Outdoor Adventuring

This Week’s Games
Manitoba Moose at GRIFFINS // Wed., Feb. 6 // 7 p.m. // Van Andel Arena
Listen: WOOD 106.9 FM/1300 AM at 6:35 p.m.
Watch: AHLTV
Season Series: 2-0-0-0 Home, 5-1-0-0 Overall. Seventh of eight meetings overall, third of four at Van Andel Arena
All-Time Series: 31-12-1-1-5 Home, 61-29-1-1-7 Overall
NHL Affiliation: Winnipeg Jets
Noteworthy: Grand Rapids has claimed 10 of the last 11 regular season meetings against Manitoba, outscoring the Moose 36-17 in that span.

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins at GRIFFINS // Sat., Feb. 9 // 7 p.m. // Van Andel Arena
Listen: WOOD 106.9 FM/1300 AM at 6:35 p.m.
Watch: AHLTV
Season Series: 0-0-0-0 Home, 0-0-0-1 Overall. Second of two meetings overall, first and last at Van Andel Arena
All-Time Series: 2-1-0-1 Home, 4-3-0-2 Overall
NHL Affiliation: Pittsburgh Penguins
Noteworthy: In the first meeting of the season on Jan. 4 in Pennsylvania, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton won 3-2 in a shootout.

Chicago Wolves at GRIFFINS // Sun., Feb. 10 // 4 p.m. // Van Andel Arena
Listen: WOOD 106.9 FM/1300 AM at 3:35 p.m.
Watch: AHLTV
Season Series: 2-0-0-0 Home, 3-2-0-0 Overall. Sixth of eight meetings overall, third of four at Van Andel Arena
All-Time Series: 42-25-2-4-2 Home, 84-58-2-6-3 Overall
NHL Affiliation: Vegas Golden Knights
Noteworthy: A 5-2 loss at Allstate Arena in the last meeting on Jan. 16 snapped Grand Rapids’ three-game winning streak against the Wolves.

Last Week’s Results
Thu., Jan. 31 GRIFFINS 5 at Texas Stars 3 26-14-3-4 (59 points, 1st Central Division)
Fri., Feb. 1 GRIFFINS 0 at San Antonio Rampage 2 26-15-3-4 (59 points, 1st Central)

Status Update: The Grand Rapids Griffins have totaled points in 14 of their last 18 outings (11-4-1-2), including wins in five of their last seven, and pace the Central Division by three points with 59 to go along with a 26-15-3-4 overall record. After splitting a pair of games in Texas last week, Grand Rapids returns to Van Andel Arena this week to begin a seven-game homestand.

Follow the Leader(s):
Points: Chris Terry (43)
Goals: Terry (24)
Assists: Carter Camper (23)
Plus-Minus: Jake Chelios, Terry (+15)
PIM: Dylan McIlrath (48)
Wins: Harri Sateri (16)
GAA: Patrik Rybar (2.38)
Save %: Rybar (0.910)

Last Week’s Notes:
Thursday at Texas – For the second consecutive game, Grand Rapids came back from a two-goal deficit and won...The Griffins trailed 3-1 at the 5:18 mark of the second period before tallying the game’s final four goals...Rookie Michael Rasmussen, assigned by the Red Wings for conditioning on Wednesday, made his AHL debut and scored two goals...Dominik Shine (4) netted the game-winner while Dominic Turgeon (5) and Chris Terry (24) also lit the lamp...Harri Sateri made 25 saves to run his winning streak to five, matching a career high...The Griffins recorded 23 shots in the second period, equaling a club record for shots in a single frame (achieved twice previously and most recently during the third period of a 5-4 OTW on March 31, 2006 at Manitoba)...Turner Elson and Filip Hronek both skated in their 100th games as a Griffin...Grand Rapids finished 7-3-0-2 in January. Recap | Highlights

Friday at San Antonio – The Griffins are 2-2 in the season series against the Rampage…Grand Rapids was shut out at San Antonio for the second time this season…The Griffins were blanked for the second time in the last four games…Jared Coreau turned aside all 29 shots he faced in his first start against his former club…Harri Sateri stopped 25 of 27 shots but had his AHL career high-tying five-game winning streak snapped…Grand Rapids finished 0-for-3 on the power play and 1-for-2 on the penalty kill. Recap | Highlights

This Week’s Promotions: Wednesday against Manitoba is a Winning Wednesday presented by Farm Bureau Insurance. Every time the Griffins win at home on Wednesday, each fan in attendance will receive a free ticket to the next Wednesday game. All fans who were in attendance for the Griffins’ overtime win against the Moose on Jan. 23 can redeem their ticket stub for a free ticket to this game. On Saturday against Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, the first 2,500 fans will receive an Anthony Mantha bobblehead, courtesy of Lake Michigan Credit Union. Click here to see the full list of promos.

