GAME PREVIEW: IOWA WILD VS. CHICAGO WOLVES
Mar 23, 2024Iowa Wild (22-33-3-2; 49 pts.) vs. Chicago Wolves (21-30-4-4; 50 pts.)
Iowa and Chicago meet in the second game of a weekend set at Wells Fargo Arena on Saturday at 6 p.m. on Blackout ALS Night presented by CDS Global. The Wild will wear specialty jerseys and hold a postgame auction benefitting ALS Association Iowa. The first 1,500 fans will receive a triple patch hat giveaway presented by ALS Association Iowa and KXnO.
ALL-TIME SERIES
All-Time Iowa Wild Record: 34-51-8-3 (17-27-3-2 at Wells Fargo Arena, 17-24-5-1 at Chicago)
Last Time: Iowa took a 2-1 shootout win over Chicago at Wells Fargo Arena on Friday... Simon Johansson scored Iowa’s regulation goal at 19:40 of the first period... Sammy Walker converted for the Wild in the first round of the shootout... Jesper Wallstedt turned aside 23-of-24 shots and stopped all three Wolves shootout attempts
2022-23: Iowa went 4-6-0-0 against Chicago in 2022-23... The Wild won three of the first four meetings... The final matchup of the season was the only game that went to overtime... Only one other game was decided by fewer than two goals (Chicago 6 - Iowa 5, Feb. 11, 2023)
TEAM NOTES
SEASON SERIES: Iowa is 5-0-1-0 against Chicago this season... The Wild had never won more than four games against the Wolves in a single season entering 2023=24... Five of the six games have been decided by one goal... Three of Gavin Hain’s six points (4-2=6) have come against Chicago (2-1=3)
ON THE KILL: Iowa ended a three-game stretch in which the Wolves had scored a power play goal against the Wild on Friday... Chicago has had four or more power play chances in five of six meetings
GOING FOR THREE: Iowa is seeking its fourth three-game win streak of the season... The Wild previously won three in a row from Nov. 5 - 11, Dec. 1 - 5, and Feb. 3 – 10
CLOSING OUT STRONG: Chicago has scored just two goals in the third period against Iowa this season
GOALTENDING MATCHUP
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Goaltender Jesper Wallstedt had started all six games against Chicago this season
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Wallstedt is 5-0-1 across those five contests
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Wallstedt has allowed nine goals for a 1.61 GAA and a 0.943 SAV%
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Keith Kinkaid owns a 1-2-0 record with a 2.63 GAA and a 0.886 SAV% against the Wild this season
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Adam Scheel is 0-1-2 in three games with a 2.22 GAA and a 0.913 SAV% against Iowa
ON THE FLY
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Gavin Hain has points in back-to-back games (1-1=2) for the first time in his AHL career
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Hain and Sammy Walker are the only two active Wild skaters to score twice again the Wolves this season
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Jesper Wallstedt has held opponents to fewer than three goals in each of his last six starts
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Iowa has played 11 games in a row in which neither team scored a shorthanded goal
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Chicago enters Saturday’s game on a five-game winless skid (0-2-1-2)
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Iowa has held Chicago forward Nate Sucese scoreless in consecutive games following a four-game point streak (5-1=6)
For more information on Iowa Wild hockey, please visit www.iowawild.com. Fans can purchase single-game tickets through the team’s website at www.iowawild.com. Group tickets (10 or more), suites, Wild 365 memberships or premium tickets can be purchased by contacting the Iowa Wild Ticket Department at 515-564-8700 or tickets@iowawild.com. Season tickets for 2023-24 are on sale now. Fans can purchase season tickets for the upcoming season at https://www.iowawild.com/wild-365.
Visit http://www.iowawild.com/pressbox for the latest news and information from the team including press releases, game notes, multimedia content, and daily statistics.