COMPLETE NUTRITION GAME PREVIEW AT MANITOBA 1.7.17
Jan 7, 2017 Iowa Wild (14-18-2-1, 31 points) at Manitoba Moose (14-13-3-2, 33 points)
Iowa and Manitoba meet for the seventh time this season, as the Wild continues a five-game road trip on Saturday. Iowa will remain in town to wrap up the season series with the Moose on Sunday afternoon in Winnipeg. Iowa heads into Saturday’s game with a four-game losing skid intact, it marks the team’s longest such streak of the year. The Wild dropped a 6-5 decision in Grand Rapids on Wednesday night to open its five-game road swing. The Moose is coming off a 4-3 loss at home to Toronto.
Iowa and Manitoba have met for six out of eight total meetings this year. The Wild leads the season series with four wins in six tries. The Moose is 2-2-1-1 against Iowa this year. Over the course of history, the Wild and the Moose have met a total of 14 times. Iowa leads the all-time series with a 10-4-0-0 record, including a 5-1-0-0 mark in Winnipeg. Manitoba is 4-7-1-2 all-time, including a 1-3-1-1 mark at the MTS Centre.
Iowa is 6-7-2-0 on the road this season and 4-5-1-0 over the last 10 outings. The Wild has been outscored by the home teams 46-35 this season. The Moose is 16-8-5-2 at home and 3-4-2-1 over the last ten games. Manitoba has been outscored by the road teams 49-46.
Upcoming Games:
Team Date Time Radio / TV
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
at San Antonio 1/14 7:00 PM CT KXNO/ iHeartRadio
vs. San Diego 1/16 7:00 PM CT KXNO/ iHeartRadio
Transactions:
1.3.17: Delete – F Kurtis Gabriel – recalled by Minnesota (NHL)
Last Time Out
The Iowa Wild were defeated by the Grand Rapids Griffins 6-5 on Wednesday night in front of 8,515 fans at Van Andel Arena. The Western Conference leaders outlasted the Wild in a game that featured 11 total goals and numerous rallies from a resilient Iowa squad. Grand Rapids forwards Ben Street and Tomas Nosek each had two goals and an assist in the win. Griffins’ goalie Eddie Pasquale made 23 saves as Grand Rapids extended its streak to ten straight games at home with at least a point over Iowa. Wild forwards Christoph Bertschy and Teemu Pulkkinen each had a goal and an assist in the road defeat. Iowa goalie Alex Stalock stopped 27 shots in the defeat, the club’s fourth straight.
Iowa Wild
Through the first 35 games of the regular season, right wing Teemu Pulkkinen leads the club with 12 goals and 22 points in 25 games played. Pulkkinen also leads the team in power-play goals (4), first goals (5), game-winning goals (3) and shots (85). 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, but has missed the last four games due to an injury.Veteran center Pat Cannone is fourth in scoring with 16 points, off 12 assists and four goals in 32 games played. Gustav Olofsson is fifth overall in scoring and first among all defensemen. Olofsson has four goals and 10 assists in 32 games played. Rookie Mario Lucia is sixth in scoring with 13 points in 27 games off five goals and eight assists. Defenseman Mike Reilly (3g,10a) and forward Colton Beck (3g-10a) also rank among the team’s scoring leaders.
Veteran Alex Stalock and Steve Michalek split time in net for Iowa. Stalock is 9-10-2 with a 2.92 GAA and a .901 SV%. Michalek is 5-8-1 with a 2.86 GAA and a .914 SV%.
Iowa’s power play sits 21st in the league after going 22-for-134 (16.4%). The Wild’s penalty kill sits 19th after stopping 108-of-134 (80.6%).
Notables –
● Iowa forward Teemu Pulkkinen was named to the Western Conference All Star team.
● Wild forward Christoph Bertschy played in his 100th AHL game on Wednesday in Grand Rapids.
Manitoba Moose
Rookie Jack Roslovic leads the Moose in scoring with 19 points in 25 games played. Roslovic has a team-high 11 assists this season and is tied for the team lead in goals with eight. Roslovic just missed the last seven games to help Team USA win gold at the World Junior Championships. Fellow rookie Dan DeSalvo (8g,8a) is tied for second in points with 16 in only 22 games played. Left wing Quinton Howden has seen quality time in Winnipeg this season. Howden has 16 points (7g,9a) in 28 games in a Moose uniform. Second-year forward Chase De Leo is also tied for second in scoring with 16 points (8g,8a) in 28 games played. Kevin Czuczman leads all Moose defenders in points with five goals and 10 assists in 32 games.
Goalies Eric Comrie and Ondrej Pavalec share time in net for Manitoba. Comrie sees the majority of time and is 7-9-3 with a 2.88 GAA and a .908 SV %. Pavelec is 7-4-2 with a 2.85 GAA and a .914 SV %.
Manitoba’s power play is 17th, going 24-for-139 (17.3%). The Moose is 28th on the penalty kill, stopping 111-of-144 (77.1%).