Griffins Conclude Road Trip, Face Three-Game Weekend

This Week’s Games
GRIFFINS at Iowa Wild // Tues., March 26 // 8 p.m. EDT // Wells Fargo Arena
Listen: WOOD 106.9 FM/1300 AM at 7:35 p.m.
Watch: AHLTV
Season Series: 1-1-0-0 Road, 1-1-1-1 Overall. Fifth of six meetings overall, third of three at Wells Fargo Arena
All-Time Series: 16-6-0-0 Road, 30-11-1-2 Overall
NHL Affiliation: Minnesota Wild
Noteworthy: 16 of the last 22 meetings between the teams have been decided by one goal, including 10 that have been tied after regulation.

Chicago Wolves at GRIFFINS // Fri., March 29 // 7 p.m. // Van Andel Arena
Listen: WOOD 106.9 FM/1300 AM at 6:35 p.m.
Watch: AHLTV
Season Series: 2-1-0-0 Home, 3-4-0-0 Overall. Eighth of eight meetings overall, fourth of four at Van Andel Arena
All-Time Series: 42-26-2-4-2 Home, 84-60-2-6-3 Overall
NHL Affiliation: Vegas Golden Knights
Noteworthy: Chicago has won the last three matchups after Grand Rapids recorded a three-game winning streak from Oct. 20-Nov. 28.

GRIFFINS at Rockford IceHogs // Sat., March 30 // 7 p.m. EDT // BMO Harris Bank Center
Listen: WOOD 106.9 FM/1300 AM at 6:35 p.m.
Watch: AHLTV
Season Series: 1-1-2-0 Road, 3-2-4-0 Overall. Tenth of 10 meetings overall, fifth of five at the BMO Harris Bank Center
All-Time Series: 14-20-4-6 Road, 43-31-7-8 Overall
NHL Affiliation: Chicago Blackhawks
Noteworthy: The Griffins have points in 12 of the last 14 meetings overall (7-2-4-1).

Milwaukee Admirals at GRIFFINS // Sun., March 31 // 4 p.m. // Van Andel Arena
Listen: WOOD 106.9 FM/1300 AM at 3:35 p.m.
Watch: AHLTV
Season Series: 3-0-0-1 Home, 6-1-0-1 Overall. Ninth of 10 meetings overall, fifth of five at Van Andel Arena
All-Time Series: 53-29-2-2-3 Home, 98-62-7-7-8 Overall
NHL Affiliation: Nashville Predators
Noteworthy: The Griffins have won five straight games over Milwaukee.

Last Week’s Results
Tues., March 19 GRIFFINS 2 at San Antonio Rampage 1 SO 35-18-6-4 (80 points, 2nd Central Division)
Wed., March 20 GRIFFINS 3 at Texas Stars 6 35-19-6-4 (80 points, T2nd Central)
Sat., March 23 GRIFFINS 3 at Texas Stars 2 36-19-6-4 (82 points, 2nd Central)
Sun., March 24 GRIFFINS 3 at San Antonio Rampage 1 37-19-6-4 (84 points, 2nd Central)

Status Update: The Grand Rapids Griffins’ magic number to extend their franchise-record Calder Cup Playoff streak to seven years stands at seven points. Grand Rapids is in sole possession of second place in the Central Division standings with a 37-19-6-4 record and 84 points, trailing Chicago by two points. The Griffins have earned points in eight of their last 10 outings (6-2-2-0) and in 19 of their last 25 (16-6-3-0). Grand Rapids is 4-1 in its season-high six-game, 11-day road trip, which wraps up tonight at Iowa before the Griffins return to Van Andel Arena on Friday to face Chicago and begin a three-in-three weekend. The Griffins are in a stretch of facing 20 consecutive division foes (9-4-3-0 record so far).

