GAME PREVIEW – IOWA WILD VS. GRAND RAPIDS GRIFFINS
Dec 20, 2019Iowa Wild (14-11-2-2; 32 pts.) vs. Grand Rapids Griffins (12-14-1-2; 27 pts.)
Following a three-game road trip, Iowa returns home for two contests against the Grand Rapids Griffins before the holiday break kicks in. Iowa heads into the game sitting in third place in the Central Division with 32 points while the Grand Rapids Griffins are in seventh place with 27 points. Iowa is 16-22-4-5 all-time against Grand Rapids in 47 meetings between the two clubs.
Last Game
The Wild fought off two comeback attempts by the Stockton Heat, including the home side tying the game with 3.7 seconds left in regulation, to earn a 4-3 overtime victory on Wednesday night. Forward Dmitry Sokolov potted two goals in the contest, while forwards Sam Anas and Kyle Bauman added the other tallies. Goaltender Kaapo Kahkonen, making his first AHL start since Nov. 19, stopped 29 of 32 shots in the win.
WILD Notables
- Forward Kyle Rau is riding a six-game point streak, recording nine points (1g, 8a), and has an assist in four straight contests.
- Iowa has four players (Rau, Sam Anas, Brennan Menell and Louie Belpedio) with a point streak of at least three games.
- Forward Gerry Mayhew has 13 points (9g, 4a) in 14 career contests against the Griffins.
- Minnesota Wild reassigned defenseman Brennan Menell to Iowa on Dec. 19.
GRIFFINS Notables
- Grand Rapids defeated the San Diego Gulls 3-2 in the shootout Tuesday night.
- Forward Chris Terry leads the Griffins with 28 points (12g, 16a) in 27 games this season.
- Forward Matthew Ford was named a playing captain for the 2020 AHL All-Star Classic, his first AHL All-Star appearance.
- Goaltender Jimmy Howard will make his second consecutive start for the Griffins while on a conditioning stint from Detroit.
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.