GAME PREVIEW - IOWA WILD AT GRAND RAPIDS GRIFFINS 3.8.14
Mar 8, 2014Iowa Wild (22-25-6-4, 54 points) at Grand Rapids Griffins (37-17-2-2, 79 points)
Saturday’s game is the seventh of ten meetings this season between Iowa and Grand Rapids. The two teams met on Friday night in Grand Rapids with the Griffins winning 4-0. The Griffins are 5-1-0-0 against the Wild this season, outscoring Iowa 17-8 in the season series. Four of the six games have been decided by one goal. After this weekend, the next meeting between the two clubs is a two-game set at Wells Fargo Arena on Mar. 21 and 22.
Iowa is off to a rough start on its five-game road trip, dropping the first three games by a score of 17-1. Friday’s loss extended its losing streak to five games. Over that stretch, the team has been outscored 28-6. Iowa has a record of 12-10-3-3 on the road, outscored by the opposition 91-72. Iowa is 1-8-1-0 over the last ten outings and 9-15-3-2 against the Midwest Division.
The defending champs lead the Midwest Division and the Western Conference with 79 points, second best among all AHL teams. Grand Rapids is 20-10-0-2 at home this season, outscoring the visiting teams 98-72. The Griffins are 22-9-0-1 against the Midwest Division. The club has rattled off seven consecutive wins, besting its opponents 27-11 in scoring over the stretch.
Upcoming Games:
Team Date Time Radio / TV
at Grand Rapids 3/8 6 PM CT KXNO / iHeartRadio
at Milwaukee 3/12 7 PM KXNO / iHeartRadio
vs. San Antonio 3/16 5:05 PM KXNO / iHeartRadio
Latest Transactions:
3/5 – Delete goalie Hannu Toivonen (released from PTO)
3/4 - Add forward Stephane Veilleux (assigned by Minnesota – NHL)
3/2 – Add forward Taylor Matson (recalled from Orlando – ECHL)
Last Time Out:
The Iowa Wild was defeated by the Grand Rapids Griffins 4-0 in front of 7,705 fans at Van Andel Arena on Friday night. Forward Cory Emmerton scored two goals in the first period and goalie Petr Mrazek made 16 saves for the shutout. Griffins forward Teemu Pulkkinen and defenseman Adam Almquist added third-period markers, extending the club’s winning streak to seven games. Iowa goalie John Curry made 32 saves, as the Wild dropped its sixth straight decision. Iowa was shutout for the second straight game and is now scoreless in the last 124:25 of play.
Iowa Wild
After 57 games, forward Brad Winchester leads the team in scoring with 16 goals and 30 points in 59 games. He is scoreless in four games after he was acquired form Rockford via trade. Defenseman Jonathon Blum, as well as forwards Carson McMillan and Zack Phillips: are also among the top scorers. Blum has seven goals and 19 assists for 26 points in 48 games played with Iowa. Forward Zack Phillips has a career-high, ten goals and 16 assists for 26 points in 57 games played. McMillan has 11 goals and 13 assists for 24 points in 49 games played. Third in goal scoring, Brett Bulmer (10 goals) has 16 points in 32 games played. Center Warren Peters is also among the active skaters in points with 18 (7g/11a).
Goalies John Curry and Johan Gustafsson man the nets for Iowa. Curry is 7-7-2 with a 2.31 GAA and a .928 SV%. Johan Gustafsson is 8-13-2 with a 3.10 GAA and a .902 SV %.
Iowa is 38-for-233 (16.3%) on the power play and has allowed 46 power-play goals against on 220 attempts (79.1%). The Wild is 30th in the AHL with a 2.35 goals per game average and the team sits 21st with a 3.04 goals against average.
Notables –
· Iowa forward Stephane Veilleux needs two assists to reach 100 for his AHL career.
Grand Rapids Griffins
Right wing Teemu Pulkkinen leads the Griffins in scoring with 25 goals and 50 points in 59 games played. He has a team-high 170 shots on goal and is second with 25 assists. Defenseman Adam Almquist is first on the team with 38 assists and second with 41 points in 56 games played. Almquist also leads the Griffins with 18 power-play assists. The team is missing forward Tomas Jurco, who is in Detroit after scoring 13 goals and totaling 32 points in 32 games played. The Red Wings also traded Calle Jarnkrok on Wednesday. He had 36 points in 57 games played. Cory Emmerton is also among the team leaders with 14 goals and 35 points in 42 games played. Right wing Mitch Callahan is among the team leaders with 21 goals and 32 points in 59 games played.
Goalie Tom McCullom and Petr Mrazek split time in net for Grand Rapids. Mrazek is 18-5-1 with a 2.01 GAA and a .928 SV%. He has made seven appearances for the Red Wings this season, going 1-3-0 with a 1.64 GAA and a .924 SV%. McCullom is 19-10-2 with a 2.33 GAA and a .922 SV %.
Grand Rapids is tenth in the league on the power play, going 48-for-241 (19.1%). The Griffins penalty kill has allowed 33 goals on 250 chances (86.8%). The team averages 3.27 goals per game (4th overall) while allowing 2.42 per game (first overall).