Friendly Confines: The Griffins have points in seven of their last eight contests at Van Andel Arena (6-1-0-1). Twice already this season Grand Rapids has tallied a home point streak of at least six (6-0-1-1 from Nov. 17-Dec. 15 and 5-0-0-1 from Dec. 29-Jan. 23). Grand Rapids has totaled points in 15 of its last 17 (12-2-1-2) at the Van and with a 16-4-1-3 overall mark inside friendly confines, the Griffins rank among the AHL’s home leaders with a 0.750 points percentage (T3rd), 36 points (2nd) and 16 wins (T3rd). Grand Rapids is a +15 in goal differential at home while averaging 3.25 goals and operating at 18.18% on the power play, compared to -11, 2.67 and 8.65% on enemy ice.

Couch Potatoes: Wednesday’s contest against Manitoba kicks off a seven-game homestand for Grand Rapids, the team’s longest since a seven-game stretch from Nov. 29-Dec. 14, 2013. Grand Rapids will play seven home games in a 17-day period this month, and then close out the campaign with seven home contests spread across the regular season’s final 50 days. Take a look at the longest homestands in Griffins history and how the club has fared:

Griffins in General: The Griffins’ 3-0 win against Milwaukee on Jan. 19 marked the franchise’s 950th all-time regular season victory…Grand Rapids is 953-644-27-54-112 (0.586) in the regular season since 1996-97…Grand Rapids’ 293 regular season wins and 633 points since the 2012-13 campaign are both the second-most in the AHL in that time, trailing only Toronto (302 / 650) and just ahead of Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (291 / 626).

All That Ras: Nineteen-year-old rookie Michael Rasmussen, assigned by Detroit for conditioning last Wednesday, made his AHL debut last Thursday at Texas and tallied two goals, one on the power play and an empty-netter. The ninth overall selection by the Red Wings in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft, Rasmussen’s marker on the man-advantage at 12:29 of the second period helped Grand Rapids end a 0-for-25 stretch on the power play in road games.

You’re a Wizard, Harri: Harri Sateri had his AHL career high-tying five-game winning streak come to an end following last Friday’s 2-0 loss at San Antonio. In his last six starts, Sateri is good for a 1.81 GAA and a 0.940 save percentage (173 of 184). The Finnish netminder has points in 14 of his last 17 outings (12-3-2) and in nine of his last 11 (8-2-1). Sateri’s 16 wins on the season, which is two shy of matching his AHL career best, tie for fifth in the league.

Coming Up After the Break: Since joining the AHL in the 2001-02 season, the Griffins post a 290-203-7-16-27 (0.580) record in games played after the all-star break. Grand Rapids has tallied a 0.500 mark or better in each of the last eight seasons after the hiatus, including going 20-7-1-3 last season and a combined 86-37-4-7 (0.683) since 2014-15.

Road Trippin’: After a four-game winless stretch on the road (0-3-1-0) from Dec. 7-16, the Griffins have points in seven of their last 10 on foreign ice (5-3-1-1) and are a +3 in goal differential in that span.

Wading Back In: Wade Megan paced the team with 11 points (6-5—11) in 11 January games. Since being assigned by Detroit on Jan. 3 following nearly a month’s stay in the NHL, Megan has points in seven of his 12 games back in Grand Rapids’ lineup.

Puemped Up: Matt Puempel leads the team with 13 multi-point efforts on the season. His 10 points (4-6—10) in January placed second on the club. The sixth-year pro ranks second on the Griffins in both goals (17) and points (36) and his team-leading 153 shots are second in the league.

Rybar Supports: Patrik Rybar has points in six of his last eight games (4-2-2) and shows a 2.20 GAA and a 0.919 save percentage with one shutout in that span. Rybar, who led the Czech Extraliga with seven shutouts last season, recorded his first clean sheet on North American soil after stopping 24 shots during Jan. 19’s 3-0 victory against Milwaukee. He places fifth in the AHL with a 2.38 overall GAA.

(Don’t) Put It In Reverse Terr: The AHL’s leading scorer from a season ago, Chris Terry is tied atop the league’s goal leaderboard with 24. The 10th-year pro has reached the 20-goal plateau for the sixth time in his AHL career and is on pace to become just the third Griffin ever to bank 40 or more goals in a single season. He is bidding to join Teemu Pulkkinen (34 in 2014-15) and Donald MacLean (56 in 2005-06) as the only Griffins to lead the league in goals. He ties for ninth in the league with 43 points overall. Competing for the Central Division at the 2019 AHL All-Star Classic, Terry earned his third consecutive AHL All-Star bid and fourth overall (2012).

AHL's Active Goal Leaders:
1) Chris Bourque (BRI) - 245
2) Chris Mueller (TOR) - 210
3) Chris Terry - 207

Page Turner: Turner Elson places fourth on the team with 28 points (12-16—28) and is just two shy of leveling his career high of 30, which he has attained twice previously (2014-15 with Adirondack and 2015-16 with Stockton). Sixteen assists has already equaled his career best total from 2015-16. He has also bettered his output from his first season with the Griffins in 2017-18 (9-12—21 in 57 GP). Elson has all three of the Griffins’ shorthanded goals this season, which ties for second in the AHL. Three shorties is the most by a Griffin in a single season since Landon Ferraro and Tomas Nosek both collected three in 2014-15.

