COMPLETE NUTRITION GAME PREVIEW AT CHICAGO 2.25.17
Feb 25, 2017Iowa Wild (26-22-5-2, 59 points) at Chicago Wolves (31-17-4-3, 69 points)
Iowa begins a lengthy and spread out six-game road trip. The team will play twice in Chicago, twice in Texas, as well as once in Rockford and Milwaukee before returning home on Mar. 18. The Wild ended a four-game winless skid with a 4-2 win at home over Cleveland on Monday. The Wolves are coming off a 4-2 win at home over Cleveland on Wednesday afternoon.
Saturday marks the 35th meeting between the two clubs. Iowa is 9-20-2-3 all-time against Chicago, including a 6-9-1-1 mark all-time at Allstate Arena. The Wolves are 25-5-2-2 against the Wild all-time, including an 11-4-1-1 mark at home. The two teams meet a total of 10 times this season. Iowa claimed the first meeting of the year. Chicago has taken the last three games. The two teams have not faced off since Dec. 31, a 5-2 Wolves win in Des Moines.
Iowa is 15-9-2-0 on the road this season and 5-3-1-1 over the last 10 outings. The Wild has outscored the home teams 64-63 this season. Iowa is winless in two road games after a nine-game road-winning streak. The Wolves are 18-6-1-1 at home and 6-2-1-1 over the last ten games. Chicago has outscored the road teams 94-64.
Upcoming Games:
Team Date Time Radio / TV
at Chicago 2/25 7:00 PM CT KXNO / iHeartRadio
at Chicago 2/26 3:00 PM CT KXNO / iHeartRadio
at Rockford 3/4 7:00 PM CT KXNO / iHeartRadio
at Texas 3/10 7:30 PM CT KXNO / iHeartRadio
at Texas 3/11 7:00 PM CT KXNO / iHeartRadio
Transactions:
2.21.17: Add – F Tyler Graovac – assigned by Minnesota (NHL)
2.21.17: Add – D Gustav Olofsson – assigned by Minnesota (NHL)
2.22.17: Delete – D Dylan Labbe, F Chase Lang and F Adam Gilmour – reassigned to Quad City (ECHL)
Last Time Out
The Iowa Wild countered Cleveland’s shutout on Sunday with a 4-2 decision at Wells Fargo Arena on Monday night, regaining fourth place in the Central Division. Center Grayson Downing had a goal and an assist, while rookie Alex Tuch set up a few tallies. Forwards Teemu Pulkkinen, Kurtis Gabriel and Zac Dalpe also scored in the win. Goalie Alex Stalock scooped up his 16th win of the year with 36 saves.
Iowa Wild
Through the first 55 games of the regular season, right wing Teemu Pulkkinen leads the club with 18 goals and 35 points in 45 games played. Pulkkinen also leads the team in power-play goals (4), first goals (5), game-winning goals (4) and shots (147). Rookie Alex Tuch is second on the team in scoring with 12 goals and 15 assists for 27 points in 37 games played. Veteran center Pat Cannone is third, followed by rookie Mario Lucia. Cannone has 17 assists and seven goals in 52 games played. Lucia has nine goals and 13 assists in 44 games, although he is out with an injury. 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 16-12-6 with a 2.43 GAA and a .921 SV%. Michalek is 10-10-1 with a 2.62 GAA and a .920 SV%.
Iowa’s power play sits 16th in the league after going 33-for-194 (17.0%). The Wild’s penalty kill sits 13th in the AHL after stopping 163-of-199 (81.9%).
Notables
· Iowa center Pat Cannone played in his 400th AHL game on Monday.
· Wild forward Zac Dalpe is sitting at 199 career NHL / AHL points.
Chicago Wolves
Left wing Kenny Agostino leads the Wolves in scoring with 43 assists and 61 points in 49 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 23. Megan also has 23 assists for a total of 46 points in 52 outings. Center Ivan Barbashev is second on the team with 19 goals and has 18 assists for 37 points in 46 games played. Left wing Andrew Agozzino (7g-9a) is fourth overall in scoring with 12 goals and 22 assists for 34 points in 50 games played. Vince Dunn leads all defensemen in points in 29 in 51 games played.
Goalies Pheonix Copley, Ville Husso and Jordan Bennington share time in net for Chicago. Bennington is 9-6-4 with a 3290 GAA and a .908 SV %. Copley is 14-6-3 with a 2.37 GAA and a .918 SV %. Husso is 8-5-0 with a 2.45 GAA and a .917 SV %.
Chicago’s power play is 9th, going 47-for-232 (20.3%). The Wolves are 6th on the penalty kill, stopping 180 of 213 (84.5%).