Griffins Game #48 * Road Game #24 * AHL Game #782

Season Series: 1-3-0-0 Home Series: 1-3-0-0 Road Series: 0-0-0-0
All-Time Series: 68-40-1-1-9 All-Time Home Series: 38-18-1-1-6 All-Time Road Series: 30-22-0-0-3

Griffins at Moose
Fifth of eight meetings overall, first of four at the Canada Life Centre…Since the Moose rejoined the AHL in 2015-16, Grand Rapids is 24-16-0-2 (0.595) against them, including a 9-8-0-1 (0.528) ledger in Manitoba…Grand Rapids is winless in its last six trips to Manitoba (0-5-0-1), dating back to the 2019-20 season...This is the 120th meeting between the two teams, which is the fifth-most encounters by any Grand Rapids opponent...This will be the third game of Manitoba’s eight-game homestand…Manitoba is 6-2-1-1 in its last 10 games while the Griffins are 5-4-1-0...On home ice this season, the Moose are 13-7-1-1 and the Griffins bolster an 11-11-0-1 ledger on the road...The Moose are tied for third in the AHL with a power play percentage of 23.3% but their home power play ranks 25th at 16.4%...Manitoba’s penalty kill is also one of the best on the circuit, as it is tied for fourth at 84.0%...Moose rookie goaltender Arvid Holm is tied for sixth among first-year netminders with a 2.62 goals against average and fourth with a 0.914 save percentage.

Last Time Out
The Griffins concluded their four-game homestand with a 1-3-0-0 record after losing 6-2 to the Cleveland Monsters at Van Andel Arena on Friday. Alex Chiasson had his second consecutive two-point outing, posting a goal and an assist. The veteran forward has 17 points in 24 contests this season (8-9–17) and five points in his last four games. Adam Erne crossed the 50-assist milestone in the AHL. In just his fourth outing in a Grand Rapids uniform, the New Haven, Conn., native has three assists for the Griffins this season.

Roster Shakeup
- Feb. 2—F Filip Zadina assigned by Detroit on a conditioning loan
- Feb. 3—F Alex Chiasson re-signed to a PTO by Grand Rapids
- Feb. 5—F Filip Zadina and F Jonatan Berggren recalled by Detroit; F Adam Erne assigned by Detroit
- Feb. 9—D Seth Barton reassigned to Toledo (ECHL) from Grand Rapids by Detroit; D Donovan Sebrango reassigned to Grand Rapids from Toledo by Detroit
- Feb. 14—F Jakub Vrana recalled by Detroit

This Date in Griffins History
2018: Jared Coreau is named AHL Player of the Week after leading the Griffins to consecutive road shutouts of Western Conference-leading Manitoba, stopping all 66 shots he faced.

Tough Sledding
The Griffins saw their season-high four-game win streak come to an end last weekend against the Manitoba Moose. This pushed Grand Rapids further back in the standings and are now nine points out of a playoff spot with 25 games remaining. However, Grand Rapids does have points in nine of its last 13 contests (7-4-1-1). Since the new year, Grand Rapids has lost in regulation just six times through 18 games (9-6-1-2, 0.583).

Immortalized Forever
Right wing Chris Neil had his No. 25 jersey retired on Friday by the Ottawa Senators, making him the first Griffins alum to have his number retired by an NHL franchise. Neil skated for the Griffins from 1999-2001, making his pro debut with the franchise and helping lead the team to the 2000 IHL Turner Cup Finals and two division titles. He totaled 24 goals and 55 points in 129 games with Grand Rapids, while his 655 penalty minutes stand fourth in team history. Neil went on to play for the Ottawa Senators from 2001-17, playing all of his 15 NHL seasons with the club. He is one of two players in NHL history with at least 1,000 games played and 2,500 penalty minutes to play his entire career with the same team. Neil ranks third in Senators history in games played (1,026) and first in penalty minutes (2,522).

Starting to Find a Groove
After going 0-for-21 on the power play from Jan. 7-21, the Griffins are starting to find a rhythm on the man-advantage. Grand Rapids recorded a power-play goal in four straight games from Jan.31-Feb. 10 (5-for-12, 41.7%), which was the first four-game stretch of goals since Oct. 29-Nov. 4. However, the special teams faltered last Saturday, as it went 0-for-5 on the power play and 2-for-4 on the penalty kill. Since Jan. 28, the Griffins are 7-for-32 (21.9%) on the man-advantage and are now rank 25th in the AHL with a conversion rate of 17.3%. The penalty kill has also been much improved, killing off 10 straight penalties in four games from Jan. 31-Feb. 10. The Griffins are 37-for-45 (82.2%) on the PK since Jan. 14 and place 26th on the circuit at 77.7%.

Alexander The Great
Netminder Alex Nedeljkovic has been a welcomed addition to the Griffins roster, as the goaltender was assigned by Detroit on Jan. 4. Nedeljkovic ‘s three-game win streak from Jan. 31-Feb. 4 tied for the longest run by a Griffins goaltender this campaign. Through 16 outings, Nedeljkovic has a 8-5-2 record with one shutout along with a 2.72 goals against average and a 0.914 save percentage. On Jan. 14, Nedeljkovic posted a 27-save shutout against the Chicago Wolves, his first in the AHL since Feb. 7, 2020 against Hartford (17 saves). On Jan. 11, Nedeljkovic recorded his fourth assist and fifth point of his AHL career, which was his first AHL point since Jan. 19, 2020.

Home Again, Home Again, Jiggity, Jig
The Griffins concluded their four-game homestand on Friday with a 1-3-0-0 (0.250) record. The Griffins now hit the road for a pair of games at Manitoba, which are the only road contests in their next seven outings. Grand Rapids is 9-12-2-1 (0.438) at home this season and 11-11-0-1 (0.500) on the road.

Just Keep it Close
The Griffins have had an up-and-down start to the season, but they have excelled at winning close games. In fact, Grand Rapids is 11-0-2-2 (0.867) in games decided by one goal and 4-0-2-0 (0.833) in overtime contests. In comparison, the Griffins are just 9-23-0-0 (0.281) in games decided by two or more tallies. In the 2021-22 season, the Griffins finished with a 13-7-6-2 (0.607) mark in games decided by one goal.

AHL Leaderboard Tracker
Austin Czarnik—Five game-winning goals are tied for second, three short-handed goals are tied for first
Simon Edvinsson—18 assists are tied for fifth among rookie defensemen, 22 points are tied for fifth among rookie defensemen
Joel L’Esperance—152 shots rank sixth

Milestones
Adam Erne eclipsed 50 assists in the AHL on Feb. 17 against the Cleveland Monsters. Simon Edvinsson recorded four points (1-3—4) on Feb. 15 and eclipsed 50 points as a pro. Albert Johansson notched his 50th assist as a pro on Feb. 15 against Rockford and Tyler Spezia skated in his 250th game as a pro.
Adam Erne—Three assists from 100 as a pro
Steven Kampfer—Two assists from 150 as a pro
Joel L’Esperance—One goal from 100 as a pro
Alex Nedeljkovic—Three wins from 100 in the AHL
Chase Pearson—Two assists from 50 as a pro, in the AHL and as a Griffin
Dominik Shine—One assist from 50 as a pro, as a Griffin and in the AHL

Photo by Mark Newman/Griffins