COMPLETE NUTRITION GAME PREVIEW VS CLEVELAND 2.8.17
Feb 8, 2017 Cleveland Monsters (21-18-2-3, 47 points) at Iowa Wild (24-19-4-1, 53 points)
Iowa returns from a five-game road trip with numerous franchise-record streaks intact. With its 1-0 overtime victory on Saturday at Cleveland, the Wild won its sixth straight overall, its ninth straight road game and extended its points streak to eight games – the second longest in team history (10). Iowa has points in 12 of its last 13 games (10-1-2-0), by far the best stretch of hockey in team history. The Monsters ended a two-game winless skid with a 4-1 win at Milwaukee on Tuesday night.
Cleveland and Iowa are locked in a battle for the fourth and final playoff spot in the AHL’s Central Division. Iowa and Cleveland have met 21 times over the course of AHL history. Iowa is 12-7-1-1 all-time against Cleveland, including a 4-4-0-1 mark at home. The Monsters are 9-6-3-3 against the Wild all-time, including a 5-3-1-0 mark at Wells Fargo Arena. The two teams will meet 12 times this season. Iowa is 3-1-1-0 in the season series, while Cleveland is 2-1-1-1.
Iowa is 9-12-2-1 at home this season and 7-1-2-0 over the last 10 outings. The Wild has been outscored by the road teams 71-60 this season. The Monsters are 9-9-0-2 on the road and 4-5-1-1 over the last ten games. Cleveland has been outscored by the home teams 67-60.
Upcoming Games:
Team Date Time Radio / TV
vs. Cleveland 2/8 7:00 PM CT KXNO / iHeartRadio
vs. Grand Rapids 2/10 7:00 PM CT KXNO / iHeartRadio / MC22
vs. Grand Rapids 2/11 7:00 PM CT KXNO / iHeartRadio
at San Diego 2/14 9:00 PM CT KXNO / iHeartRadio
at Ontario 2/15 9:00 PM CT KXNO / iHeartRadio
Transactions:
2.2.17: Add – F Alex Petan – signed PTO
2.8.17: Delete – D Gustav Olofsson – recalled by Minnesota (NHL)
2.8.17: Add – D Mike Reilly – assigned by Minnesota (NHL)
Last Time Out
The Iowa Wild defeated the Cleveland Monsters 1-0 in overtime in front of 13,810 fans on Saturday night at the Quicken Loans Arena. Wild forward Zack Mitchell broke a scoreless tie with 1:23 remaining in overtime and goalie Steve Michalek made 17 saves for the shutout victory. Michalek won his third straight start in the weekend sweep at Cleveland. Iowa records its sixth straight and improves to 15-7-2-0 on the road. The team also extends the road-winning streak to nine games – now the longest streak in the AHL this season. Monsters goalie Brad Thiessen made 23 saves in the loss.
Iowa Wild
Through the first 48 games of the regular season, right wing Teemu Pulkkinen leads the club with 14 goals and 30 points in 38 games played. Pulkkinen also leads the team in power-play goals (4), first goals (5), game-winning goals (4) and shots (126). Veteran center Pat Cannone, as well as rookies Mario Lucia and Alex Tuch, are all tied for second in scoring with 22 points each. Cannone has 16 assists and six goals in 45 games played. Tuch has 11 goals and 11 assists for 22 points in 35 games played. Lucia has nine goals and 13 assists. Gustav Olofsson is fifth in scoring with 21 points. He has five goals and 21 points to lead all defensemen in scoring in 45 games played.
Veteran Alex Stalock and Steve Michalek split time in net for Iowa. Stalock is 15-10-4 with a 2.47 GAA and a .919 SV%. Michalek is 9-9-1 with a 2.53 GAA and a .922 SV%.
Iowa’s power play sits 18th in the league after going 29-for-173 (16.8%). The Wild’s penalty kill sits 11th after stopping 147-of-178 (82.6%).
Notables –
● The Wild set a new team record with its sixth straight win on Saturday.
Cleveland Monsters
Center TJ Tynan leads the Monsters with 20 assists and 25 points through 44 games played. He is second on the team with nine power-play points. Left wing Sonny Milano is second in scoring with 24 points in 37 games played. Milano has 11 goals and 13 assists. Right wing Oliver Bjorkstrand is third in scoring with a team-high 14 goals and 23 points in 35 games played. Center Alex Broadhurst has nine goals and 14 assists for 23 points in 43 games played. John Ramage leads all defensemen in scoring with 15 points in 37 games played.
Goalies Anton Forsberg and Brad Thiessen share time in net for Cleveland. Forsberg is 14-10-2 with a 2.23 GAA and a .927 SV %. Thiessen is 1-3-1 with a 2.21 GAA and a .926 SV %. Forsberg has started six of the last eight games.
Cleveland’s power play is 23rd, going 22-for-144 (15.3%). The Monsters are 4th on the penalty kill, stopping 162-of-191 (84.8%).