Follow the Leader(s):
Points: Chris Terry (58)
Goals: Terry (27)
Assists: Terry (31)
Plus-Minus: Turner Elson (+17)
PIM: Dylan McIlrath (94)
Wins: Harri Sateri (21)
GAA: Patrik Rybar (2.25)
Save %: Rybar (0.917)

Last Week’s Notes:
Tuesday at San Antonio – Grand Rapids won its second consecutive game in a shootout...The Griffins are 5-2-0-0 in the season series...Grand Rapids’ goal at 3:33 of the first period snapped its scoreless stretch at the AT&T Center at 129:30...Matt Puempel (PP, 24) lit the lamp for the second time in as many games...Chris Terry was the only scorer in the three-round shootout for either team...Goaltender Harri Sateri picked up his 20th win and has stopped all 12 shootout attempts he’s faced this season. Recap | Highlights

Wednesday at Texas – Texas ended Grand Rapids’ four-game winning streak in the series...Colton Hargrove was the second player this season to record a hat trick against the Griffins (Brooks Macek, Oct. 13 at CHI)...Turner Elson (16), Joe Hicketts (3) and Carter Camper (14) tallied goals...Harri Sateri stopped 30 shots but had his six-game point streak snapped. Recap | Highlights

Saturday at Texas – Grand Rapids scored twice in the third period to come back and defeat Texas and finish 5-3-0-0 in the season series...Dominik Shine (6) scored the game-winner at 15:53 of the third period and Carter Camper (15) notched the game-tying goal at 12:05 of the third while on the power play...Dominic Turgeon (6) also lit the lamp...Camper skated in his 500th AHL game and has goals in back-to-back contests...Harri Sateri stopped 23 of 25 shots while making his fourth consecutive start...Chase Pearson made his professional debut...Grand Rapids finished 1-for-2 on the power play and 4-for-4 on the penalty kill...33 PIM marked a season high. Recap | Highlights

Sunday at San Antonio – Grand Rapids finished the season series 6-2-0-0…Wade Megan (16), Colin Campbell (6) and Filip Zadina (16) all lit the lamp as the Griffins scored three unanswered goals…After dropping the first two meetings in San Antonio this season, the Griffins claimed the last two…Patrik Rybar made 16 saves and has allowed one goal in his last two road starts…Grand Rapids outshot San Antonio 30-17, including 11-3 in the third period. Recap | Highlights

This Week’s Promotions: Friday against Chicago is the team’s annual equipment sale and fans must have a ticket to the game to participate in the sale. Fans can also enjoy $2 hot dogs/$2 domestic drafts from 6-8 p.m., while supplies last. Sunday versus Milwaukee is the Jake Engel Memorial Dog Game, where fans may bring their dog to the game with the purchase of both a human ticket for $15 and a dog ticket for $5. Click here to see the full list of promos.

Current Playoff Picture:
CENTRAL DIVISION

Road Trippin’: The Griffins are 4-1 in their season-high six-game road swing and will conclude the stretch tonight at Iowa. Grand Rapids plays six of its final 10 games in enemy territory. The Griffins have won five of their last six and have points in 13 of their last 18 contests (10-5-2-1) away from Van Andel Arena. Chris Terry (13-12—25) and Matt Puempel (12-11—23) pace the team in scoring in away games.

Friendly Confines: For the first time since March 15, the Griffins on Friday will return to Van Andel Arena, a place where they have points in six of their last seven games (4-1-2-0) and in eight of their last 10 (6-2-2-0). With a 22-6-3-3 overall mark inside friendly confines, the Griffins rank among the league’s home leaders with 22 wins (T4th), 50 points (T3rd) and a 0.735 points percentage (5th). The Griffins have won 20 or more home games for the seventh straight season. Grand Rapids is a +22 in goal differential at home while averaging 3.21 goals and operating at 18.62% on the power play, compared to –7, 2.75 and 10.24% on the road. Chris Terry (14-19—33), Carter Camper (10-19—29) and Matt Puempel (12-15—27) lead the team in scoring at home. Harri Sateri is 13-2-2 at Van Andel Arena with a 2.37 GAA and a 0.910 save percentage while Patrik Rybar is 9-4-4 with a 2.31 GAA and a 0.916 save mark.

Suite Life: Saturday at Rockford will be the last of nine road games the Griffins will have played in the month of March. This season is the eighth consecutive in which Grand Rapids hits the road for seven or more contests in March (7 in 2017-18, 10 in 2016-17, 8 in 2015-16, 7 in 2014-15, 9 in 2013-14, 11 in 2012-13 and 9 in 2011-12). Despite the lack of home games, the Griffins have posted an overall winning record in March in 10 straight years, combining for an 84-44-7-8 (0.640) mark since 2008-09, including a 6-2-2-0 slate so far this season.

