GAME PREVIEW- UTICA COMETS AT IOWA WILD 3.15.15
Mar 15, 2015Utica Comets (35-19-6-1, 77 points) at Iowa Wild (21-38-1-1, 44 points)
Iowa returns from a four-game road trip, beginning a season high six-game home stand. After playing 11 of 15 games away from Wells Fargo Arena, Iowa finishes the season with 11 home games and four road games. The stand starts with Utica’s only visit to Des Moines this season. Iowa defeated Vancouver’s AHL affiliate in the only other meeting this season, a 2-1 Wild victory on Jan. 3. Utica and Iowa only play twice this season, the Comets visit the Wild on Mar. 15. The two teams met for a pair of games last season, with Utica outscoring Iowa 6-4 in en route to a sweep. Iowa is 1-1-0-1 all-time, including an 0-0-0-1 record at home. Utica is 2-1-0-0 all time.
Iowa is 8-19-0-0 at home this season, having been outscored 87-56 by the visiting teams. The Wild is coming off a 4-1 defeat at San Antonio Mar. 7. Iowa is mired in an eight-game winless streak on home ice, dating back to Jan. 18. The stretch ties the club record for consecutive losses of 8 – from Nov. 2 – Nov. 24, 2013. The Wild is 4-6-0-0 over the last 10 games, while the Comets are 4-5-1-0. Utica is 16-10-3-1 on the road, matching the home teams in scoring 73-73. The Comets are coming off a 4-0 win at Chicago on Saturday.
Upcoming Games:
Team Date Time Radio / TV
vs. Utica 3/15 5:00 PM KXNO / iHeartRadio
vs. Charlotte 3/21 7:00 PM KXNO / iHeartRadio / MC22
vs. Charlotte 3/22 3:00 PM KXNO / iHeartRadio
vs. Texas 3/24 7:00 PM KXNO / iHeartRadio
vs. San Antonio 3/27 7:00 PM KXNO / iHeartRadio
Transactions:
3.2.15 – Delete – F Zack Phillips (traded to Boston – NHL)
3.2.15 – Delete – D Justin Falk (traded to Columbus – NHL)
3.2.15 – Add – F Jared Knight (traded from Boston – NHL)
3.3.15 – Add – F Stephane Veilleux (assigned by Minnesota – NHL)
3.4.15 – Delete – F Greg Wolfe (released PTO)
3.12.15 – Delete – F Joe Perry (assigned to Quad City - ECHL)
3.12.15 – Delete – D Benjamin Dieude-Fauvel (released PTO)
3.12.15 – Add – D Nicholas Rioux (signed PTO)
Last Time Out
The Iowa Wild were defeated by the San Antonio Rampage 4-1 in front of 10,565 fans on Saturday night at the AT&T Center. After two scoreless periods the Rampage built a 3-0 lead and goalie Michael Houser held the Wild off the scoreboard for the first 56:36 of play. Forwards Brett Olson, Garrett Wilson and John McFarland pushed San Antonio in front, while Houser backstopped the victory with 24 saves. Iowa goalie John Curry finished with 31 saves on 34 shots, as the club saw its three-game winning streak come to a halt. Kurtis Gabriel scored the Wild’s lone goal as the team ended a four-game road trip.
Iowa Wild
Through 61 games this season, forward Tyler Graovac is the team’s leading scorer. He leads the team in goals with 19 tallies and is first with 40 points in 58 games. Michael Keranen is second on the team in scoring with 33 points and was first with 24 assists in 56 games. Right wing Marc Hagel is third among active skaters with a career-high 29 points in 52 games played. Rookie Zack Mitchell is fifth among active skaters with 15 goals and 27 points in 61 games played. Defenseman Jon Blum is the leader in points from the blueline. He has nine goals and 27 points in 51 games played. Veteran center Brett Sutter is also among the team leaders with 23 points in 56 games played.
Goalies Johan Gustafsson, John Curry and Josh Harding (injured) man the Iowa Wild crease. Harding is 0-1-1 with a 3.37 GAA and a .920 SV%. John Curry is 11-16-0 with a 2.78 GAA and a 0.915 SV%. Gustafsson is 8-18-0 with a 3.36 GAA and a .898 SV %.
Iowa’s power play is ranked 23rd at 15.0%, while the penalty kill sits 30th at 77.1%.
Notables –
· Wild forward Marc Hagel needs two more games to become only the fourth player in Iowa history to play in 100 games – joining Tyler Graovac, Jon Blum and Zack Phillips. Forward Brett Bulmer is at 84 games and Captain Stephane Veilleux at 79 games played for I-Wild.
· Tyler Graovac is the first player to reach 40 points in a single season.
· Iowa forward Jared Knight and defenseman Steve McCarthy are expected to make their Iowa home debut
Utica Comets
Through the first 61 games this season, forward Cal O’Reilly leads the Utica Comets in scoring with seven goals and 36 assists for 43 total points. His 36 helpers ranks in the top ten of the AHL. Right wing Brandon DeFazio leads Utica in goals with 18, to go along with 19 assists for 37 points. He is second on the team in points and first in shots on goal at 147. Fellow winger Alexandre Grenier is third on the club with 33 points in 52 games played. He is third in goals scored with 13 and fifth in assists with 20. Defenseman Bobby Sanguinetti sits second on the team with 14 goals, which ranks third best amongst AHL D-Men. He is fourth overall on the team in points with 31 in 50 games played.
Goalie Jacob Markstrom is among the best in the AHL with an 18-7-2 mark. He is second in the AHL with a 1.88 GAA and third in SV % at .934. Markstrom also ranks fifth overall with five shutouts this year. Pat Nagle has played in one game for Utica this season, taking a loss with 25 save son 28 shots. Overall, he’s made four AHL appearances this year, going 1-2-0 with a 2.15 GAA and a .933 SV %.
Utica’s power play is ranked 23rd in the AHL at 14.6%, while its penalty kill is ranked second at 88.3%.