GAME PREVIEW - IOWA WILD AT UTICA COMETS 3.30.14
Mar 30, 2014Iowa Wild (26-30-6-4, 62 points) at Utica Comets (29-29-4-4, 66 points)
Sunday’s game is the final of two meetings this season between Iowa and Utica. The two teams met in Des Moines on Feb. 5, with the Comets posting a 3-2 shootout win over the Wild. The Comets are the AHL affiliate of Vancouver, purchased by the Canucks from St. Louis, then moved from Peoria over the summer. Iowa makes its first and only visit to Utica on Mar. 30.
Iowa ended its five-game losing skid with a 2-1 shootout win at Toronto on Saturday afternoon. The team continues a five-game road trip, with stops in Utica, Grand Rapids, Milwaukee and Chicago. Iowa has posted three straight wins on the road. The team is 15-10-3-3 on the road, having been outscored 95-80. Iowa is 3-7-0-0 over the last ten outings and 5-3-2-1 against the North Division.
The Comets are coming off a 7-2 loss at home to Abbotsford on Saturday. The team dropped a pair of back-to-back home games to the Heat. Utica has two wins over the last five games. Utica is 12-16-2-3 at home, having been outscored 100-80 by their opponents. Utica is playing the fourth of five straight home games, with visits from Abbotsford, Milwaukee and Toronto. Comets started the year 0-8-1-1 in the first ten games of the season. The team is 29-21-3-3 since November 8.
Upcoming Games:
Team Date Time Radio / TV
at Utica 3/30 2:00 PM KXNO / iHeartRadio
at Grand Rapids 4/2 6:00 PM KXNO / iHeartRadio
at Milwaukee 4/4 7:00 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 Nicholas Rioux (released – PTO)
3/27 – Add F Mike Collins (signed ATO)
Last Time Out:
The Iowa Wild defeated the Toronto Marlies 2-1 in a shootout in front of 5,278 fans at Ricoh Coliseum on Saturday. Iowa goalie Johan Gustafsson made 38 saves on 39 shots in regulation. He secured the victory by stopping all four Toronto shootout attempts. Iowa forward Jamie MacQueen scored in his team debut, the Wild’s lone regulation goal. Forwards Carson McMillan and Zack Phillips each scored on shootout attempts, helping Iowa to its third straight road win. Marlies goalie Garret Sparks stopped 25 Wild shots in regulation and two of four Iowa attempts in the shootout defeat. Toronto’s Peter Holland scored the Marlies lone regulation goal.
Iowa Wild
After 66 games, forward Brad Winchester leads the team in scoring with 18 goals and 33 points in 68 games. He has two goals and three points in 13 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 30 points in 66 games played. He is one of two players to skate in every game this season. McMillan has 12 goals and 14 assists for 26 points in 58 games played. Tied for third in goal scoring, Brett Bulmer (11 goals) has 19 points in 41 games played. Winger Kris Foucault has moved into the top active scorers with 20 points in 52 games. He also has four points in his last five 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 12-16-2 with a 2.87 GAA and a .909 SV %.
Iowa is 44-for-261 (16.9%) on the power play and has allowed 54 power-play goals against on 257 attempts (79.0%). The Wild is 30th in the AHL with a 2.27 goals per game average and the team sits 20th with a 3.00 goals against average.
Notables –
· Forwards Mike Collins and Jamie MacQueen, along with defenseman Dyland Labbe, each made their Iowa Wild debut in Toronto on Saturday. Labbe made his pro debut as well.
Utica Comets
Center Pascal Pelletier leads the team in scoring with 38 assists and 52 points in 59 games played. He is also first on the team with 20 power-play points. Right Wings Benn Ferriero and Alexandre Grenier are also among the leaders for the Comets in scoring. Ferriero leads the team with 19 goals and 20 assists for 39 points. Grenier has 17 goals and 35 points in 58 games played. Cal O’Reilly has 34 points in only 42 games played. He is second on the team with 31 assists, including a team high 18 on the power play. Alex Biega leads the Comets blueline in scoring, posting 16 assists and 19 points in 64 games played.
Goalies Joacim Eriksson and Joe Cannata split time in net for the Comets. Eriksson has appeared in 46 games, going 21-21-2 with a 2.563 GAA and a .912 SV%. Cannata is 8-11-1 on year, sporting a 2.95 GAA and a .901 SV%.
The Comets are 42-for-262 (16.0%) on the power play this year. Utica’s penalty kill has killed off 215 of 270 (79.6%) penalties. The Comets average 2.41 goals per game and allow 2.91 per game.