GAME PREVIEW - IOWA WILD AT ROCKFORD ICEHOGS 2.8
Feb 8, 2014Iowa Wild (20-16-5-4, 49 points) at Rockford IceHogs (22-21-4-2, 50 points)
Saturday’s game is the sixth of ten meetings this season between Iowa and Rockford. After dropping the first game of the season series, Iowa has stormed back to claim four straight, including the last meeting, a 3-2 shootout win for the Wild at Rockford on Dec. 26. Iowa has outscored Rockford 17-10.
Iowa has points in 23 of the last 28 outings (14-5-5-4 /.661). The Wild has a record of 10-5-2-3 on the road, outscoring the opposition in scoring 59-58. Iowa is 5-0-3-2 over the last ten outings and 8-8-3-2 against the Midwest Division. The Wild has recorded points in ten straight games, which is the longest streak this season in the AHL. The team has also played in seven straight overtime/shootout games. The Wild ranks tied for second in the AHL with 15 OT appearances, trailing Norfolk’s 18 for the AHL league lead. Iowa is coming off a 4-3 overtime win at home over Chicago on Friday night. Iowa is 7-1-3-2 over the last 12 home games with its only regulation loss coming at the hands of Milwaukee.
After starting out 7-2-1-0, Rockford has gone 15-19-3-2. The Hogs are coming off a 6-4 win at home over Hamilton on Tuesday night. The Hogs are 14-8-1-1 at home this year and 8-13-1-2 against the Midwest Division. Rockford is 5-4-1-0 over the last ten outings and four wins over the last five games.
Upcoming Games:
Team Date Time Radio / TV
at Rockford 2/8 7 PM KXNO 1460 / iHeartRadio
All-Star Break 2/9/14 – 2/12/14
At Milwaukee 2/14 7:00 P.M. KXNO 1460 / iHeartRadio
Latest Transactions:
2/7 – Add goalie Johan Gustafsson and forward Erik Haula (assigned by Minnesota – NHL)
2/6 – Add forward Stephane Veilleux (assigned by Minnesota – NHL)
2/5 – Add forwards Curt Gogol and Riley Brace (acquired in trade by Minnesota with San Jose for Chad Rau)
Last Time Out:
The Iowa Wild defeated the Chicago Wolves 4-3 in overtime in front of 7,273 fans at Wells Fargo Arena on Friday night. Iowa forward Justin Mercier scored the game-winning goal in overtime, helping his club pick up points in an AHL season-high ten straight games. Wild goalie John Curry made 32 saves in the victory, including 15 in the second period. Jim McKenzie, Warren Peters, and Kris Foucault also scored, lifting the Wild’s record to 10-11-3-1 at Wells Fargo Arena. Matt Climie stopped 18 shots in the loss. The game marked Iowa’s seventh straight game decided in overtime or a shootout.
Iowa Wild
After 45 games, defenseman Brian Connelly leads the team in scoring with 28 points in 42 appearances. Connelly has a team-high 23 assists, including a team-leading 12 on the power play. Defenseman Jonathon Blum, as well as forward Carson McMillan are also among the top scorers. McMillan has a team-leading 11 goals and 12 assists for 23 points in 42 games played. Blum has five goals and 18 assists for 23 points in 38 games played. Forward Zack Phillips has nine goals and 13 assists for 22 points in 45 games played. Second in goal scoring, Brett Bulmer (10 goals) is currently out with an injury. Forward Warren Peters is also among the active skaters in points with 18 (7g/11a). Erik Haula (17 pts.) returns from an NHL recall with Minnesota.
Goalies Johan Gustafsson and John Curry man the nets for Iowa. Darcy Kuemper is on recall to Minnesota. Johan Gustafsson is 8-9-2 with a 2.86 GAA and a .908 SV %. Curry is 5-2-2 with a 1.79 GAA and a .946 SV%.
Iowa is 34-for-200 (17.0%) on the power play and has allowed 36 power-play goals against on 182 attempts (80.2%) The Wild is 27th in the AHL with a 2.50 goals per game average and the team sits 13th with a 2.74 goals against average.
Notables –
· Iowa veteran Warren Peters played in his 700th game (NHL / AHL) on Friday.
Rockford IceHogs
Defenseman Adam Clendening leads Rockford in scoring with six goals and 29 assists for 35 points in 48 games played. He ranks among the top scoring defenseman in the AHL. Left wing Terry Broadhurst is second on the club in points with 27 in 46 games. He is also among the team leaders with nine goals. Center Joakim Nordstrom is third on the club with 26 points in 39 games. He leads the Hogs with 14 goals. Forwards Jeremy Morin (11g,15a) and Alex Broadhurst (9g,17a), as well as defenseman Klas Dahlbeck (8g,18a) are tied for third in scoring with 26 points. Despite spending significant time in Chicago, forward Brandon Pirri has 13 points in 16 games.
Goalies Kent Simpson and Jason LaBarbera are all in net for Rockford. LaBarbera is 5-6-2 with a 2.65 GAA and a .918 save %. Simpson is 8-12-0 with a 3.25 GAA and a .902 SV%.
The IceHogs are 11th in the AHL on the power play, going 38 for 203 (18.7%). Rockford is 30th on the penalty kill, allowing 47 power-play goals against on 222 attempts (79.4%). The Hogs sit 17th in the AHL with a 2.84 goals against average and 27th with a 3.27 goals per game average.