Adding to the List: Matt Puempel became the 177th Griffins alumnus to play in the NHL when he made his debut with Detroit during the Red Wings’ 3-2 overtime win at Vegas on Saturday night. In 8:03 of ice time, Puempel recorded three shots. Dylan McIlrath became the 178th, and the 10th this season, Griffins alumnus to play in the NHL when he made his Red Wings debut last night in the team’s 3-2 victory at San Jose. McIlrath finished with a plus-one rating and two PIM in 14:52 of ice time.

Wade For It: In 25 GP in 2019, Wade Megan leads Grand Rapids with 25 points and 13 goals while tying for fourth with 12 assists and ranking second with a plus-10 rating. He has produced eight points (3-5—8) in his last seven outings.

(Don’t) Put It In Reverse Terr: With 27 goals (T9th in AHL), 58 points (T12th) and 31 assists – all team highs – Chris Terry has surpassed the 50-point mark in his seventh consecutive full AHL season. Owning 498 career AHL points, he needs two more to become the 96th player in league history to amass 500 or more.

AHL's Active Goal Leaders:
1) Chris Bourque (BRI) - 250
2) Chris Mueller (TOR) - 218
3) Chris Terry - 210

AHL's Active Point Leaders:
1) Chris Bourque (BRI) - 741
2) T.J. Hensick (SJ) - 579
3) Cal O'Reilly (IA) - 572
4) Travis Morin (TEX) - 560
5) Chris Mueller (TOR) - 522
6) Chris Conner (LV) - 521
7) Chris Terry - 498

Page Turner: Sixth-year pro Turner Elson has set new career highs this season in both points (35) and assists (19), and needs one more goal to match his career best of 17 set in 2014-15 with Adirondack.

You’re a Wizard, Harri: Harri Sateri has points in seven of his last eight appearances (4-1-3) and in his last 16 games he is 10-3-3 with a 2.32 GAA and a 0.918 save percentage. With 21 victories – which tie for 11th in the AHL – the Finnish netminder has reached the 20-win mark for the first time in his AHL career.

Rybar Supports: Patrik Rybar is 7-3-0 in his last 10 starts, showing a 1.90 GAA and a 0.931 save percentage with a pair of shutouts in that time. In his first season in North America, Rybar leads the league with a 2.25 overall GAA.

Frkin’ Right: Since being assigned to Grand Rapids on Feb. 14, right wing Martin Frk is averaging better than a point per game with the Griffins (4-6—10 in 9 GP) and posts a team-best plus-nine rating in that time. He has picked up six points during his five-game point streak (3-3—6).

Steady Presence: Brian Lashoff’s 444 games played rank first among active players who’ve spent their entire AHL career with the same team and tie for 13^th all time.

Free Hockey: Last Tuesday’s 2-1 shootout win at San Antonio marked Grand Rapids’ 21st game this season that was tied after regulation, setting a new single-season franchise record. The 2008-09 and 2006-07 teams both played 20 games tied after 60 minutes. The Griffins are 5-6 in overtime this season and 6-4 in a shootout.

Griffins in General: The Griffins were the second team in the Western Conference to reach 80 points following a 2-1 shootout win at San Antonio on March 19...Grand Rapids became the first in the West to hit the 70-point plateau after a 4-3 shootout win against Texas on Feb. 22...The Griffins became the fifth team in the league this season to reach 30 victories after a 3-2 overtime win vs. San Antonio on Feb. 16...Grand Rapids achieved 30 Ws or more in its first 53 games for the sixth time in the last seven seasons...The Griffins’ 3-0 win against Milwaukee on Jan. 19 marked the franchise’s 950th all-time regular season victory…Grand Rapids is 964-648-27-57-112 (0.587) in the regular season since 1996-97…Grand Rapids’ 304 regular season wins and 658 points since the 2012-13 campaign are both the second-most in the AHL in that time, trailing only Toronto (313 / 677) and just ahead of Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (300 / 649).

40/90 Club: The Griffins need three wins and six points to achieve 40 wins and 90 points both for the seventh consecutive season.

