GAME PREVIEW - IOWA WILD AT GRAND RAPIDS GRIFFINS 2.27.16
Feb 27, 2016Iowa Wild (18-31-3-4, 43 Points) at Grand Rapids Griffins (31-20-1-1, 64 Points)
Iowa and Grand Rapids meet for the seventh of eight meetings this season. Iowa and Grand Rapids played on Friday in GR, with the Griffins posting a 4-1 win. After Saturday, the two teams play on Apr. 11 at Wells Fargo Arena. The Griffins have outscored the Wild 24-14 this season. The Griffins have dominated the all-time series by going 17-3-0-0 in 20 all-time meetings. Grand Rapids is 8-2-0-0 at Van Andel Arena, while Iowa is 2-8-0-0. The Wild is 3-15-2-0 all-time against the Griffins.
Iowa is 8-17-3-2 on the road this season, having been outscored 72-52 by the home clubs. The Wild is 5-4-0-1 and 13-10-1-1 since Dec. 26. Iowa is coming off a 4-1 loss at Grand Rapids on Friday.
Grand Rapids is 19-9-1-0 at home this season, outscoring the visitors 92-71. The Griffins are 7-3-0-0 over the last ten games played. The team is coming off a 4-1 win at home over Iowa on Friday. The team has 14 goals in the last three games.
Upcoming Games:
Team Date Time Radio / TV
at Grand Rapids 2/27 6:00 PM CT KXNO / iHeartRadio
at Texas 3/2 7:30 PM CT KXNO / iHeartRadio
at Texas 3/4 7:30 PM CT KXNO / iHeartRadio
at Manitoba 3/7 7:00 PM CT KXNO / iHeartRadio
at Manitoba 3/9 7:00 PM CT KXNO / iHeartRadio
Transactions:
2.19.16: Add – D Guillaume Gelinas – recalled from Quad City (ECHL)
2.22.16: Add – F Jared Knight– recalled from Quad City (ECHL)
2.24.16: Delete – F Jordan Schroeder – recalled by Minnesota (NHL)
Last Time Out
The Iowa Wild were defeated by the Grand Rapids Griffins 4-1 in front of 8,280 fans at Van Andel Arena on Friday night. The Griffins used a balanced scoring attack and goalie Jared Correau made 34 saves, helping Grand Rapids improve to 5-1-0-0 this season. Forward Tyler Graovac scored his club’s lone goal, as the Wild saw its four-game points streak come to a halt. Iowa goalie Leland Irving made 35 saves in defeat.
Iowa Wild
Forwards Grayson Downing, Zack Mitchell and Christoph Bertschy lead Iowa in scoring. Mitchell leads the team with 20 goals and 33 points in 56 games played. Downing has 31 points off 15 goals and 16 assists in 38 games played. Bertschy is tied for first on the team with 19 assists and is fourth with 28 points in 53 games played. He also leads the team with 121 shots on goal. Forward Jordan Schroeder is on recall to Minnesota. He was tied third in scoring with 30 points and tied for first on the team with 19 assists in 35 games played. Mike Reilly led defenseman in scoring before his call up to Minnesota (NHL), with 21 points in 40 games. All-star defenseman Gustav Olofsson leads all active blueliners with 17 points in 51 games played.
Leland Irving and Steven Michalek split time in net for Iowa. Leland Irving has made 29 appearances, going 9-16-4 with a 2.63 GAA and a .916 SV%. Rookie Steve Michalek is 4-1-0 with a 1.82 GAA and a .946 SV %.
Iowa ranks 18th after going 30-for-191 (15.7%) on the power play. The team is 144-for-176 (81.8%) on the penalty kill – 20th in the AHL.
Notables –
● Wild forward Zack Mitchell (37) trails Tyler Graovac (38) for Iowa’s all-time goal scoring lead. Mitchell set a new career high with his 20th goal of the season on Wednesday. He also needs one goal to tie Graovac’s single season mark of 21.
Grand Rapids Griffins
Center Andy Miele leads Grand Rapids in scoring with 38 points in 53 games played. Miele is second on the team with 27 assists. Veteran left wing Eric Tangradi is tied for second in scoring with 37 points, tallying 18 goals and 19 assists in 49 games. Left wing Anthony Mantha is tied for second in scoring and third in goals. Mantha has 17 goals and 37 points in 48 games played. Right wing Martin Frk leads the team with 21 goals and he is tied for fourth on the team with 33 points in 44 games played. Forward Mark Zengerle leads the team with 29 assists and is tied for fourth in scoring with 34 points in 50 games played. Rookie Robbie Russo leads all defenseman in scoring with 24 points in 48 games played. Russo also ranks among the league leaders in plus/minus with a +34.
Jared Coreau (25-10-2) has played the majority of the season for the Griffins, posting a 2.25 GAA and .929 SV% in 38 games played. Tom McCollum (6-9-0) holds a 2.79 GAA and .918 SV% in 16 appearances.
Grand Rapids is 34-for-223 on the power play and sits 23rd at 14.2%. The Griffins penalty kill 165-for-198 and 13th at 83.3%.