GAME PREVIEW - IOWA WILD AT GRAND RAPIDS GRIFFINS 11.25.15
Nov 25, 2015Iowa Wild (3-14-1-2, 9 points) at Grand Rapids Griffins (5-8-0-1, 11 points)
Iowa and Grand Rapids meet for the second of eight meetings this season. Iowa fell 5-2 in the first meeting of the year at GR on Nov. 11. The Wild hosts the Griffins on Dec. 13 in the next meeting. The Griffins have dominated the all-time series by going 13-2-0-0 in 15 all-time meetings. Grand Rapids is 6-2-0-0 at home, while Iowa is 2-6-0-0 at Van Andel Arena. Iowa is 2-12-1-0 all-time against the Griffins. Dating back to 2013-14, Grand Rapids has taken the last eight meetings over Iowa. The Wild’s last win in the series came on Mar. 8, 2014 – a 3-1 win at Van Andel Arena.
Iowa is 1-5-0-0 on the road this season, having been outscored 18-7 by the home teams. Wild is mired in a franchise record ten-game winless skid, going 0-9-0-1 over the last ten games and getting outscored 33-16 during that span. Six of the losses have been one-goal defeats. The Wild have scored three or more goals only four times this season. Iowa continues a six-game road trip on Wednesday in Grand Rapids. Iowa is coming off a 2-1 loss in Chicago on Sunday.
Grand Rapids is 4-4-0-0 at home this season, having been outdueled by the visiting teams 25-23. The team was 23-10-4-1 last season at home, outscoring the visitors 134-51. The Griffins have posted a 4-1-0-1 mark over their last six games, including three straight wins, after a 1-7-0-0 start.
Upcoming Games:
Team Date Time Radio / TV
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
at Lake Erie 12/4 6:00 PM CT KXNO / iHeartRadio
Transactions:
11.24.15: Add – F Brett Bulmer assigned by Minnesota (NHL)
11.24.15: Delete – F Kurtis Gabriel recalled by Minnesota (NHL)
11.24.15: Delete – F Raphael Bussieres recalled from Quad City (ECHL)
Last Time Out
The Iowa Wild were defeated by the Chicago Wolves 2-1 in front of 12,617 fans on Sunday afternoon at Allstate Arena. Trailing 1-0 heading into the final period, Chicago’s Jacob Doty and Eriah Hayes each scored to push the Wolves past Iowa. Chicago goalie Jordan Binnington stopped 15 of 16 shots for the win. Despite making 40 saves, Iowa goalie Leland Irving took the loss, which extended the team’s record-setting winless skid to ten games. Zack Mitchell scored Iowa’s lone goal.
Iowa Wild
Forwards Michael Keranen and Christoph Bertschy lead the team in point. Keranen has team high five goals and a team high 10 points in 16 games played. Bertschy has a team high seven assists for nine points in 19 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 eight points in eight games played. Defensemen Mike Reilly is fourth with seven points, followed by forward Zack Mitchell with six points.
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 ten appearances, going 2-6-2 with a 2.57 GAA and a .924 SV%.
Iowa ranks 29th after going 6-for-73 (8.2%) on the power play. The team is 66-for-78 (84.6%) on the penalty kill – 13th in the AHL.
Notables:
· Center Grayson Downing has a point in four straight games.
Grand Rapids Griffins
Veteran left wing Eric Tangradi leads Grand Rapids in scoring with ten points in 14 games played. He is first on the team with five goals, including two against Iowa. Defenseman Ryan Sproul and center Andy Miele are tied for second on the team with eight points each. Both skaters have two goals and six assists in 14 games played. Center Andreas Athanasiou is fourth on the club with four goals and seven points ten games played. Right wing Tomas Jurco is currently on a conditioning assignment from Detroit. He was named AHL player of the week after scoring three goals and posting seven points in three games.
The Griffins have split the goaltending through 14 games this season. Tom McCollum (1-6-0-0) has made seven appearances, posting 3.13 GAA and .898 SV%. Jared Coreau (4-2-1) holds a 2.78 GAA and .915 SV% through eight appearances.
Grand Rapids is 10-for-64 on the power play and sits 18th at 15.6%. The Griffins penalty kill 49-for-61 and 23rd at 80.3%.