GAME PREVIEW - MANITOBA MOOSE AT IOWA WILD 2.22.16
Feb 22, 2016Manitoba Moose (16-27-4-5, 41 Points) at Iowa Wild (16-30-3-4, 39 Points)
Iowa and Manitoba meet for the third of eight meetings this season. The Wild and the Moose split a two-game set over the New Year in Winnipeg. Iowa claimed the last meeting, a 4-3 win at Manitoba on Jan. 1. This marks Manitoba’s first ever visit to Iowa. Each team will host four games this season, including the next meeting in Des Moines on Feb. 22. The NHL’s Winnipeg Jets moved their AHL team from St. John’s to Winnipeg for the 2015-16 season. The Moose previously played in the AHL from 2001-2011 as an independent team (no NHL affiliate). The team posted a 420-287-23-35-35 record in 800 outings.
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Iowa is 7-16-3-2 at home this season, having been outscored 89-67 by the visitors. The Wild is 5-3-1-1 and 11-9-1-1 since Dec. 26. Iowa is coming off a 3-2 shootout loss at Milwaukee on Sunday.
Manitoba is 6-16-2-2 on the road this season, outscored by the home teams 96-53. The Moose are 5-3-1-1 over the last ten games played. The team is coming off a 4-1 win at Milwaukee on Saturday. The Moose is unbeaten in regulation in its last six games (4-0-1-1) and the club has four straight victories coming into Wells Fargo Arena.
Upcoming Games:
Team Date Time Radio / TV
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
at Texas 3/2 7:30 PM CT KXNO / iHeartRadio
Transactions:
2.19.16: Delete – G Brody Hoffman – assigned to Quad City (ECHL)
2.19.16: Add – D Guillaume Gelinas – recalled from Quad City (ECHL)
2.22.16: Add – F Jared Knight– recalled from Quad City (ECHL)
Last Time Out
The Iowa Wild defeated by the Milwaukee Admirals 2-1 in a shootout in front of 8,973 fans on Sunday afternoon at the BMO Harris Bradley Center. In a defensive battle, Milwaukee’s Matt White scored the only goal in the three-round shootout, giving the Admirals the extra point and the victory. Milwaukee’s Jusse Saros stopped 19 of 20 in regulation and all three attempts for the shootout win. Iowa goalie Leland Irving (8-15-4) stopped 31 of 32 in regulation and two of three in the shootout defeat. Wild forward Marc Hagel and Admirals forward Pontus Aberg each scored in regulation.
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 53 games played. Downing has 31 points off 15 goals and 16 assists in 36 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 34 games played. Bertschy has five goals in his last nine games played. He is tied for first on the team with 19 assists and is fourth with 28 points in 50 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 28 appearances, going 8-15-4 with a 2.61 GAA and a .916 SV%. Rookie Steve Michalek is 3-1-0 with a 2.02 GAA and a .945 SV %.
Iowa ranks 18th after going 30-for-182 (16.5%) on the power play. The team is 136-for-166 (81.9%) 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.
Manitoba Moose
Forwards Chase De Leo, JC Lipon, Nic Petan and defenseman Brenden Kichton lead the team in scoring. De Leo leads the team with 14 goals and 29 points in 52 games. Petan is second on the team in assists with 20 and is tied for second in points with 28 in 37 games played. Lipon is third on the team in assists (17) and he is third in goals (11). The right wing is tied for second overall in scoring with 28 points in 41 games played. Kichton leads the team in assists with 22 in 48 games played. He is also tied for second on the team in points with 28.
Eric Comrie (11-19-7) holds a 3.09 GAA and a .908 SV% in 37 appearances. Recently assigned by Winnipeg, Connor Hellebuyck is 5-7-1 on the year with a 2.24 GAA and a .933 SV%. Hellebuyck has played three of the last four games for the Moose.
Manitoba is 31-for-200 and sits 19th at 15.5%. The Moose is 170-for-213 and sits 26th at 79.8%.