PLAYOFF PREVIEW?

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – A battle between potential playoff opponents lived up to its billing on Friday, as the Manitoba Moose prevailed over the Grand Rapids Griffins in an intense 3-2 shootout decision before a sellout crowd of 10,834 at Van Andel Arena.

Jimmy Howard and Manitoba’s Drew MacIntyre, who as Griffins teammates last season helped defeat the Moose in a memorable playoff series, squared off in a tremendous duel, but Howard’s 38 saves were not enough to keep Manitoba from claiming its 15th win in its last 16 games. The first-place Moose (37-17-7-4) and fourth-place Griffins (33-24-5-3) will stage a rematch at Van Andel Arena on Saturday at 7 p.m.

The visitors were dealt a blow just 1:26 into the game when a Moose defenseman collided with starting goaltender Wade Flaherty, who was helped off the ice with a lower-body injury. In came MacIntyre, who entered the night ranked among the AHL’s top four netminders but who had been sidelined of late due to the flu and an infection.

Undeterred, Manitoba put heavy pressure on Howard with 15 shots in the opening stanza, but the Griffins netted the only goal on just their second shot of the game at the 4:50 mark. Jon Insana carried the puck up the right boards and unleashed a blast from above the circle that sailed past MacIntyre’s left arm and into the top of the net for his first goal of the season.

The second frame was scoreless despite Manitoba’s 9-4 shot advantage, with the highlights provided by simultaneous scraps pitting former Moose Adam Keefe against Mike Brown and Tony Voce against J.J. Hunter.

After failing on their first 26 shots of the game, the Moose connected on their next two to go ahead 2-1 early in the third. Brad Moran redirected a Dustin Wood slap shot at 3:35, and Yannik Tremblay lit the lamp with a one-timer from the bottom of the right circle 70 seconds later. Voce, who had assisted on Insana’s goal, then completed his “Gordie Howe hat trick” by scoring the tying goal at 6:57, finishing off a 3-on-2 break by depositing an Evan McGrath feed into the upper right corner from the left circle.

The Griffins survived three Moose power plays over the final 10 minutes of regulation and overtime to send the game to a shootout, which went to sudden death when Kip Miller scored in round five. But Jesse Schultz’s marker in the eighth round proved decisive, as MacIntyre stopped seven of eight attempts to hand his former team just its second loss in its last 11 home games (9-1-0-1).