GAME PREVIEW – IOWA WILD AT STOCKTON HEAT
Dec 18, 2019Iowa Wild (13-11-2-2; 30 pts.) at Stockton Heat (17-5-1-2; 37 pts.)
For the first time this season, Iowa Wild and the Stockton Heat will meet Wednesday evening, closing out a three-game California road trip. Iowa heads into the contest in third in the Central Division with 30 points, while the Heat are in second place in the Pacific Division with 37 points. Iowa is 1-5-0-0 all-time against the Heat with a 0-3-0-0 record in Stockton.
Last Game
The Wild jumped out to a 3-0 lead against the Ontario Reign Sunday afternoon but ultimately fell by a score of 4-3 in regulation. Forward JT Brown recorded his first multi-goal effort of the season while forward Will Bitten scored in back-to-back contests for the first time this season in the game. Goaltender Dereck Baribeau stopped 28 of 32 shots in the loss.
WILD Notables
- Forward Kyle Rau is riding a five-game point streak, recording eight points (1g, 7a) during that stretch.
- Iowa’s four wins against the Pacific are the most by any team outside of the division.
- Iowa has allowed 34 goals in the second period, the second most of any team in the AHL.
- Forwards Luke Johnson and Nico Sturm were recalled by Minnesota on Dec. 16, while goaltender Kaapo Kahkonen was reassigned to Iowa the same day.
HEAT Notables
- Stockton earned its fourth consecutive victory, defeating the San Jose Barracuda by a score of 5-2.
- Forward Matthew Phillips leads the Heat with 28 points (12g, 16a) in 24 games.
- Stockton’s .923 points percentage when scoring first is the second-best mark in the league.
- The Heat are the only team in the league to rank in the Top 10 in home power play (4th), road power play (2nd), home penalty kill (3rd) and road penalty kill (7th).
The Iowa Wild 2019-20 regular season is presented by MercyOne Des Moines Medical Center and runs from October through April. For more information, please contact the Wild office by calling 515-564-8700 or by visiting www.iowawild.com.