GAME PREVIEW - IOWA WILD AT CHICAGO WOLVES 12.26.15
Dec 26, 2015Iowa Wild (5-22-2-3, 15 points) at Chicago Wolves (14-10-1-2, 31 points)
Iowa and Chicago meet for the third of 12 meetings this season. The Wolves took the first two meetings of the year, including the last one, a 5-3 decision in favor of Chicago. The two clubs met eight times in 2014-15, with the Wolves taking seven of the eight. Iowa is 5-12-1-2 all-time against Chicago and 3-5-1-1 at Allstate Arena. Chicago leads the all-time series with a 15-2-1-2 record, including a 7-2-0-1 mark at home.
Iowa is 3-10-0-1 on the road this season, having been outscored 45-25 by the home teams. The Wild is 2-6-1-1 over its last 10 games. Iowa is 2-3-0-0 over the last five road games. The team returns home on Sunday to host Rockford. Iowa is coming off a 2-1 defeat at home to San Antonio on Monday. The Wild has scored first 12 times this season and is the only team in the AHL not to record a win when scoring first.
Chicago is 10-4-0-1 at home this season, outscoring the visitors 52-36. The Wolves are 5-4-0-1 over the last ten games. Chicago is coming off a 4-1 win at home over Manitoba on Monday night. The Wolves have won three straight heading into Saturday’s game. Chicago is ranked fourth overall in goals per game average at 3.11.
Upcoming Games:
Team Date Time Radio / TV
at Chicago 12/26 7:00 PM CT KXNO / iHeartRadio
vs. Rockford 12/27 5:00 PM CT KXNO / iHeartRadio
at Manitoba 12/31 4:00 PM CT KXNO / iHeartRadio
at Manitoba 1/1 7:00 PM CT KXNO / iHeartRadio
at Milwaukee 1/9 7:00 PM CT KXNO / iHeartRadio
Transactions:
12.17.15: Add – D Tyson Strachan - assigned by Minnesota (NHL)
12.21.15: Delete – D Guillaume Gelinas – assigned Quad City (ECHL)
12.21.15: Add / Delete D – Austin Coldwell – signed PTO / released – Quad City (ECHL)
12.22.15: Add – D Mike Reilly - assigned by Minnesota (NHL)
Last Time Out
The Iowa Wild were defeated by the San Antonio Rampage 2-1 in front of 3,964 fans at Wells Fargo Arena on Monday night. Rampage forward Colin Smith scored shorthanded at 2:16 of the third period, giving San Antonio its second win in two nights. San Antonio goalie Calvin Pickard stopped 26 of 27 shots in the victory. Forward Kurtis Gabriel scored the lone goal as Iowa saw its winless streak at home extend to 12 games. Iowa goalie Leland Irving made 22 saves on 24 shots in the loss. Forward Dennis Everberg added a goal for San Antonio.
Iowa Wild
Forwards Christoph Bertschy and Michael Keranen have moved into a tie for the team lead in points. Keranen has five goals and 11 assists in 28 games played, tied for the lead in scoring with 16 points. He has six assists in his last seven games. With two assists Sunday, Bertschy leads the team with 12 assists and is tied for first with 16 points in 29 games played. Right wing Zack Mitchell leads Iowa in scoring with ten goals and is second with 15 points in 32 games played. Center Grayson Downing has 13 points in 15 games played. Center Jordan Schroeder has 12 points in 17 games played. Mike Reilly leads all defensemen in points with 13. He has four goals and nine assists in 28 games played.
Goalie Jeremy Smith (1-10-2) in 14 appearances. He has a 3.35 GAA and a .916 SV%. Leland Irving has made 20 appearances, going 4-12-3 with a 2.68 GAA and a .916 SV%.
Iowa ranks 23rd after going 15-for-111 (13.5%) on the power play. The team is 92-for-112 (82.1%) on the penalty kill – 20th in the AHL.
Notables –
● Century Club – Kurtis Gabriel is expected to play game #100 for Iowa tonight, Michael Keranen is next at #99.
Chicago Wolves
Defenseman Andre Benoit leads the Wolves in scoring with three goals and 20 assists for 23 points in 27 games. Right wing Ty Rattie leads the Wolves in goals with nine and is second in scoring with 21 points in 22 games played. Forward Pat Cannone is third on the team in scoring with eight goals and 12 assists for 20 points in 25 games. Defenseman Peter Harold (18 pts) and forward Ivan Barbashev (16 pts) round out the top scorers.
Wolves goalies Jordan Binnington and Phoenix Copley split time in net. Binnington (6-4-2) has made 12 appearances, posting a 2.64 GAA and a .904 SV%. Phoenix Copley (8-6-1) has played in 15 games, holding a 2.46 GAA and .914 SV%.
Chicago is 20-for-114 on the power play and sits 13th at 17.5%. The Wolves penalty kill sits 18th at 82.4%, going 84-for-102.