GAME PREVIEW - IOWA WILD AT MANITOBA MOOSE 3.9.16
Mar 9, 2016Iowa Wild (20-33-3-4, 47 Points) at Manitoba Moose (18-32-4-5, 45 Points)
Iowa and Manitoba meet for the sixth of eight meetings this season. The teams close out a two-game set on Wednesday, Iowa’s final visit to Winnipeg. Iowa claimed the last meeting, a 2-1 decision at the MTS Centre on Monday night. Iowa has taken the last four straight, including a pair of games in Des Moines on Feb. 22 and 24. Iowa holds the advantage through their first five games with a 4-1-0-0 record. Iowa is 2-1-0-0 at the MTS Centre this season. The Moose is 1-3-0-1 in the all-time series, having been outscored 14-11 by the Wild.
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Iowa is 11-17-0-2 on the road this season, having been outscored 84-60 by the home clubs. The Wild is 5-4-0-1 and 15-12-1-1 since Dec. 26. The Wild is coming off a 2-1 win at Manitoba on Monday night. Iowa looks for its first three-game winning streak of the season on Wednesday.
Manitoba is 11-13-2-3 at home this season, outscored by the visitors 87-76. The Moose is 5-5-0-0 over the last ten games played. The team is coming off a 2-1 loss at home to Iowa on Wednesday. The club has dropped five of its last seven outings.
Upcoming Games:
Team Date Time Radio / TV
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 Manitoba Moose 2-1 in front of 4,790 fans at the MTS Centre on Monday night. Iowa goalie Leland Irving held Manitoba scoreless for the first 58 minutes of the game and made 32 saves on 33 shots in the victory. Iowa forward Marc Hagel and defenseman Guillaume Gelinas each scored a goal in Iowa’s third consecutive win over Manitoba. Moose goalie Eric Comrie stopped 27 of 29 shots in the loss. Forward Patrice Cormier scored the lone Manitoba goal.
Iowa Wild
Forwards Grayson Downing, Zack Mitchell, Jordan Schroeder and Christoph Bertschy lead Iowa in scoring. Mitchell leads the team with 20 goals and is tied for the lead with 34 points in 58 games played. Downing has 34 points off 16 goals and 18 assists in 42 games played. Forward Jordan Schroeder is third in scoring with 33 points and is second on the team with 20 assists in 39 games played. Bertschy leads the team with 21 assists and is fourth in scoring with 30 points in 57 games played. He also leads the team with 131 shots on goal. Iowa’s offensive leader from the blueline is Maxime Fortunus with five goals and 14 points in 60 games played. Mike Reilly is in Minnesota (21 points) and All-star defenseman Gustav Olofsson (17 points) is injured.
Leland Irving and Steven Michalek split time in net for Iowa. Leland Irving has made 32 appearances, going 10-17-4 with a 2.66 GAA and a .915 SV%. Rookie Steve Michalek is 5-2-0 with a 2.15 GAA and a .934 SV %.
Iowa ranks 19th after going 32-for-202 (15.8%) on the power play. The team is 155-for-189 (82.0%) on the penalty kill – 18th in the AHL.
Notables –
● Iowa goes for its first three-game winning streak this season. Last one came from Feb. 27 – Mar. 6 in 2015. The Wild posted three of them during its inaugural season. It’s the longest winning streak in team history, accomplished four times in history.
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 first with 32 points in 59 games. Petan is tied for the team lead in assists with 23 and is second in points with 31 in 44 games played. Lipon, currently on recall to the Winnipeg Jets, was third on the team in assists (17) and third in goals (13). Kichton is tied for the team lead in assists with 23 in 55 games played. He is fourth on the team in points with 29. Brassard has 13 goals and 30 points in 58 games played.
Eric Comrie (12-20-7) holds a 3.04 GAA and a .910 SV% in 39 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-228 on the power play and sits 21st at 15.8%. The Moose penalty kill is 191-for-238 and sits 26th at 79.9%.