GAME PREVIEW - IOWA WILD AT MANITOBA MOOSE 3.7.16
Mar 7, 2016Iowa Wild (19-33-3-4, 45 Points) at Manitoba Moose (18-31-4-5, 45 Points)
Iowa and Manitoba meet for the fifth of eight meetings this season. The teams open up a two-game set on Monday and close out the visit on Wednesday. It marks Iowa’s second and final visit to Winnipeg. The Moose recently played a pair of games in Des Moines. Iowa swept the set, including the last encounter on Feb. 24 – a 2-1 Wild win. Iowa holds the advantage through their first four games with a 3-1-0-0 record. Iowa is 1-1-0-0 at the MTS Centre. The Moose is 1-2-0-1 in the all-time series, having been outscored 12-10 by the Wild.
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Iowa is 10-17-0-2 on the road this season, having been outscored 83-58 by the home clubs. The Wild is 4-5-0-1 and 14-12-1-1 since Dec. 26. The Wild is coming off a 4-3 overtime win at Texas on Friday night. Iowa ended a three-game losing skid with the win at Texas.
Manitoba is 11-12-2-3 at home this season, outscored by the visitors 85-75. The Moose is 6-4-0-0 over the last ten games played. The team is coming off a 6-1 loss at Texas on Saturday. The club has dropped four of its last six outings.
Upcoming Games:
Team Date Time Radio / TV
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
vs. Milwaukee 3/13 5:00 PM CT KXNO/ iHeartRadio
at Stockton 3/18 9:30 PM CT KXNO / iHeartRadio
at San Jose 3/19 8:00 PM CT KXNO / iHeartRadio
Transactions:
3.1.16: Add – F Brady Brassart - recalled from Quad City (ECHL)
3.1.16: Delete – F Kellan Lain – released from PTO
3.7.16: Add – F Jared Knight– recalled from Quad City (ECHL)
Last Time Out
The Iowa Wild defeated the Texas Stars 4-3 in overtime in front of 4,690 fans at Cedar Park Center on Friday night. Wild forward Jordan Schroeder raced down the ice and ripped a wrist shot over the shoulder of Texas goalie Jack Campbell 43-seconds into overtime, lifting Iowa over Texas. Iowa goalie Steve Michalek was credited with the win after making 15 saves. Iowa held Texas to a franchise record-low 18 shots on net. Iowa’s Grayson Downing, Guillaume Gelinas and Maxime Fortunus scored as the Wild ended a three-game losing skid. In a relief effort, Texas goalie Jack Campbell made 17 saves with the loss.
Iowa Wild
Forwards Grayson Downing, Zack Mitchell, Jordan Schroeder and Christoph Bertschy lead Iowa in scoring. Mitchell leads the team with 20 goals and 34 points in 58 games played. Downing has 32 points off 16 goals and 16 assists in 41 games played. Forward Jordan Schroeder returned from Minnesota. He is tied for second in scoring with 32 points and is second on the team with 19 assists in 38 games played. Bertschy leads the team with 21 assists and is fourth in scoring with 30 points in 56 games played. He also leads the team with 130 shots on goal. 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 31 appearances, going 9-17-4 with a 2.71 GAA and a .914 SV%. Rookie Steve Michalek is 5-2-0 with a 2.15 GAA and a .934 SV %.
Iowa ranks 23rd after going 31-for-201 (15.4%) on the power play. The team is 149-for-183 (81.4%) on the penalty kill – 19th in the AHL.
Notables –
● Wild forward Zack Mitchell saw his team-record of 134 consecutive games played streak come to an end on Friday at Texas. The next longest active streak belongs to defenseman Maxime Fortunus at 59.
Manitoba Moose
Forwards Chase De Leo, JC Lipon, Nic Petan, Austen Brassard and defenseman Brenden Kichton lead the team in scoring. De Leo leads the team with 15 goals and is tied for first with 31 points in 58 games. Petan is tied for the team lead in assists with 23 and is tied for first in points with 31 in 43 games played. Lipon is third on the team in assists (17) and he is third in goals (13). The right wing is tied for third overall in scoring with 30 points in 44 games played. Kichton is tied for the team lead in assists with 23 in 54 games played. He is also tied for fourth on the team in points with 29. Brassard has 13 goals and 29 points in 57 games played.
Eric Comrie (12-19-7) holds a 3.06 GAA and a .909 SV% in 38 appearances. Fellow tender Connor Hellebuyck is 6-11-1 on the year with a 2.35 GAA and a .928 SV%.
Manitoba is 36-for-224 on the power play and sits 19th at 16.1%. The Moose penalty kill is 191-for-238 and sits 26th at 80.3%.