TRIP TO CHICAGO, THREE-IN-THREE HOMESTAND UP NEXT FOR GRIFFINS

This Week’s Games
Tues., Feb. 23 GRIFFINS at Chicago Wolves 12 p.m. ESPN 96.1 / AHLLive.com
Fri., Feb. 26 Iowa Wild at GRIFFINS 7 p.m. WOOD 106.9 FM/1300 AM / AHLLive.com
Sat., Feb. 27 Iowa Wild at GRIFFINS 7 p.m. WOOD 106.9 FM/1300 AM / AHLLive.com
Sun., Feb. 28 Chicago Wolves at GRIFFINS 4 p.m. WOOD 106.9 FM/1300 AM / AHLLive.com

Last Week’s Results
Wed., Feb. 17 Milwaukee Admirals 1 at GRIFFINS 4 28-19-1-1, 58 points (3rd, Central Division)
Fri., Feb. 19 Charlotte Checkers 4 at GRIFFINS 2 28-20-1-1, 58 points (4th)
Sat., Feb. 20 Charlotte Checkers 2 at GRIFFINS 5 29-20-1-1, 60 points (4th)

Opening Faceoff: The Griffins finished 2-1-0-0 in last week’s games, as they split a back-to-back weekend set against the Charlotte Checkers after defeating the first-place Milwaukee Admirals 4-1 earlier in the week. Grand Rapids is positioned fourth in the division, sixth in the Western Conference and tied for 10th in the league with a 29-20-1-1 (0.588) record. The Griffins commence this week with a trip to Chicago for a matinee puck drop on Tuesday against the Wolves before coming home to a three-games-in-three-nights stretch that begins with a pair against the Iowa Wild and then concludes on Sunday against Chicago at Van Andel Arena.

This Week’s Promotions: On Saturday against Iowa, the first 2,500 fans in attendance will receive a Tom McCollum bobblehead, thanks to Michigan Office Solutions. On Sunday against Chicago, the first 2,500 fans will receive a Griffins pennant, courtesy of Centennial Securities.

Home Ice: Upon returning from their matinee date with the Wolves in the Second City, the Griffins are set to play their next four games inside the friendly confines of Van Andel Arena. Grand Rapids has secured points in 18 of its last 23 home games (17-5-1-0). Against Central Division opponents at home, the Griffins are 15-3-1-0 (0.816).

Three in Three: Playing three games in three nights is a common occurrence in the AHL. In fact, over their 20-year history, the Griffins have played 150 sets of back-to-back-to-backs. However, having the opportunity to play three games in three nights all on home ice appears to be a much more rare circumstance. Grand Rapids will have that opportunity this weekend when they host Iowa on Friday and Saturday before squaring off against Chicago on Sunday. The Griffins have hosted a back-to-back-to-back at Van Andel Arena a total of nine times previously (most recent: Feb. 21-23, 2014), holding a 14-13-0-0 (0.519) record in those games.

Win Some and Lose Some: The Griffins own a 29-20-1-1 (0.588) record through 51 games. Take a look at how Grand Rapids’ numbers stack up between its 29 wins and 22 (including overtime and shootout) losses:

Mantha Mania: Anthony Mantha is responsible for four goals (4-1—5) in the last three games. He recorded his first career hat trick – the fifth different Griffin (Tomas Jurco, Colin Campbell, Eric Tangradi and Mitch Callahan) to score three goals in a game this season – and a career-best four points in a 4-1 victory against the first-place Milwaukee Admirals on Feb. 17. Through 46 games, Mantha’s numbers (16-18—34) already better last year’s rookie stats when he skated in 62 games (15-18—33).

Against the Best: The Griffins own a 24-18-1-1 (0.568) record against teams with a winning record this season, including an 11-7-0-0 (0.611) mark against teams with a winning percentage greater than 0.600 as of Feb. 22. Grand Rapids has also posted a 26-11-1-1 (0.692) record against its Central Division rivals, going 9-4-0-0 (0.692) versus the top two teams (Rockford, Milwaukee).

Busy, Busy: Grand Rapids will play 12 games – all against Central Division foes – in February’s 29 days including two sets of back-to-back-to-backs (Feb. 12-14, Feb. 26-28).

Free Hockey: In their eight games that have gone to either overtime or a shootout, the Griffins post a 0.750 winning percentage – tied for third-highest in the league (5-1 in OT, 1-1 in SO).