Milestones Within Reach:
Joe Hicketts – needs three games played to reach 200 as a Griffin/in the AHL
Turner Elson – needs six games played to reach 300 in the AHL
Wade Megan – needs six goals to reach 100 in the AHL
Chris Terry – needs two points to reach 500 in the AHL
Jake Chelios – needs seven games played to reach 300 in the AHL
Derek Hulak – needs two points to reach 100 in the AHL and three games played to reach 200 in the AHL
Colin Campbell – needs five points to reach 100 as a Griffin
Matthew Ford – needs four points to reach 100 as a Griffin, needs five goals to reach 200 in the AHL
Harri Sateri – needs six games played to reach 200 in the AHL

Iowa Notes: Current record 34-21-7-5, 80 points, 3rd Central Division…16 of the last 22 meetings between the teams have been decided by one goal, including 10 that have been tied after regulation…In the last 22 meetings, Grand Rapids and Iowa have both totaled 63 goals…In the last 22 meetings, Grand Rapids’ power play is operating at 24.7% (19/77) while Iowa’s is at 20.2% (17/84)…The Griffins have outshot the Wild 134-96 in four games this season (33.5 avg.-24.0 avg.)…Grand Rapids has won four of the last five at Iowa…The Wild have the lone regulation victory in this year’s season series, claiming a 5-2 win in the last matchup at Wells Fargo Arena on Dec. 8…In the most recent clash on March 8 at Van Andel Arena, Matt Bartkowski scored at 4:08 of overtime to give the Wild a 4-3 victory…The Griffins won 20 of the first 24 all-time games against the Wild, and are 10-7-1-2 since…Grand Rapids also won its first eight trips to Wells Fargo Arena from Oct. 27, 2013-Dec. 13, 2015, and is 8-6-0-0 since…Chris Terry (2-2—4 in 4 GP) and Matt Puempel (1-3—4 in 4 GP) lead the Griffins in scoring in the season series…Patrik Rybar is 1-1-1 vs. Iowa while showing a 2.88 GAA and a 0.878 save percentage, and Harri Sateri is 0-0-1 with a 3.75 GAA and a 0.810 save mark…The six-game season series will conclude April 10 in West Michigan…Six games is the fewest between the teams since playing four times in 2014-15…The Griffins and Wild are in their sixth season playing each other and Grand Rapids has never finished with a 0.500 mark or below in a season series.

Chicago Notes: Current record 39-19-5-3, 86 points, 1st Central Division…Chicago has won the last three matchups after Grand Rapids recorded a three-game winning streak from Oct. 20-Nov. 28…The Griffins are 6-4-0-0 in the last 10 meetings at Van Andel Arena…The Griffins have faced the Wolves 155 times in the regular season, the second most of any Grand Rapids opponent (Milwaukee, 182)…In the most recent meeting on Feb. 23 at Allstate Arena, Keegan Kolesar broke a 2-2 tie 3:35 into the third period and then Chicago held on for a 3-2 victory…In the last matchup in West Michigan on Feb. 10, Max Lagace turned aside 34 shots in the Wolves’ 4-1 win…Matt Puempel (5-1—6 in 7 GP) and Turner Elson (4-2—6 in 7 GP) lead the Griffins in scoring in the season series…Two of Elson’s team-high three shorthanded goals have come against Chicago…In between the pipes, Harri Sateri is 3-1-0 with a 2.75 GAA and a 0.911 save percentage, and Patrik Rybar is 0-3-0 with a 4.12 GAA and a 0.836 save percentage.

Real Recognize Real: The Griffins and Wolves are division rivals for the seventh straight season. Chicago (3) and Grand Rapids (2) have combined to win five of the previous six division titles (Milwaukee in 2015-16), with the Wolves’ three crowns coming by a combined four points over second-place Grand Rapids (1 in 2013-14, 1 in 2016-17, and 2 in 2017-18).

Chicago Connections: Head coach Ben Simon and assistant coach Brad Tapper won the Calder Cup as players with the Wolves in 2002, their second consecutive season capturing a league championship together after hoisting the IHL’s Turner Cup with the Orlando Solar Bears in 2001…Simon logged 196 GP with Chicago from 2001-03 and 2004-05, registering 87 points (37-50—87) and 192 PIM…Tapper appeared in 98 GP with the Wolves from 2001-04, tallying 58 points (24-34—58) and 130 PIM…Tapper served as an assistant with the Wolves from 2014-16…Jake Chelios made his AHL debut with Chicago on April 11, 2014 at Iowa and went on to skate in 45 games with the Wolves from 2013-15, picking up 16 points (1-15—16)…Wade Megan totaled 99 points (44-55—99), a plus-34 rating and 109 PIM in 136 games with Chicago from 2016-18…Megan paced the AHL with 33 goals during his first season with the Wolves in 2016-17 and was named to the AHL First All-Star Team…Brooks Macek was originally drafted 171st overall by the Red Wings in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft.

