GAME PREVIEW - TEXAS STARS AT IOWA WILD 10.25.15
Oct 25, 2015Texas Stars (4-2-0-0, 8 points) at Iowa Wild (2-3-1-1, 6 points)
Iowa and Texas meet again on Sunday afternoon at Wells Fargo Arena. This will be the second and final time the Stars play in Des Moines this season. The two teams meet again in Texas on Mar. 2 and Mar 4. The Wild defeated the Stars last night by the score of 3-2, giving Iowa its first home win of the season. The two teams played eight times in 2014-15, with the Stars taking six of the eight meetings. The Stars have beaten the Wild in 11 of the 15 all-time meetings, holding a 6-2-0 record in Des Moines. Texas won all four meetings at Wells Fargo Arena last year and had taken six straight dating back to the 2013-14 season until the Saturday night loss.
Iowa is still looking for its second home win in a row. It currently holds a 1-1-1-1 record at Wells Fargo Arena. In 2014-15, Iowa was 10-26-1-1 at home, being outscored 123-86, while Texas holds a 3-1-0 record on the road this season. After Sunday, the Wild will play nine of the next 11 games at home. The Stars held a 20-13-5-0 record on the road in 2014-15, outscoring opponents 113-106.
Upcoming Games:
Team Date Time Radio / TV
Texas 10/25 3:00 PM CT KXNO / iHeartRadio
at Rockford 10/30 7:00 PM CT KXNO / iHeartRadio
vs. Milwaukee 10/31 7:00 PM CT KXNO / iHeartRadio
vs. Rockford 11/1 5:00 PM CT KXNO / iHeartRadio
vs. Milwaukee 11/5 10:30 AM CT KXNO / iHeartRadio
Transactions:
10.24.15 – Delete – F Kurtis Gabriel – reassigned to Minnesota (NHL)
10.23.15 – Add – C Andrew Yogan – signed PTO
10.23.15 – Delete – F Tanner Eberle – assigned to Quad City (ECHL)
10.23.15 – Delete – F Olivier Archambault – assigned to Quad City (ECHL)
Last Time Out
The Iowa Wild defeated the Texas Stars 3-2 in front of 6,536 fans at Wells Fargo Arena on Saturday night. Defenseman Zach Palmquist and forward Michael Keranen each scored in the final 29 seconds of the first period, lifting the Wild to their first home victory of the season. Jordan Schroeder scored the eventual game-winner on the power play at 11:55 of the third period. Iowa goalie Leland Irving stopped 29 of 30 shots for his second victory of the season. Texas goalie Maxime Lagace made 19 saves on 22 shots in the defeat. The Stars received goals from forwards Devin Shore and Derek Hulak.
Iowa Wild
Forwards Jordan Schroeder (2g,3a), Christoph Bertschy (2g,3a), and Michael Keranen (2g,3a) lead the team in points through seven games. Four different skaters are tied for first on the team in goals with two. Brady Brassart is second on the team in points with four. Three different forwards are tied for the team lead in assists with three. Forward Michael Keranen leads the squad with 17 shots on goal.
Goalie Jeremy Smith (0-3-1) is among the league leaders with 155 saves through four games. He has a 3.23 GAA and a .923 SV%. Leland Irving has made three appearances, going 2-0-1 with a 1.60 GAA and a .951 SV%.
Iowa is 4-for-27 (14.8%) on the power play and 26-for-31 (83.8%) on the penalty kill.
Notables:
· Wild Captain Maxime Fortunus faces his former team for the first time. He played for Texas from 2009-15, leading the Stars to a Calder Cup in 2014. He was Captain from 2012-15.
· Forward Andrew Yogan made his Iowa debut on Saturday night.
Texas Stars
Texas finished second in the West Division last season and earned a playoff berth for the third consecutive year. The Stars won the Calder Cup in 2013-14 but were bounced from the 2014-15 playoffs in the first round.
Rookie forward Devin Shore (7-1-8) leads the Stars in scoring. Shore’s seven goals are good enough for second most in the AHL. Center Greg Rallo (4-2-6) and defenseman Esa Lindell (1-5-6) also sit atop the team in points through six games. Captain Travis Morin has four assists in six games.
Maxime Lagace and John Muse split time in net for Texas. Lagace (2-2-0) has a 2.03 GAA and .931 SV% in three starts. John Muse (2-0-0) has two victories in two tries for the Stars, posting a 3.48 GAA and .889 SV%.
Texas is 5-for-28 (17.8%) on the power play and 22-for-27 (81.4%) on the penalty kill.