GAME PREVIEW - IOWA WILD AT CHICAGO WOLVES 11.22.15
Nov 22, 2015Iowa Wild (3-13-1-2, 9 points) at Chicago Wolves (8-3-1-1, 18 points)
Iowa and Chicago meet for the first of 12 meetings this season. Iowa hosts Chicago for the next meeting on Dec. 8 at Wells Fargo Arena. The two clubs met eight times in 2014-15, with the Wolves taking seven of the eight. Chicago was 7-1-0-0, including a 3-1-0-0 record at home. The Wild was outscored 25-13 in the season series, posting a 1-3-0-0 record in Rosemont, IL. Iowa is 5-10-0-1 all-time against Chicago and 3-4-1-1 at Allstate Arena. Chicago leads the all-time series with a 13-2-1-2 record, including a 6-2-0-1 at home.
Iowa is 1-4-0-0 on he road this season, having been outscored 16-6 by the home teams. The Wild is 1-8-0-1 over its last 10 games. The Wild is mired in a nine-game winless skid, setting the all-time team mark with a 3-2 loss at home to Lake Erie on Saturday. Iowa begins a six-game road trip on Sunday in Chicago, also the team’s third game in as many nights.
Chicago is 5-2-0-0 at home this season, outscoring the visitors 26-16. The Wolves are 6-2-1-1 over the last ten games. Chicago is coming off a 2-1 loss at home to Grand Rapids on Saturday night. The Wolves have dropped their last three decisions.
Upcoming Games:
Team Date Time Radio / TV
at Chicago 11/22 4:00 PM KXNO / iHeartRadio
at Grand Rapids 11/25 6:00 PM CT KXNO / iHeartRadio
at Charlotte 11/28 6:00 PM CT KXNO / iHeartRadio
at Charlotte 11/29 12:30 PM CT KXNO / iHeartRadio
at Lake Erie 12/3 6:00 PM CT KXNO / iHeartRadio
Transactions:
11.16.15: Delete – F Brett Bulmer recalled by Minnesota (NHL)
11.20.15: Add – F Michael Keranen assigned by Minnesota (NHL)
11.20.15: Add – D Gustav Olofsson assigned by Minnesota (NHL)
Last Time Out
The Iowa Wild were defeated by the Lake Erie Monsters 3-2 in front of 4,389 fans Saturday afternoon at Wells Fargo Arena. Lake Erie forward Derek DeBlois scored at 7:57 of the third period, breaking a 2-2 tie and lifting the Monsters past the Wild. Lake Erie goalie Anton Forsberg stopped 19 of 21 shots for his sixth win of the season. Forwards Daniel Zaar and Ryan Craig each scored in the Monsters fourth straight win. Iowa goalie Jeremy Smith made 35 saves on 38 shots in the team’s winless streak reached nine games. Forwards Andrew Yogan and Grayson Downing each scored a goal in a losing effort.
Iowa Wild
Forward Michael Keranen leads the team in points with five goals and ten points in 15 games played. Forward Christoph Bertschy is second with a team-high seven assists and nine points in 18 games played. Rookie center Grayson Downing has climbed to third on the team in scoring, despite missing the first 12 games of the season with an injury. The young centerman has four goals and seven points in seven games played. Defensemen Mike Reilly is fourth on the team in points with six. Reilly and Zach Palmquist lead all defensemen with two goals each.
Goalie Jeremy Smith (1-8-1) is among the league leaders with 336 saves through ten games played. He has a 3.20 GAA and a .913 SV%. Leland Irving has made nine appearances, going 2-5-2 with a 2.62 GAA and a .920 SV%.
Iowa ranks 29th after going 6-for-72 (8.3%) on the power play. The team is 62-for-74 (83.6%) on the penalty kill – 14th in the AHL.
Notables:
· Center Brady Brassart became only the sixth player in Iowa history to play in 100 games on Saturday.
Chicago Wolves
Forward Pat Cannone leads the Wolves in scoring with five goals and nine assists for 14 points in 13 games. Right wing Danny Kristo is second on the team in points with 13 in 13 games. Forward Ty Rattle rounds out the top scorers with 11 points in seven games. Rattle has seven goals in eight games. He is tied for the team lead with Kristo, who has seven goals in 13 games. Center Ivan Barbashev and defenseman Andre Benoit are also among the team leaders in points with 11 each.
Wolves goalies Jordan Binnington and Phoenix Copley split time in net. Binnington (5-1-1) has made seven appearances, posting a 2.81 GAA and .898 SV%. Phoenix Copley (3-2-1) has started in six games, holding a 2.49 GAA and .904 SV%.
Chicago is 12-for-58 on the power play and sits 7th at 20.7%. The Wolves penalty kill sits 17th at 83.0%, going 39-for-47.