GAME PREVIEW - GRAND RAPIDS GRIFFINS AT IOWA WILD 12.18
Dec 18, 2013MEDIA KIT - HERE
Grand Rapids Griffins (19-5-1-1, 40 points) at Iowa Wild (10-13-1-0, 21 points)
Wednesday night’s game is the third of ten meetings this season between Iowa and Grand Rapids. The Griffins took the first two meetings of the season, outscoring the Wild 5-3 and posting a pair of one-goal victories (10.27 and 11.22) in Des Moines.
The Iowa Wild had a triumphant return to home ice on Sunday, posting a 3-1 victory over the Rockford IceHogs at Wells Fargo Arena. It was the team’s first game at home since Nov. 24, preceded by six straight on the road. Iowa began a six-game homestand with Rockford and also welcomes Grand Rapids, San Antonio and Hamilton this week.
Iowa has a record of 4-10-0-0 on home ice, breaking a streak on Sunday of eight straight defeats at Wells Fargo Arena. It was the team’s first win at since Nov. 1 against Texas. Iowa has been outscored 41-24 at home this season. The Wild is 4-5-1-0 over the last ten outings and 4-6-0-0 against the Midwest Division.
Grand Rapids is coming off a 5-0 win at home over Milwaukee on Saturday night. The defending champs are 9-2-1-1 on the road this season, having outscored their opponents 48-31. The Griffins are 9-1-0-0 over their last ten outings Grand Rapids trails only Abbotsford (42) in the Western Conference. The Griffins are 12-2-0-1 when scoring the game’s first goal.
Upcoming Games:
Team Date Time Radio / TV
vs. Grand Rapids 12/18 7:05 PM KXNO 1460 / iHeart Radio
vs. Hamilton 12/20 7:05 PM KXNO 1460 / iHeart Radio / Mediacom22
vs. San Antonio 12/21 7:05 PM KXNO 1460 / iHeart Radio
Latest Transactions:
12/14 – Add forward Marc Hagel (signed PTO - from South Carolina – ECHL)
12/13 – Add forward Jason Zucker (assigned - Minnesota – NHL)
12/13 – Delete forward Erik Haula (recalled - Minnesota – NHL)
Last Time Out:
The Iowa Wild defeated the Rockford IceHogs 3-1 in front of 6,312 fans at the Wells Fargo Arena on Sunday. Balanced scoring and stellar play from Iowa goaltender Darcy Kuemper paved the way for the team’s first win at home since Nov. 1. Kuemper stopped 37 of 38 Rockford shots, including 14 in the second period. Iowa forwards Zack Phillips, Carson McMillan and Tyler Graovac each scored, as the team improved to 4-10-0-0 at home this year. Rookie forward Raphael Bussieres added two assists in the victory, snapping an eight-game winless skid at home.
Iowa Wild
After 24 games, defensemen Brian Connelly and Jonathon Blum lead the team in scoring. Connelly has 14 assists and one goal in 22 games played. Defenseman Jonathon Blum has three goals and 11 assists in 24 games played. His 11 assists trail only Connelly. Blum has nine points in his last 12 games. Erik Haula had 14 points in 20 games prior to his recall to Minnesota. Also recalled is forward Brett Bulmer, who left as the team leader in goals (9) and shots (62). Forward Jason Zucker returns from a recent call up, he has seven goals and 12 points in only 17 games with Iowa. Kris Foucault is also among the team leaders with ten points. Forward Zack Phillips rounds out the top scorers with ten points.
Goalies Johan Gustafsson and Darcy Kuemper man the nets for Iowa. Kuemper is 6-9-0 in 15 appearances, posting a 2.68 GAA and a .923 SV%. Kuemper has stopped 191 of the last 202 (.945 SV %) shots faced, going 3-2-0. Johan Gustafsson is 4-4-0 with a 2.95 GAA and a .898 SV %.
Iowa is 20-for-111 (18.0 %) on the power play and has allowed 22 power-play goals against on 113 attempts (80.5%) The Wild is 29th in the AHL with a 2.38 goals against average and the team sits 15th with a 2.83 goals per game average.
Notables –
· Warren Peters needs two assists to reach 100 for his AHL career.
· Iowa has the #1 power play in the AHL on the road (30.2%), but the lowest in the league at home (10.3%).
Grand Rapids Griffins
The Griffins return 17 players from last year’s team, which captured the Calder Cup in June. The Griffins are 61-31-5-5 (.647) under head coach Jeff Blashill, who took over for the beginning of the 2012 season.
Right wing Tomas Jurco led his club in scoring prior to his recall, posting 11 goals and 27 points in 26 games played. Current leading scorer Teemu Pulkkinen is first with 22 points in 26 games. Pulkkinen (10) and Mitch Calahan (10) currently lead the team in goals. The team is without Gustav Nyquist, who was recalled to Detroit after leading the Griffins with 14 assists and 21 points in 15 games played. Veteran Jeff Hoggan (8g10a=18 pts) defenseman Ryan Sproul (6g,12a=18 pts) and Corey Emmerton (5g,13a=18points) are among the team leaders in points. Defenseman Adam Almquist is tied for the team lead with 16 assists.
Goalie Tom McCullom is taking the majority of time in the Grand Rapids net while Petr Mrzek is in Detroit. Mrazek went 10-2-1 with a 2.09 GAA and a .927 SV%. McCullom is 9-3-0 with a 2.22 GAA and a .923 SV %.
Grand Rapids is eighth in the league on the power play, going 24-for-188 (20.3%). The Griffins penalty kill has allowed 20 goals on 122 chances (83.6%). The team averages a league-high 3.85 goal per game while allowing a league-low 2.27 GAA.