Milestones Within Reach:
Turner Elson – needs one point to reach 50 as a Griffin
Carter Camper – needs two goals to reach 100 in the AHL, needs one goal to reach 100 as a pro
Chris Terry – needs four games played to reach 700 as a pro
Derek Hulak – needs four points to reach 100 in the AHL
Matthew Ford – needs one point to reach 400 in the AHL

Manitoba Notes: Current record 20-20-3-2, 45 points, 8th Central Division…Grand Rapids has claimed 10 of the last 11 regular season meetings against Manitoba, outscoring the Moose 36-17 in that span…Both games at Van Andel Arena this season (Nov. 17, Jan. 23) have been decided in overtime, with Carter Camper delivering the winner each time…Wednesday marks the 100th regular season matchup between the Griffins and Moose…Since the Moose rejoined the AHL in 2015-16 following a four-year hiatus, the Griffins are 17-5 vs. Manitoba, including 8-2 at Van Andel Arena and 9-3 at Bell MTS Place…Grand Rapids and Manitoba will close out their eight-game season series on April 12 in West Michigan, the final home game of the year for the Griffins…Chris Terry has six goals among eight points through five meetings this season, both of which are the most for either team…Patrik Rybar is 2-0-0 with a 1.00 GAA and a 0.962 against Manitoba while Harri Sateri is 3-1-0 to go along with a 2.46 GAA and a 0.905 save percentage…Grand Rapids is 20-for-21 on the penalty kill against the Moose…Defenseman Dylan McIlrath hails from Winnipeg…Dominic Turgeon recorded his first career hat trick at Manitoba on Feb. 17, 2018…Axel Holmstrom made his AHL debut at Manitoba on April 4, 2017, and scored his first AHL goal (overtime) at the Moose on April 5, 2017.

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Notes: Current record 23-19-4-1, 51 points, 6th Atlantic Division…In the two teams’ first meeting of the year on Jan. 4 in Pennsylvania, Turner Elson and Matthew Ford scored in regulation and Patrik Rybar made 31 saves, but Wilkes-Barre/Scranton won 3-2 in a shootout…After claiming the first four all-time meetings that occurred in the 2001-02 and 2006-07 seasons, the Griffins are winless in the last five matchups (0-3-0-2), finishing 0-1-0-1 in 2008-09, 0-2 last season and showing a 0-0-0-1 record this season…Grand Rapids and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton are facing off in consecutive seasons for the first time ever…Entering this season, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton has qualified for the Calder Cup Playoffs in 16 consecutive campaigns, which is the longest active streak in the AHL…The Griffins have advanced to the postseason in six straight seasons…The lone postseason meeting between the Griffins and Penguins came in the 2003 Western Conference Quarterfinals, a series Grand Rapids won 3-1…The Penguins are celebrating their 20th season as a franchise…The Griffins hold a 39-28-1-3 all-time regular season record (0.577) against current teams in the Atlantic Division.

Chicago Notes: Current record 25-15-5-1, 56 points, 2nd Central Division…Grand Rapids is 3-2-0-0 in the season series, as a 5-2 loss at Allstate Arena on Jan. 16 snapped its three-game winning streak against the Wolves…In the most recent meeting at Van Andel Arena on Nov. 28, Turner Elson and Matt Puempel each scored two goals apiece while goaltender Harri Sateri made 33 saves for a 5-2 win that continued Grand Rapids’ five-game point streak…Elson leads the team with six points (4-2—6) and a plus-seven rating in five games in the season series…Two of Elson’s team-high three shorthanded goals have come against Chciago…Puempel also has four goals vs. the Wolves this season…The Griffins have faced the Wolves 153 times in the regular season, the second most of any Grand Rapids opponent (Milwaukee)…Sateri is 3-0-0 against Chicago with a 2.63 GAA and a 0.914 save percentage while Patrik Rybar is 0-2-0 with a 4.61 GAA and a 0.820 save percentage…David Pope (Oct. 13) and Vili Saarijarvi (Oct. 20) both netted their first AHL goals against the Wolves this season.

Chicago Connections: Chicago forward Brooks Macek was originally drafted 171st overall by the Red Wings in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft…Griffins first-year 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 games with Chicago from 2001-03 and 2004-05, registering 87 points (37-50—87) and 192 PIM…Tapper appeared in 98 games 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…First-year Griffin 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)…First-year Griffin 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.

Win Some, Lose Some: Compare the statistics between the Griffins’ 26 wins and 22 (including OT and SO) losses:

Back to Backs: This weekend will mark the 17th of 26 times total this season the Griffins will play on consecutive nights. Grand Rapids has won six of its last eight on the second night.

Photo by Sam Iannamico/Griffins