COMPLETE NUTRITION GAME PREVIEW VS GRAND RAPIDS 1.18.17
Jan 18, 2017Iowa plays the second of four straight at home with a visit from the Western Conference leaders. The Wild is coming off a 3-1 loss to San Diego at home on Monday night. The defeat ended the team’s franchise record four-game winning streak. The Griffins come to town after a 3-1 setback in Rockford on Monday night. Both teams have played three games over the last five days. Grand Rapids is 14-4-1-2 since Nov. 25 – helping the team post the third highest winning percentage in the AHL at .689.
The Griffins outpaced the Wild in the last encounter between the clubs, a 6-5 win in Grand Rapids. The Griffins have taken three of the first four games in the season series. The Griffins have edged the Wild in scoring for the season series 17-13. Grand Rapids center Matt Lorito leads all skaters in the series with seven points (2g-5a-7pts) in four games. Overall, this marks the 27th meeting between the clubs, as Grand Rapids leads the all-time series with a record of 21-4-0-1, including a 10-2-0-0 record on the road. The Wild is 5-19-2-0 all-time with a 2-8-2-0 record at Wells Fargo Arena.
Iowa is 8-12-0-1 at home this season and 5-5-0-0 over the last 10 outings. The Wild has been outscored by the road teams 63-53 this season. The Griffins are 11-6-0-1 on the road and 7-3-0-0 over the last ten games. Grand Rapids has outscored the home teams 56-42.
Upcoming Games:
Team Date Time Radio / TV
vs. Grand Rapids 1/18 7:00 PM CT KXNO / iHeartRadio
vs. Texas 1/20 7:00 PM CT KXNO / iHeartRadio / MC22
vs. Texas 1/21 7:00 PM CT KXNO / iHeartRadio
at Grand Rapids 1/25 6:00 PM CT KXNO / iHeartRadio
at Rockford 1/27 7:00 PM CT KXNO / iHeartRadio
Transactions:
1.16.17: Add – F Alex Petan – Signed PTO
1.16.17: Add – F Kurtis Gabriel – Assigned by Minnesota (NHL)
1.17.17: Add – G Adam Vay – recalled from Quad City (ECHL)
Last Time Out
The Iowa Wild were defeated by the San Diego Gulls 3-1 in front of 4,248 fans on Monday night at Wells Fargo Arena. San Diego’s Antoine Laganiere scored his second goal of the game with 2:12 remaining in regulation, breaking a 1-1 tie and giving the Gulls a lead they would not relinquish. Iowa goalie Steve Michalek stopped 29 of 31 as his club saw its four-game winning streak come to a halt. Gulls goalie Jhonas Enroth stopped 22 of 23 for the victory. Wild forward Kurtis Gabriel scored his team’s lone goal.
Iowa Wild
Through the first 40 games of the regular season, right wing Teemu Pulkkinen leads the club with 12 goals and 26 points in 30 games played. Pulkkinen also leads the team in power-play goals (4), first goals (5), game-winning goals (3) and shots (104). Veteran center Pat Cannone is second in scoring with 21 points, off 16 assists and five goals in 37 games played. Recalled to Minnesota, forward Jordan Schroeder is among the leaders in scoring with 12 assists and 18 points in 25 games played. Rookie Alex Tuch is tied for third in scoring with 18 points in 32 games played. Tuch has eight goals and 10 assists. Center Grayson Downing is fifth in scoring with 17 points off six goals and 11 assists in 38 games played. Rookie Mario Lucia and defenseman Mike Reilly are tied for sixth overall in scoring. Reilly leads all blueliners in points off four goals and 11 assists in 28 games played. Lucia has five goals and 10 assists for 15 points in 31 games played. Defenseman Gustav Olofsson (4g,10a) and forward Colton Beck (3g-12a) also rank among the team’s scoring leaders.
Veteran Alex Stalock and Steve Michalek split time in net for Iowa. Stalock is 12-10-2 with a 2.66 GAA and a .910 SV%. Michalek is 6-9-1 with a 2.76 GAA and a .916 SV%.
Iowa’s power play sits 23rd in the league after going 24-for-153 (15.7%). The Wild’s penalty kill sits 18th after stopping 122-of-151 (80.8%).
Notables –
● Wild forward Christoph Bertschy has eight points in his last six games (6g,2a).
Grand Rapids Griffins
Through 38 games this season, second-year forward Matt Lorito leads the club with 32 points in 32 games played. His 10 goals and 22 assists are among the team’s best. Ben Street, a veteran center, is second on the Griffins with 18 assists and second with 30 points in 32 outings. Center Tomas Nosek leads the team with 13 goals and is third in points with 28 over 27 games. Right wing Mitch Callahan is fourth on the team in points with 27 points in 37 games played. Rookie Kyle Criscuolo is fifth on the team with 10 goals and 22 points in 37 games played. Robbie Russo leads all defensemen in scoring with 22 points in 37 games played.
With Jared Coreau in the NHL, Eddie Pasquale and Cal Heeter split time in net for Grand Rapids. Heeter is 5-1-0 with a 2.16 GAA and a .932 SV%. Pasquale is 8-3-3 with a 2.33 GAA and a .918 SV%.
Grand Rapids’ power play sits best in the league after going 46-for-160 (28.8%). The Griffins penalty kill sits 4th after stopping 112 of 132 (84.8%).