Back-to-Back-to-Backs: Take a look at how the statistics compare for Grand Rapids when it plays on consecutive nights:

Griffins Leaders: Andy Miele (11-26—37) and Eric Tangradi (17-18—35) continue to pace the offense, ahead of Anthony Mantha (16-18—34), Mark Zengerle (5-27—32), Martin Frk (19-12—31) and Mitch Callahan (14-8—22).

The Central Conversation: Despite a 2-8-0-1 record and a last-place 0.227 winning percentage to begin the season, the Griffins have rebounded with a 27-12-1-0 mark to climb into contention in the Central Division. Overall, the Griffins place fourth in the division, sixth in the Western Conference and tied for 10th in the AHL.

Stone Wall: Categorized in the AHL’s top 10 for wins (23, tied for third), shutouts (three, tied for sixth), goals against average (2.35, seventh) and save percentage (0.926, fourth), goaltender Jared Coreau has anchored a consistent presence in between the pipes for the Griffins. Coreau’s 23 wins tie him for eighth place on the Griffins’ single-season chart with Petr Mrazek (2012-13), Daniel Larsson (2009-10) and Ian Gordon (1997-98).

McCollum Sets Record: On Saturday against Charlotte, goaltender Tom McCollum recorded his 212th career appearance between the pipes, continuing to rewrite the Griffins’ record book and place more space between him and second on the list (Joey MacDonald, 210). McCollum’s win against the Checkers on Saturday earned him his 94th victory as a Griffin, ranking second in club history behind only MacDonald (109). With 5,283 career saves and counting, he stands behind only MacDonald (5,362) in Griffins’ archives.

Whoa, Nellie: Named the franchise’s 10th head coach on June 19, 2015, Todd Nelson has already attached his name to several records in Griffins lore. In the first half season under Nelson’s watch, Grand Rapids has set franchise records for overall win streak (15, Nov. 18-Dec. 26) and home win streak (14, Nov. 11-Jan. 15). Now in his sixth season as an AHL head coach, including five spent in Oklahoma City with the Barons, Nelson claimed his 200th career AHL win (205-131-13-35) in Grand Rapids’ 3-2 overtime win against Lake Erie on Jan. 20.

Getting the Call: Four players who were in Grand Rapids’ lineup for the season opener at Bakersfield on Oct. 9 have gone on to appear in at least one game with the parent club this year. Andreas Athanasiou and Xavier Ouellet are currently on recall with the Red Wings. Athanasiou has skated in 15 games for Detroit, tallying two goals, three assists (2-3—5) and a plus-one rating while Ouellet has appeared in five games and recorded one assist (0-1—1). Tomas Nosek and Eric Tangradi became the 152nd and 153rd Griffins alumni, respectively, to play in the NHL after Nosek played six games for Detroit (Dec. 19-Jan. 5) and Tangradi made his Red Wings debut on Jan. 25.

Goal Scoring: Partly attributable to the Griffins’ current tied for 10th-place standing in the AHL is the fact they rank in the top 10 for both goals for (3.10, sixth) and goals against (2.67, tied for eighth) per game.

Magic Numbers: The Griffins are 27-3-1-0 when scoring three or more goals and 20-3-0-0 when allowing two or fewer…Grand Rapids is 15-4-0-0 when leading after one period, 18-2-0-0 when leading after two and 21-7-1-0 when striking first.

Fantastic Frk: Martin Frk paces the team and ties for 11th in the league with 19 goals (19-12—31). Grand Rapids is a perfect 4-0-0-0 when Frk charts two or more goals in a game.

Clear Influence: A veteran of over 1,100 professional games including 938 in the NHL, 37-year-old Daniel Cleary has made his presence felt on the ice during his first season as a Griffin. Despite Cleary registering only 10 points (1-9—10) on the season, in the 25 games the 19th year pro is in the lineup the Griffins post a staggering 19-5-1-0 (0.780) record.

On the Plus Side: Among the 17 Griffins skaters who have appeared in 10 or more games this season, 12 find themselves with a positive plus/minus rating. Rookie Robbie Russo leads the team at plus-29, which ties for second in the league.

Sorry, Not Sorry: In addition to putting together their own winning streak of 15 games earlier this season (Nov. 18-Dec. 26), which set a franchise record, the Griffins have also made a habit out of being able to stop the streaks of their opponents. Consider the significant double-digit runs that Grand Rapids has been responsible for halting this season: Rockford’s 10-game point streak on Nov. 18 (3-2 W), Milwaukee’s 11-game point streak and franchise-record 10-game winning streak on Nov. 27 (6-0 W) and Charlotte’s 12-game point streak on Jan. 12 (5-3 W).

