GAME PREVIEW - IOWA WILD AT TEXAS STARS 3.2.16
Mar 2, 2016Iowa Wild (18-32-3-4, 43 Points) at Texas Stars (32-20-4-3, 71 Points)
Iowa visits Texas for a pair of games on Wednesday and Friday, being the final two of four meetings this season. This marks the Iowa’s only visit to Texas this season. The two team split a pair of games in Des Moines in October, with Iowa taking the first one and Texas countering for the last encounter, a 4-1 win at Wells Fargo Arena. The two teams played eight times in 2014-15, with the Stars taking six of the eight meetings. The Stars have beaten the Wild in 12 of the 16 all-time meetings, holding a 5-1-1-0 record in Cedar Park. Texas won all four meetings at Wells Fargo Arena last year and has taken six of the last seven.
BECOME A WILD 365 MEMBER TODAY!
Iowa is 9-16-0-2 on the road this season, having been outscored 75-52 by the home clubs. The Wild is 5-4-0-1 and 13-11-1-1 since Dec. 26. The Wild is coming off a 3-0 loss at Grand Rapids on Saturday night.
Texas is 15-8-3-0 at home this season, outscoring the visitors 92-71. The Stars are 7-2-1-0 over the last ten games played. The team is coming off a 5-2 loss at home to Ontario on Saturday.
Upcoming Games:
Team Date Time Radio / TV
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
at Milwaukee 3/11 7:00 PM CT KXNO / iHeartRadio
Transactions:
2.28.16: - Add – D Christian Folin – assigned by Minnesota (NHL)
2.29.16: - Delete – F Brett Sutter – traded to Los Angeles (NHL)
2.29.16: - Delete – F Michael Keranen – traded to Ottawa (NHL)
2.29.16: - Add – F Scott Sabourin – traded from Los Angeles (NHL)
2.29.16: - Add – D Conor Allen – traded from Ottawa (NHL)
3.1.16: Delete – F Jared Knight– assigned to Quad City (ECHL)
3.1.16: Add – F Brady Brassart - recalled from Quad City (ECHL)
3.1.16: Delete – F Kellan Lain – released from PTO
Last Time Out
The Iowa Wild were defeated by the Grand Rapids Griffins 3-0 in front of 9,547 fans at Van Andel Arena on Saturday night. Griffins’ goalie Tom McCollum made 29 saves for the shutout, helping Grand Rapids win its sixth straight at home over Iowa. The Griffins scored one goal in each period, with tallies by Robbie Russo, Louis-Marc Aubry and Martin Frk. Iowa goalie Steve Michalek took the loss with 39 saves.
Iowa Wild
Forwards Grayson Downing, Zack Mitchell, Jordan Schroeder and Christoph Bertschy lead Iowa in scoring. Mitchell leads the team with 20 goals and 33 points in 57 games played. Downing has 31 points off 15 goals and 16 assists in 39 games played. Bertschy is tied for first on the team with 19 assists and is fourth with 28 points in 54 games played. He also leads the team with 121 shots on goal. Forward Jordan Schroeder returned from Minnesota. He is tied third in scoring with 30 points and tied for first on the team with 19 assists in 36 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 52 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 4-2-0 with a 2.01 GAA and a .943 SV %.
Iowa ranks 22nd after going 30-for-193 (15.5%) on the power play. The team is 146-for-179 (81.6%) on the penalty kill – 19th 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.
Texas Stars
Center Travis Morin and left wing Brendan Ranford lead Texas in scoring with 47 points each. Morin has 15 goals is and is tied for the team lead with 32 assists in 54 games played. Randford has 15 goals and 47 points in 59 games played. Rookie center Jason Dickinson and third-year forward Curtis McKenzie are third and fourth on the team in scoring. Dickinson is tied for the team lead with 19 goals and is third with 44 points in 57 games played. McKenzie is fourth on the squad with 39 points in 45 games played. He has 14 goals and 25 assists in 45 for the year.
Maxime Lagace (15-6-1) has made 23 appearances, posting a 2.69 GAA and .918 SV%. Jack Campbell (3-6-3) holds a 4.27 GAA and .868 SV% in 12 appearances.
Texas is 54-for-265 on the power play and sits 4th at 20.4%. The Stars penalty kill 202-for-252 and 25th at 80.2%.