COMPLETE NUTRITION GAME PREVIEW VS CHICAGO 12.31.16
Dec 30, 2016 Chicago Wolves (17-11-3-2, 39 points) at Iowa Wild (14-16-2-1, 31 points)
Iowa and Chicago meet for the fourth time this season, as the Wild returns home after a pair of road losses. Iowa dropped a 4-1 decision on Friday night in Rockford. Chicago posted a 4-3 win at home over Milwaukee on Saturday night. Chicago claimed the last meeting between the two clubs on Dec. 3 at Allstate Arena, a 4-2 win for the Wolves. Chicago has outscored Iowa 11-5 in the season series.
Saturday marks the 34th meeting between the two clubs. Iowa is 9-19-2-3 all-time against Chicago, including a 3-10-1-2 mark all-time at home. The Wolves are 24-5-2-2 against the Wild all-time, including a 13-1-1-1 mark at Wells Fargo Arena. The two teams meet a total of 10 times this season. The Wolves have taken the last two games.
Iowa is 8-10-0-1 on the road this season and 4-5-1-0 over the last 10 outings. Iowa has one win over the last four games. The Wild has been outscored by the road teams 55-50 this season. The Wolves are 8-7-2-1 on the road and 6-2-1-1 over the last ten games. Chicago has outscored the home teams 58-53.
Upcoming Games:
Team Date Time Radio / TV
vs. Chicago 12/31 3:00 PM CT KXNO /iHeartRadio
at Grand Rapids 1/4 6:00 PM CT KXNO/ iHeartRadio
at Manitoba 1/7 7:00 PM CT KXNO/ iHeartRadio
at Manitoba 1/8 2:00 PM CT KXNO/ iHeartRadio
at San Antonio 1/13 7:30 PM CT KXNO/ iHeartRadio
Transactions:
12.27.16: Delete – F Jordan Schroeder – recalled by Minnesota (NHL)
12.30.16: Add – F Kurtis Gabriel – assigned by Minnesota (NHL)
Last Time Out
The Iowa Wild were defeated by the Rockford IceHogs 4-1 in front of 5,345 fans on Friday night at BMO Harris Center. The IceHogs erased a 1-0 Iowa lead with second-period goals by Nolan Valleau and Sam Carrick then pulled away in the third period for the victory. Rockford goalie Mac Carrith made 25 saves as the Hogs evened the season series at two games apiece. Iowa goalie Steve Michalek stopped 24 of 27 in defeat. Wild rookie Mario Lucia scored his club’s lone goal.
Iowa Wild
Through the first 33 games of the regular season, right wing Teemu Pulkkinen leads the club with 11 goals and 20 points in 23 games played. Pulkkinen also leads the team in power-play goals (4), first goals (5), game-winning goals (3) and shots (79). Recently recalled to Minnesota, forward Jordan Schroeder is among the leaders in scoring with 12 assists and 18 points in 25 games played. Schroeder’s 12 assists are tied for first on the team. Rookie Alex Tuch is third in scoring with 17 points in 31 games played. Tuch has seven goals and 10 assists, ranking in the top 20 for all AHL rookies in points. Veteran center Pat Cannone is fourth in scoring with 16 points, off 12 assists and four goals in 30 games played. Gustav Olofsson and Mario Lucia are tied for fifth in scoring with 13 points each. Olofsson has three goals and 10 assists in 31 games played and he leads all defenseman in points. Lucia has five goals and eight assists in 25 games played. Defenseman Mike Reilly (3g,9a) and forward Colton Beck (3g-9a) also rank among the team’s scoring leaders.
Veteran Alex Stalock and Steve Michalek split time in net for Iowa. Stalock is 9-8-2 with a 2.68 GAA and a .907 SV%. Michalek is 5-8-1 with a 2.86 GAA and a .914 SV%.
Iowa’s power play sits 20th in the league after going 21-for-131 (16.0%). The Wild’s penalty kill sits 19th after stopping 104-of-129 (80.6%).
Notables –
● Iowa and Chicago have played more games (33) than any other teams in the AHL.
● Each time Iowa and Chicago have faced each other this season, the Wolves have had the AHL’s top scorer with either Brad Hunt or Kenny Agostino leading the league in points.
Chicago Wolves
Left wing Kenny Agostino leads the Wolves in scoring with 28 assists and 38 points in 33 games played. He leads the AHL with 28 assists and is first in the league in overall points. Center Wade Megan is second on the team in points and tied for first in the AHL for goals scored at 17. Megan also has 13 assists for a total of 30 points in 31 outings. Center Ivan Barbashev is second on the team with 12 goals and has 12 assists for 24 points in 33 games played. Center Landon Ferraro (7g-8a), left wing Andrew Agozzino (7g-9a) and Brett Sterling (6g-8a) are also among the team leaders in points.
Goalies Pheonix Copley and Jordan Bennington share time in net for Chicago. Bennington is 7-6-3 with a 3.02 GAA and a .905 SV %. Copley is 8-4-2 with a 2.45 GAA and a .910 SV %.
Chicago’s power play is 9th, going 28-for-138 (20.3%). The Wolves are 7th on the penalty kill, stopping 114 of 135 (84.4%).