GAME PREVIEW - IOWA WILD AT MILWAUKEE ADMIRALS 2.21.16
Feb 21, 2016Iowa Wild (16-30-3-3, 38 Points) at Milwaukee Admirals (31-16-3-0, 65 Points)
Iowa and Milwaukee meet for the sixth of eight meetings this season. The Admirals lead the season series by taking three out of the previous five, including the last meeting on Feb. 15 – a 2-0 Milwaukee win. Iowa is 2-2-1-0 in the season series, while Milwaukee is 3-1-1-0. The Admirals lead the all-time series, posting a 14-6-2-1 record over the previous three seasons. Milwaukee is 5-6-0-0 all-time at home against the Wild. Iowa is 6-4-0-1 all-time. The Wild has a 9-11-2-1 mark in 22 all-time meetings against the Admirals.
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Iowa is 9-14-0-1 on the road this season, having been outscored 66-50 by the home teams. The Wild is 5-4-1-0 and 11-9-1-0 since Dec. 26. Iowa is coming off a 3-2 OT win at Chicago on Thursday. Iowa concludes a three-game road trip in Milwaukee before returning home on Feb. 22. Iowa is 5-3-0-0 over the last eight road games.
Milwaukee is 18-9-0-0 at home this season, outscoring the visitors 82-69. The Admirals are 6-3-1-0 over the last ten games played. The team is coming off a 4-1 defeat at home to the Manitoba Moose on Saturday.
Upcoming Games:
Team Date Time Radio / TV
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
at Grand Rapids 2/27 6:00 PM CT KXNO / iHeartRadio
Transactions:
2.17.16: Delete – F Jared Knight– assigned to Quad City (ECHL)
2.19.16: Delete – G Brody Hoffman – assigned to Quad City (ECHL)
2.19.16: Add – D Guillaume Gelinas – recalled from Quad City (ECHL)
Last Time Out
The Iowa Wild defeated the Chicago Wolves 3-2 in overtime in front of 3,017 fans on Thursday night at Allstate Arena. Iowa forward Zack Mitchell beat Chicago goalie Pheonix Copley 2:18 into overtime, giving the Wild the road victory. Forwards Rob Bordson and Grayson Downing also scored, as Iowa fell into a 2-0 hole in the game’s first 9:31. Goalie Leland Irving was spectacular for Iowa down the stretch, stopping all 21 shots in the final 42:18 of play. Irving stopped 23 of 25 for the win, while Chicago’s Copley stopped 29 of 32 in defeat. Defenseman Tyson Strachan set up Iowa’s first two goals of the night. The victory marks interim Head Coach David Cunniff’s first win as a head coach.
Iowa Wild
Forwards Grayson Downing, Jordan Schroeder, Zack Mitchell and Christoph Bertschy lead Iowa in scoring. Mitchell leads the team with 19 goals and 32 points in 52 games played. Downing has 31 points off 15 goals and 16 assists in 35 games played. Schroeder is third in scoring with 30 points. For the season, he has 11 goals and is tied for first on the team with 19 assists in 33 games played. Bertschy has five goals in his last eight games played. He is tied for first on the team with 19 assists and is fourth with 28 points in 49 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 49 games played.
Leland Irving and Steven Michalek split time in net for Iowa. Leland Irving has made 27 appearances, going 8-15-3 with a 2.68 GAA and a .914 SV%. Rookie Steve Michalek is 3-1-0 with a 2.02 GAA and a .945 SV %.
Iowa ranks 17th after going 30-for-177 (16.9%) on the power play. The team is 133-for-163 (81.6%) on the penalty kill – 20th in the AHL.
Notables –
● Wild forward Zack Mitchell (36) trails Tyler Graovac (37) for Iowa’s all-time goal scoring lead. Mitchell set a new career high with his 19th goal on Thursday. He needs three more to break the all-time single season mark of 21, set by Graovac in 2014-15.
● Captain Maxime Fortunus played in his 750th AHL game on Thursday in Chicago.
Milwaukee Admirals
Center Frederick Gaudreau leads the club in nearly every scoring category. He has 31 points in 49 games played, scoring 12 goals and adding 19 assists. Rookie Max Gortz leads the team in assists and is tied for first in points. The first-year skater has 11 goals and 20 assists for 31 points in 46 games played. Left Wing Kevin Fiala ranks third on the team in scoring with 27 points in 42 games. Defensemen Trevor Murphy and Taylor Aronson lead the Admirals blueliners in scoring with 21 points each.
Rookie Jussi Saros (16-6-0) holds a 2.40 GAA and a .918 SV% In 22 appearances. Marek Mazanec (15-10-3) has played in 28 games this season, posting a 2.40 GAA and .916 SV%
Milwaukee is 38-for-203 and sits 8th at 18.7%. The Admirals are 157-for-185 and sits 9th at 84.9%.