GAME PREVIEW - CHICAGO WOLVES AT IOWA WILD 3.25.16
Mar 25, 2016Chicago Wolves (28-30-5-3, 64 Points) at Iowa Wild (21-36-4-4, 50 Points)
Iowa and Chicago meet for the ninth of 12 meetings this season. Iowa claimed the last meeting, a 3-2 OT decision on Feb. 18 at Allstate Arena. The two teams play a two game set with a 12:30 game on Saturday. The Wolves are 5-2-1-0 this season against the Wild, which is 3-4-1-0 this season. Iowa is 8-14-2-2 all-time against Chicago and 2-8-1-1 at Wells Fargo Arena. Chicago leads the all-time series with an 18-4-2-2 record, including a 10-0-1-1 mark in Des Moines. The Wolves have posted nine straight wins at Wells Fargo Arena. The streak began with a 4-1 Wolves win on April 11, 2014 in Des Moines.
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Iowa is 9-17-3-2 at home this season, having been outscored 97-73 by the visiting teams. The Wild is 3-6-1-0 over the last ten and 16-14-2-1 since Dec. 26. The Wild is coming off a 3-2 OT loss at San Jose on Saturday. Iowa is playing its second home game over the last 30 days. The team wrapped up a stretch of nine games out of ten on the road. Iowa is winless in four straight (0-3-1-0), having been outscored 17-6 and going 13-of-22 (59.1%) on the penalty kill.
Chicago is 10-17-4-2 on the road this season, bested by the home teams 115-78. The Wolves are 3-5-1-1 over the last ten games played. The team is coming off a 7-3 loss at home to Charlotte on Wednesday, its second straight defeat. The team has one road win in the last seven attempts.
Upcoming Games:
Team Date Time Radio / TV
vs. Chicago 3/25 7:00 PM KXNO / iHeartRadio
vs. Chicago 3/26 12:30 PM KXNO / iHeartRadio
vs. Manitoba 3/30 7:00 PM KXNO / iHeartRadio
vs. Manitoba 4/1 7:00 PM KXNO / iHeartRadio
at Rockford 4/3 7:00 PM KXNO / iHeartRadio
Transactions:
3.24.16: Add – F Alex Petan – signed (ATO)
3.25.16: Add – F Chase Lang – signed ATO (ATO)
Last Time Out
The Iowa Wild were defeated by the San Jose Barracuda 3-2 in front of 5,502 fans at the SAP Center on Saturday night. Barracuda forward Jeremy Morin scored on the power play with 1:32 left in overtime, helping San Jose grab the additional point. Forwards Trevor Parkes and Ryan Carpenter added a goal each in the overtime thriller. San Jose goalie Aaron Dell made 29 saves on 31 shots in the victory. Iowa goalie Leland Irving stopped 30 of 33 shots in the defeat. Forwards Brett Bulmer and Christoph Bertschy scored one goal each in the Iowa loss.
Iowa Wild
Forwards Grayson Downing, Zack Mitchell and Christoph Bertschy lead Iowa in scoring. Mitchell leads the team with 20 goals and with 36 points in 60 games played. Downing has 35 points off 17 goals and 18 assists in 47 games played. Recently called up to the NHL, forward Jordan Schroeder was third in scoring with 34 points and was second on the team with 20 assists in 40 games played. Bertschy leads the team with 21 assists and is fourth in scoring with 31 points in 62 games played. He also leads the team with 150 shots on goal. Iowa’s offensive leader from the blueline is Maxime Fortunus with six goals and 17 points in 65 games played. Mike Reilly is in Minnesota (21 points) and All-star defenseman Gustav Olofsson (17 points) is injured.
Leland Irving has split time with Steven Michalek in net for Iowa. Leland Irving has made 35 appearances, going 10-19-5 with a 2.77 GAA and a .912 SV%. Rookie Steve Michalek is 6-3-0 with a 2.46 GAA and a .910 SV %.
Iowa ranks 22nd after going 34-for-221 (15.4%) on the power play. The team is 169-for-212 (79.7%) on the penalty kill – 26th in the AHL.
Notables –
● Forwards Alex Petan and Chase Lang are expected to make their pro debuts this weekend for Iowa.
Chicago Wolves
Center Pat Cannone, right wings Danny Kristo and Ty Rattie, as well as defensemen Jordan Schmaltz and Andre Benoit, lead the Wolves in scoring. Cannone is first in assists with 28 and has 20 goals for 48 points in 64 games played. Kristo is tied for first on the team with 21 goals and second overall in points with 43 in 61 games played. Rattie, who has pent some time in St. Louis, has 13 goals and 22 assists for 36 points in 52 games played. Schmaltz has 27 assists and 32 points in 63 games played. Benoit has seven goals and 24 assists for 31 points in 60 games. Right wing Jordan Caron is third on the team in goals scored at 15.
Jordan Binnington and Pheonix Copley split time in net for Chicago. Binnington (15-14-5) has made 35 appearances, posting a 2.83 GAA and a .905 SV%. Copley (2-2-0) has played in 33 games, holding a 2.90 GAA and .905 SV%.
Chicago is 40-for-268 on the power play and sits 26th at 14.9%. The Wolves penalty kill sits 29th at 78.4%, going 218-for-274.