Walleye World: A recent 6-3-1-0 stretch has the ECHL’s Toledo Walleye atop the North Division standings with a 32-14-2-3 record (69 points). The Walleye lead second-place Wheeling (25-21-2-3) by 14 points. Former Griffins Shane Berschbach (20-31—51) and A.J. Jenks (18-22—40) pace the offense. Rookie netminder Jake Paterson, Detroit’s second pick in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft, shows a 10-8-1-1 record with a 2.41 GAA and 0.919 save percentage as an understudy to former Michigan State Spartan Jeff Lerg (21-6-1-2, 2.10 GAA, 0.927%). While spending 15 games with the Griffins earlier this season, Paterson made his first career AHL start on Jan. 13 at Charlotte and recorded 38 saves in a 4-3 loss.

Scouting Report

Tuesday, Feb. 23 at Chicago Wolves (24-23-3-2) – Allstate Arena – 12 p.m.
Sunday, Feb. 28 vs. Chicago Wolves – Van Andel Arena – 4 p.m.
Radio: ESPN 96.1 at 11:35 a.m. on Tuesday, WOOD 106.9 FM/1300 AM at 3:35 p.m. on Sunday Web Casts: Video web cast at AHLLive.com, free audio available through espn.com and woodradio.com. All-Time Series: 33-21-2-4-2 Home, 34-27-0-2-0 Road, 67-48-2-6-2 Overall. Season Series: 1-0-1-0 Home, 1-0-0-0 Road, 2-0-1-0 Overall. Fourth and fifth of eight meetings overall, second of four at Allstate Arena, third of four at Van Andel Arena. NHL Affiliation: St. Louis Blues. Head Coach: John Anderson (14th season). Notes: The Chicago Wolves rank sixth in the Central Division, 11th in the Western Conference and 22nd overall with a 24-23-3-2 record (0.510)…Chicago is 4-4-2-0 in its last 10, including a 3-2 shootout victory against Charlotte on Sunday…Griffins head coach Todd Nelson served as an assistant coach with the Wolves for two seasons (2006-08) and won the 2008 Calder Cup in his final season with Chicago…Griffins assistant coach Ben Simon spent three seasons playing for the Wolves (2001-03, 2004-05) and helped Chicago capture the Calder Cup in 2002…Center Pat Cannone ranks 10th in the league in points with 43 (19-24—43)…With 27 points (5-22—27), Andre Benoit is 16th among AHL defensemen in point production…Behind a hat trick by Cannone, including the game-winner in overtime, the Wolves beat the Griffins 4-3 in the last meeting between the clubs on Jan. 17 at Van Andel Arena…Prior to joining the Griffins, defenseman Joel Chouinard played in one game with the Wolves and contributed to that Jan. 17 victory… Former Griffin Richard Nedomlel has skated in 10 games for Chicago, tallying a pair of assists…Grand Rapids has won the last four at Allstate Arena dating back to Dec. 30, 2014.

Friday, Feb. 26 vs. Iowa Wild (16-30-3-4) – Van Andel Arena – 7 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 27 vs. Iowa Wild – Van Andel Arena – 7 p.m.
Radio: WOOD 106.9 FM/1300 AM at 6:35 p.m. each night. Web Casts: Video web cast at AHLLive.com, free audio available through woodradio.com. All-Time Series: 7-2-0-0 Home, 16-3-0-0 Overall. Season Series: 2-0-0-0 Home, 4-1-0-0 Overall. Sixth and seventh meetings of eight overall, third and fourth of four at Van Andel Arena. NHL Affiliation: Minnesota Wild. Interim Head Coach: David Cunniff. Notes: The Wild rank eighth in the Central Division, 15th in the Western Conference and 30th in the AHL with a 16-30-3-4 record (0.368)…Iowa is 5-3-1-1 in its last 10 games and lost in a shootout to Milwaukee on Sunday…Grand Rapids has won 11 of 12 overall against Iowa, dating back to March 2014...Grayson Downing (15-16—31) is tied for 11th among league rookies in point production…Zack Mitchell (19-13—32) just edges out Downing for the team lead in points, while Jordan Schroeder (11-19—30) is third…Grand Rapids’ largest comeback of the season came against the Wild on Dec. 13 when Xavier Ouellet’s goal in overtime capped a stretch of four unanswered goals after the Griffins dug themselves a 3-0 deficit...In the last meeting, Feb. 13 at Iowa, Joel Chouinard’s goal with 2:59 remaining propelled the Griffins to a 4-3 triumph.