COMPLETE NUTRITION GAME PREVIEW AT CHICAGO 12.3.16
Dec 3, 2016 Iowa Wild (10-10-1-1, 22 points) at Chicago Wolves (10-9-1-1, 22 Points)
Iowa concludes a seven-game road trip with a final stop in Chicago, the same city the trip started on back on Nov. 19. Iowa is 4-1-1-0 on the trip to date. The Wild is coming off a 4-3 shootout victory in Grand Rapids on Friday. With the win, Iowa extended its points streak to five games (4-0-1-0). The Wolves bested the IceHogs in Rockford on Friday. The Wolves have four wins in their last five outings.
Saturday marks the 33rd meeting between the two clubs. Iowa is 9-18-2-3 all-time against Chicago, including a 6-8-1-1 mark all-time at Chicago. The Wolves are 23-5-2-2 against the Wild all-time, including a 10-4-1-1 mark at Allstate Arena. The two teams meet a total of 10 times this season. They last met on Nov. 19, a 5-0 whitewash for the Wolves at home.
Upcoming Games:
Team Date Time Radio / TV
at Chicago 12/3 7:00 PM CT KXNO/ iHeartRadio
vs. Milwaukee 12/6 7:00 PM CT KXNO/ iHeartRadio
vs. San Antonio 12/9 7:00 PM CT KXNO/ iHeartRadio/ MC22
vs. San Antonio 12/10 7:00 PM CT KXNO/ iHeartRadio
at Cleveland 12/14 6:00 PM CT KXNO/ iHeartRadio
Transactions:
12.1.16: Delete– F Kurtis Gabriel - recalled by Minnesota (NHL)
12.2.16: Delete– D Scott Czarnowczan – released PTO
Last Time Out
The Iowa Wild defeated the Grand Rapids Griffins 4-3 in a shootout in front of 8,093 at Van Andel Arena on Friday night. After surrendering a late goal to allow overtime and an eventual shootout, Iowa’s Colton Beck ended a three-round shootout with a goal to extend the team’s season-long points streak to five games (4-0-1-0). Iowa goalie Alex Stalock made 27 saves for the win and extended his personal unbeaten string to six games (5-0-1-0). He stopped all three Griffins shootout attempts. Beck finished with a goal and an assist, as his club ended the Griffins eight-game winning streak over Iowa at Van Andel Arena (dating back to March of 2014). Grand Rapids forward Martin Frk scored twice, including the game-tying goal with nine seconds remaining in regulation to force OT. Grand Rapids goalie Eddie Pasquale stopped 25 of 28.
Iowa Wild
Through the first 22 games of the regular season, forward Jordan Schroeder leads the team in scoring with 12 assists and 16 points in 19 games played. Schroeder’s 12 assists are first on the team. Veteran right wing Teemu Pulkkinen is second in scoring with 15 points in 15 games played. Pulkkinen leads Iowa with eight goals scored, including four on the power play. Rookie Alex Tuch and veteran center Pat Cannone are tied for third in scoring with 13 points each. Cannone has four goals and is tied for second in assists with nine in 21 games played. Tuch is second on the team with five goals and has 13 points in 22 outings. Defenseman Gustav Olofsson would be next in scoring with 12 points, but he was recently recalled to Minnesota. He led all defenders in points upon his departure. Forwards Colton Beck (3g-7a) and Mario Lucia (3g,5a) also rank among the team’s scoring leaders.
Veteran Alex Stalock and Steve Michalek split time in net for Iowa. Stalock is 6-5-1 with a 2.92 GAA and a .906 SV%. Michalek is 4-5-1 with a 3.28 GAA and a .912 SV%.
Iowa’s power play sits 11th in the league after going 17-for-88 (19.3%). The Wild’s penalty kill sits 22nd after stopping 68 of 86 (79.1%).
Notables –
● Goalie Alex Stalock has stopped 169 of the last 179 (.944) shots over his last seven outings. (1.62 GAA / 5-0-0-1)
Chicago Wolves
Veteran defenseman Brad Hunt leads his club in scoring with 24 points in 21 games played. He leads the AHL in points and assists (18), to go along with six goals. He is tied for the AHL lead for goals by a defenseman. Left wing Kenny Agostino is second overall in points with 19 in 21 games played. Agostino is tied for first in goals and second on the Wolves with 11 assists. Forward Wade Megan and center Ivan Barbashev are tied for third on the team with 16 points each. Megan is tied for second on the team with eight goals and has 16 points in 20 games played. Barbashev is third on the team with 10 assists and has six goals for 16 points in 21 games played. Center Landon Ferraro (7g-6a), left wing Andrew Agozzino (5g-3a) and Magnus Paajarvi (4g-4a) are also among the team leaders in points.
Goalies Pheonix Copley and Jordan Bennington share time in net for Chicago. Bennington sees the majority of time and is 7-5-1 with a 2.48 GAA and a .920 SV %. Copley is 2-3-1 with a 2.15 GAA and a .924 SV %.
Chicago’s power play is 8th, going 18-for-85 (21.2%). The Wolves are 11th on the penalty kill, stopping 67 of 79 (84.8%).