Rockford Notes: Current record 31-26-4-6, 72 points, T4th Central Division…Seven of the nine games this season have been decided by one goal, including four in overtime…Rockford is outscoring Grand Rapids in the series 22-21…Rockford has claimed all four matchups that have been tied after regulation…The Griffins have points in 12 of the last 14 meetings overall (7-2-4-1)…Rockford’s 3-2 win in the last meeting on March 15 at Van Andel Arena ended Grand Rapids’ four-game point streak in the series (2-0-2-0)…Grand Rapids outshot Rockford 48-20 on March 15 but Anton Forsberg notched 46 saves…The Griffins have points in four of their last five trips to the BMO Harris Bank Center (1-1-2-1)…In the last matchup in Illinois on March 1, Grand Rapids came back from being down three in the first period to force overtime and earn a point in a 5-4 loss…Since the 2012-13 campaign, Grand Rapids is 23-5-3-1 (0.781) against the IceHogs at the Van and 12-13-2-4 (0.484) at Rockford…Matt Puempel (3-3—6 in 8 GP) and Wade Megan (4-1—5 in 3 GP) lead Grand Rapids in the series…In the crease, Patrik Rybar is 1-2-1 with a 2.27 GAA and a 0.911 save percentage, and Harri Sateri is 2-0-3 with a 2.49 GAA and a 0.921 save percentage.

Rockford Connections: Rockford interim head coach Derek King played in Grand Rapids from 1999-01 and 2002-04 and is the franchise’s all-time leading playoff scorer (16-25—41) and ranks fifth in regular season points (73-130—203)…King and Ben Simon were both assistant coaches with the Toronto Marlies in 2014-15...Simon also served as an assistant coach with the IceHogs during the 2012-13 season.

Milwaukee Notes: Current record 28-24-13-2, 71 points, T6th Central Division…The Griffins have won five straight games over Milwaukee while also showing points in nine of the last 10 (8-1-0-1) and in 17 of the last 21 (15-4-1-1)…Since the 2013-14 campaign, the Griffins are 39-16-2-1 against the Admirals, including 20-7-1-1 at home and 18-9-1-0 away…Grand Rapids has points in all four meetings at Van Andel Arena this season (3-0-0-1)…The Griffins have faced the Admirals more than any other opponent in team history as the two clubs will meet for the 183rd time in the regular season on Sunday...In the most recent matchup on March 16 at Milwaukee, Harri Sateri blocked 30 of 32 shots in regulation and Matt Puempel was the only scorer in the shootout as Grand Rapids skated away with a 3-2 victory…In the last meeting at the Van on Jan. 19, Patrik Rybar stopped all 24 shots he faced to record his first shutout in North America and help Grand Rapids to a 3-0 win…Rybar has back-to-back clean sheets against Milwaukee (March 9, Jan. 19) and has not allowed an Admirals goal since the 8:03 mark of the first period on Jan. 9, a shutout streak of 171:49…On the season, Rybar is 3-0-1 with a 0.74 GAA and a 0.973 save percentage vs. Milwaukee…Sateri shows a record of 3-1-0 to go along with a 2.67 GAA and a 0.893 save percentage…Puempel (6-3—9 in 8 GP) and Matthew Ford (1-5—6 in 8 GP) lead the scoring for Grand Rapids…Admirals netminder Tom McCollum played with the Griffins from 2009-16 and 2017-18 and is the franchise’s all-time goalie leader in wins (123), games played (263), minutes (14900:25) and saves (6640), helped Grand Rapids win the 2013 Calder Cup and is the team’s only four-time AHL Man of the Year nominee…In five appearances vs. Grand Rapids, McCollum is 1-1-3 with a 2.32 GAA and a 0.927 save percentage…Head coach Ben Simon skated in 18 games with the Admirals during the 2003-04 campaign and finished with four points (1-3—4)…Grand Rapids will conclude its regular season at Milwaukee on April 13.

Win Some, Lose Some: Compare the statistics between the Griffins’ 37 wins and 29 (including OT and SO) losses:

Back to Backs: This weekend will mark the 24th of 26 times total this season the Griffins will play on consecutive nights.

Photo by Sam Iannamico/Griffins