COMPLETE NUTRITION GAME PREVIEW AT ROCKFORD 1.28.17
Jan 27, 2017 Iowa Wild (21-19-4-1, 47 points) at Rockford IceHogs (14-22-5-3, 36 points)
Iowa continues a five-game road trip on Saturday in Rockford. The Wild took a 3-2 OT decision on Friday at Rockford. The win marked the team’s sixth straight road win and third victory in a row overall. Iowa has points in nine of its last ten games. Rockford is winless in the last four games, going 0-2-2-0 over that span.
As far as rivalries go, the Wild has played the IceHogs more than any other team in AHL history with the 36th meeting on Friday. Iowa is 12-22-1-0 all-time against Rockford, including a 6-10-0-1 mark on the road. The IceHogs are 23-7-3-2 against the Wild all-time, including an 11-2-2-1 mark at BMO Harris Bank Center. The two teams will meet ten times this season. Iowa is 3-2-0-0 in the season series.
Iowa is 12-7-2-0 on the road this season and 7-1-2-0 over the last 10 outings. The Wild has been outscored by the home teams 54-53 this season. The Hogs are 10-7-3-2 at home and 3-4-3-0 over the last ten games. Rockford has been outscored by the road teams 70-68.
Upcoming Games:
Team Date Time Radio / TV
at Rockford 1/28 7:00 PM CT KXNO / iHeartRadio
All Star Break 1/29-2/2
at Cleveland 2/2 6:00 PM CT KXNO / iHeartRadio
at Cleveland 2/3 6:00 PM CT KXNO / iHeartRadio
vs Cleveland 2/8 7:00 PM CT KXNO / iHeartRadio
Transactions:
1.27.17: Add – D Mike Reilly – reassigned by Minnesota (NHL)
1.28.17: Delete – F Alex Petan – released from PTO
Last Time Out
The Iowa Wild defeated the Rockford IceHogs 3-2 in overtime in front of 4,174 fans on Friday night at the BMO Harris Bank Center. Rookie Alex Tuch returned from injury and made an immediate impact by scoring the decisive goal with 13 seconds left in OT. Iowa erased a 2-0 third-period deficit with goals by Mario Lucia and Pat Cannone to force the eventual overtime. Wild goalie Steve Michalek stopped 37 of 39 shots for the victory, Iowa’s sixth straight road win. Hogs goalie Lars Johansson stopped 22 of 25 shots in the overtime defeat.
Iowa Wild
Through the first 45 games of the regular season, right wing Teemu Pulkkinen leads the club with 12 goals and 27 points in 35 games played. Pulkkinen also leads the team in power-play goals (4), first goals (5), game-winning goals (3) and shots (116). Veteran center Pat Cannone is second in scoring with 22 points, off 16 assists and six goals in 42 games played. Rookie forward Mario Lucia and Gustav Olofsson are tied for third in scoring with 20 points each. Lucia has eight goals and 12 assists in 36 games played. Olofsson has five goals and 20 points to lead all defensemen in scoring in 42 games played. Rookie Alex Tuch is fifth in scoring with 19 points in 33 games played. Tuch has nine goals and 10 assists.
Veteran Alex Stalock and Steve Michalek split time in net for Iowa. Stalock is 13-10-4 with a 2.62 GAA and a .913 SV%. Michalek is 8-9-1 with a 2.67 GAA and a .920 SV%.
Iowa’s power play sits 18th in the league after going 28-for-164 (17.1%). The Wild’s penalty kill sits 16th after stopping 138-of-169 (81.7%).
Notables –
● Iowa goes for a team record seventh straight road win on Saturday.
● The Wild picked up its seventh win of the month on Friday, setting a new team record for wins in a month.
Rockford IceHogs
Right wing Spencer Abbott leads with Hogs in scoring with nine goals and 25 points in 40 games played. He is first in goals and tied for second in assists. Center Mark McNeill is second in scoring with 24 points in 44 games played. He leads the team with 18 assists and has added six goals. With Tanner Kero and his 20 points in the NHL, right wing Kyle Baun is third in scoring. Baun has seven goals and 12 assists for 19 points in 42 games played. Ville Pokka leads all defensemen in points with 18 in 42 games played. He is tied for second on the team with 16 assists.
Goalies Lars Johansson and Jeff Glass share time in net for Rockford. Johansson is 8-11-2 with a 2.88 GAA and a .899 SV %. Glass is 2-3-1 with a 2.50 GAA and a .900 SV %. Glass has started six of the last seven games.
Rockford’s power play is 27th, going 27-for-180 (15.0%). The Hogs are 29th on the penalty kill, stopping 119-of-158 (76.6%).