GAME PREVIEW - IOWA WILD AT MILWAUKEE ADMIRALS 1.6.14
Jan 6, 2014Iowa Wild (14-14-2-1, 31 points) at Milwaukee Admirals (16-10-5-1, 38 points)
Monday’s game is the fourth of ten meetings this season between Iowa and Milwaukee. Every game of the season series has been in Des Moines, with the Admirals taking the previous three meetings by outscoring the Wild 10-2. Milwaukee has recorded back-to-back shutouts of the Wild and has held Iowa off the scoreboard for the last 159:15 of play. This is Iowa’s first visit to Milwaukee this season. The Admirals took the last meeting 4-0 on Dec. 29 at Wells Fargo Arena.
The Iowa Wild has gone to a shootout in the first two games of the team’s six-game road trip. Iowa played the second game of the trip in Chicago on Saturday, a 4-3 shootout loss to the Wolves. The team has points in 12 of the last 14 outings (8-3-2-1). Iowa has a record of 7-3-1-1 on the road and has outscored the opposition 39-33 away from home. The Wild is 6-2-1-1 over the last ten outings and 6-7-1-1 against the Midwest Division.
The Admirals got off to a 6-0-2-0 start to the season and have posted a 10-10-3-1 mark since. Milwaukee is coming off a 6-1 loss at Lake Eris on Saturday night. The team is 9-2-2-0 at home this season, outscoring the opposition 43-26. The Admirals are 4-5-1-0 over their last ten outings and 9-4-3-0 against the Midwest Division.
Upcoming Games:
Team Date Time Radio / TV
at Milwaukee 1/6 7:00 PM KXNO 1460 / iHeart Radio
at Grand Rapids 1/10 6:00 PM CT KXNO 1460 / iHeart Radio
at Grand Rapids 1/10 6:00 PM CT KXNO 1460 / iHeart Radio
Latest Transactions:
1/6 – Add defenseman Nicholas Rioux (signed PTO – from Quad City – CHL)
1/6 – Delete forward Erik Haula and defenseman Jonathon Blum (recalled – Minnesota – NHL)
1/5 – Add forward Brett Bulmer (returned from Minnesota – NHL)
1/4 – Add forward Tyler Murovich (signed PTO - from Orlando – ECHL)
Last Time Out:
The Iowa Wild were defeated by the Chicago Wolves 4-3 in a shootout in front of 7,229 fans at the Allstate Arena on Saturday night. After erasing a 3-1 first period deficit to force extended play, the Wolves scored on all four shootout attempts to edge the visiting Wild. Despite the shootout loss, the Wild have points in 12 of the last 14 games (8-3-2-1). Iowa goalie John Curry stopped 26 of 29 in regulation and zero of four attempts in the shootout loss. Chicago goalie Matt Climie stopped 28 of 31 in regulation and two of three in the shootout win. Iowa forward Carson McMillan scored a goal and added an assist in the defeat. Forward Erik Haula and defenseman Kyle Medvec also scored for Iowa, as the team suffered its first shootout loss of the season.
Iowa Wild
After 31 games, forward Erik Haula, as well as defensemen Brian Connelly and Jonathon Blum lead the team in scoring. Connelly has 16 assists and one goal in 29 games played. Defenseman Jonathon Blum has four goals and 13 assists in 31 games played. His 13 assists trail only Connelly. Haula has nine goals and eight assists for 17 points in 24 games played. Haula and Blum were recalled on Monday morning. Forward Brett Bulmer returns from Minnesota on Sunday. He is the team leader in goals (9) and second in shots (66). Recalled last Wednesday, forward Jason Zucker had eight goals and 13 points in 22 games with Iowa. Center Zack Phillips adds five goals and 14 points in 30 games. Forwards Carson McMillan (13 points) and Warren Peters (12 points) round out the top scorers.
Goalies Johan Gustafsson and John Curry man the nets for Iowa. Darcy Kuemper was recalled on Thursday to Minnesota. Kuemper was 7-10-0 in 17 appearances, posting a 2.47 GAA and a .929 SV%. Johan Gustafsson is 5-5-0 with a 2.94 GAA and a .899 SV %. Curry is 2-1-1 with a 2.17 GAA and a .930 SV%.
Iowa is 23-for-138 (16.7 %) on the power play and has allowed 26 power-play goals against on 137 attempts (81.0%) The Wild is 26th in the AHL with a 2.42 goals per game average and the team sits 13th with a 2.71 goals against average.
Notables –
· Carson McMillan’s shorthanded goal on Saturday in Chicago was Iowa’s first in team history.
· Iowa has the #1 power play in the AHL on the road (28.0%), but the lowest in the league at home (10.2%).
Milwaukee Admirals
Rookies Colton Sissons and Mikka Salomaki are the leaders in points for Milwaukee. Salomaki has a team-high 14 assists and is second with 21 points in 33 games played. Sissons leads the team lead in goals with 12 and he is first on the team in points with 22 in 32 games played. Forward Austin Watson is third on the team with 20 points in 32 games played. Defenseman Anthony Bitetto is fourth on the club in scoring, posting nine goals and 19 points in 31 games played.
Goalie Scott Darling and Magnus Hellberg man the net for the Admirals. Hellberg is 4-12-1 with a 2.82 GAA and a .913 SV%. Darling has made 14 appearances, going 7-3-0 with a 1.92 goals against average and a .939 SV %.
The Admirals are 18th in the AHL on the power play, going 24 for 151 (15.9%). Milwaukee is 13th on the penalty kill, allowing 25 power-play goals against on 147 attempts (83.0%). The Admirals are 22nd in the AHL with a 2.59 goals per game average and the team sits eighth with a 2.59 goals against average.