the two clubs is in Des Moines on Mar. 25. Thursday marks Iowa’s final regular season visit to Chicago, where the team is 2-2-0-0. The Wolves are 5-2-0-0 this season against the Wild, which is 2-4-1-0 this season. Iowa is 7-14-2-2 all-time against Chicago and 5-6-1-1 at Allstate Arena. Chicago leads the all-time series with an 18-4-1-2 record, including an 8-4-0-1 mark at home. The Wolves have posted nine straight wins at Wells Fargo Arena. The streak began with a 4-1 Wolves win on April 11, 2014 in Des Moines.

Iowa is 8-14-0-1 on the road this season, having been outscored 64-47 by the home teams. The Wild is 5-4-1-0 and 10-8-1-0 since Dec. 26. Iowa is coming off a 2-0 loss at Milwaukee on Sunday. Iowa continues a three-game road trip with an additional stop in Milwaukee before returning home on Feb. 22. Iowa is 4-3-0-0 over the last seven road games.

Chicago is 14-7-0-1 at home this season, outscoring the visitors 69-51. The Wolves are 4-5-1-0 over the last ten games played. The team is coming off a 5-2 loss at Manitoba on Sunday. Chicago is 2-2-0-0 over the last four home games.

Upcoming Games:

Team                                      Date    Time              Radio / TV

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

vs. Manitoba                            2/24      7:00 PM CT   KXNO / iHeartRadio / MC22

at Grand Rapids                       2/26      6:00 PM CT   KXNO / iHeartRadio

Transactions:

2.17.16: Delete – F Jared Knight– assigned to Quad City (ECHL)

2.18.16: Add – G Brody Hoffman – recalled from Quad City (ECHL)

Last Time Out

The Iowa Wild were defeated by the Milwaukee Admirals 2-0 in front of 14,075 fans on Sunday at the BMO Harris Bradley Center. Playing its third game over the last three days, the Iowa Wild failed to beat Milwaukee goalie Marek Mazanec, who made 23 saves for his eighth career shutout.  Video review was needed to confirm the eventual game-winning goal by Admirals forward Kevin Fiala and Max Reinhart added an empty-net goal for the team’s 30th win of the year. Iowa goalie Leland Irving made 21 saves on 22 shots in the one-goal defeat. Iowa’s David Cunniff made his head-coaching debut after he was named the third head coach in team history on Saturday night.

Iowa Wild

Forwards Grayson Downing, Jordan Schroeder, Zack Mitchell and Christoph Bertschy lead Iowa in scoring. Downing has 30 points off 14 goals and 16 assists in 34 games played. Mitchell leads the team with 18 goals and 30 points in 51 games played. Schroeder is third in scoring with 29 points. Until Sunday at Milwaukee, he had points in eight straight games, totaling three goals and 10 assists over that span. For the season, he has 11 goals and is second on the team with 18 assists in 32 games played. Bertschy has five goals in his last seven games played. He is first on the team with 19 assists and is fourth with 28 points in 48 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 17 points in 48 games played.

Leland Irving and Steven Michalek split time in net for Iowa. Leland Irving has made 26 appearances, going 7-15-3 with a 2.71 GAA and a .914 SV%. Rookie Steve Michalek is 3-1-0 with a 2.02 GAA and a .945 SV %. Goalie Brody Hoffman was added on Thursday, he has yet to make his AHL debut.

Iowa ranks 16th after going 29-for-171 (17.0%) on the power play. The team is 131-for-161 (81.4%) on the penalty kill – 21st in the AHL.

Notables –

●       David Cunniff made his head-coaching debut on Sunday, having been named the third head coach in Iowa Wild history on Feb. 13. He replaces John Torchetti, who was promoted to coach the NHL’s Minnesota Wild.

●       Wild forward Zack Mitchell (35) trails Tyler Graovac (37) for Iowa’s all-time goal scoring lead.

Chicago Wolves

Center Pat Cannone, right wing Danny Kristo and defenseman Andre Benoit lead the Wolves in scoring. Cannone is first in assists with 24 and has 17 goals for 41 points in 47 games played. Kristo is tied for first on the team with 17 goals and second overall in points with 34 in 44 games played. Benoit has five goals and 22 assists for 27 points in 43 games. He leads all Chicago defensemen in points. Right wing Jordan Caron is third on the team in goals scored at 14. He is tied for third in scoring with 27 points in 43 games played. Right wing Ty Rattie recently returned from the parent club in St. Louis. He has nine goals and 25 points in 38 games with Chicago.

Wolves goalies Jordan Binnington and Niklas Lundstrom split time in net. Binnington (10-10-3) has made 25 appearances, posting a 2.86 GAA and a .903 SV%. Lundstrom (1-1-0) has played in four games, holding a 2.75 GAA and .901 SV%.

Chicago is 31-for-210 on the power play and sits 26th at 14.8%. The Wolves penalty kill sits 29th at 78.4%, going 152-for-194.

 

 

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