GAME PREVIEW - IOWA WILD AT TORONTO MARLIES 3.29.14
Mar 29, 2014Iowa Wild (25-30-6-4, 60 points) at Toronto Marlies (40-20-2-3, 85 points)
Saturday’s game is the final of two meetings this season between the two clubs. The two teams met on Jan. 15 in Des Moines, with the Marlies edging the Wild 4-3 in overtime at Wells Fargo Arena. Toronto defenseman T.J. Brennan scored once and added three assists for four points in the win. Forward Spencer Abbott scored twice for the Marlies. Iowa forward Carson McMillan had a goal and an assist in the OT defeat.
Iowa dropped its fifth straight game (all at home) on Wednesday, falling 7-0 to Charlotte. The team heads out for a five-game road trip, with stops in Toronto, Utica, Grand Rapids, Milwaukee and Chicago. Iowa has posted back-to-back wins in the last two road games. The team is 14-10-3-3 on the road, having been outscored 94-78. Iowa is 3-7-0-0 over the last ten outings and 4-3-2-1 against the North Division.
Toronto enters Saturday’s game with a 7-1-0-1 mark over the last eight games and a three-game winning streak. The team is coming off a 4-2 win at Rochester on Friday night. The AHL Affiliate of Toronto is 7-2-0-1 over the last ten games and 7-4-0-0 against the Midwest Division. The Marlies have posted a 22-9-1-1 record at home, having outscored the home teams 102-77. The team is 23-8-1-2 when scoring the game’s first goal.
Upcoming Games:
Team Date Time Radio / TV
at Toronto 3/29 2:00 PM KXNO / iHeartRadio
at Utica 3/30 2:00 PM KXNO / iHeartRadio
at Grand Rapids 4/2 6:00 PM KXNO / iHeartRadio
Latest Transactions:
3/29 – Add forward Jamie MacQueen (signed PTO)
3/29 – Add defensemen Gustav Olofsson and Dylan Labbe (signed ATO)
3/27 – Delete defenseman Nicholas Rioux (released – PTO)
3/27 – Add forward Mike Collins (signed ATO)
Last Time Out:
The Iowa Wild were defeated by the Charlotte Checkers 7-0 in front of 4,675 fans at the Wells Fargo Arena on Wednesday. Checkers forward Zach Boychuk registered a hat trick and added two assists, leading his team to victory. Charlotte goalie John Muse earned the shutout, making 22 saves for the win. Iowa goalie John Curry made 28 saves in the loss.
Iowa Wild
After 65 games, forward Brad Winchester leads the team in scoring with 18 goals and 33 points in 65 games. He has two goals and three points in 12 games with Iowa since he was acquired from Rockford via trade. Forwards Carson McMillan and Zack Phillips are also among the top scorers. Phillips has a career-high, 11 goals and 19 assists for a new career-high 30 points in 65 games played. He is one of two players to skate in every game this season. McMillan has 12 goals and 13 assists for 25 points in 57 games played. Tied for third in goal scoring, Brett Bulmer (11 goals) has 19 points in 40 games played. Winger Kris Foucault has moved into the top active scorers with 20 points in 51 games. He also has four points in his last four games. Center Warren Peters is also among the active skaters in points with 19 (8g/11a).
Goalies John Curry and Johan Gustafsson man the nets for Iowa. Curry is 7-9-2 with a 2.62 GAA and a .920 SV%. Johan Gustafsson is 11-16-2 with a 2.94 GAA and a .907 SV %.
Iowa is 44-for-257 (17.1%) on the power play and has allowed 54 power-play goals against on 254 attempts (78.7%). The Wild is 30th in the AHL with a 2.28 goals per game average and the team sits 19th with a 3.03 goals against average.
Notables –
· Winger Brett Bulmer set a team record for penalty minutes in one game, posting 27 on Wednesday. The team also set records for penalty minutes in one game, penalty minutes in one period, major penalties, game misconducts and 10-minute misconducts. In all, Iowa racked up 162 minutes on 29 infractions.
Toronto Marlies
Right wing Spencer Abbott leads the Marlies in scoring with 52 assists and 69 points in 62 games played. He also leads the team with 24 power-play assists this season. Abbott leads the AHL in assists and is second in overall scoring. Defenseman T.J. Brennan is second on the club in scoring with 61 points in 65 games played. He leads all AHL defensemen and the Marlies in goals scored with 21. He is second on the club in assists with 40 and he leads all AHL defensemen in points. Right wing Brandon Kozun is third on the team in points with 45 in 68 games played. He has 16 points in 25 games since coming over from Manchester.
Goalies Drew MacIntyre and Garret Spark split time in net for Toronto. MacIntyre is 26-15-3 with a 2.46 GAA and a .919 save percentage. Spark is 9-5-0 with a 2.58 GAA and a .921 SV%. Rookie Christopher Gibson is 5-2-0 with a 1.68 GAA and a .940 SV%.
Toronto is ninth in the league on the power play, going 64-for-319 (20.1%). The Marlies penalty kill has allowed 52 goals on 330 chances (84.2%). The team averages 2.94 goals per game while allowing 2.52 goals against per game (5th overall).