Griffins Game #45 * Road Game #23 * AHL Game #697

Season Series: 3-3-0-0 Home Series: 2-1-0-0 Road Series: 1-2-0-0
All-Time Series: 116-86-7-9-8 All-Time Home Series: 63-40-2-3-3 All-Time Road Series: 53-46-5-6-5

Griffins at Admirals
Seventh of eight meetings overall, fourth of four at Panther Arena…Grand Rapids is 14-18-2-0 (.441) against Milwaukee since the 2020-21 campaign...Dating back to the 2020-21 season, the Griffins are 4-11-1-0 (.281) against the Admirals in Milwaukee...Grand Rapids has faced Milwaukee more than any other opponent – 227th meeting tonight – and the Griffins’ 116 victories against the Admirals are the most against any foe…Grand Rapid is on a three-game losing streak to the Admirals with a minus-nine scoring margin (11-2)...Milwaukee is 5-3-1-1 in its last 10 games and 12-6-2-1 at home...The Griffins are 5-4-0-1 in their last 10 games and 13-7-2-0 on the road...Milwaukee’s power play ranks 28th at 16.1%, and its penalty kill ranks fifth at 85.5%...Grand Rapids is tied for 19th on the power play at 17.7% and tied for 12th on the penalty kill at 83.9%...Milwaukee ranks 10th in the AHL with 2.73 goals allowed per game and 21st in goals scored per game (2.91)...The Griffins and Admirals are the two of the three bottom teams in the AHL for shots per game, as Milwaukee ranks last at 25.8 and Grand Rapids third-to-last at 26.3...Milwaukee head coach Karl Taylor enters his sixth season as head boss. Taylor has a 226-126-34-17 record (.624) with the Admirals that includes two division titles and three 40-plus win seasons, in addition to never finishing worse than third place in the Central Division...Austin Watson spent nine seasons within Nashville’s organization and logged 132 points (73-59—132) in 234 games with the Admirals...Milwaukee’s Kyle Marino ranks second in the AHL with 101 penalty minutes. Admirals’ goaltender Matthew Murray is tied for fifth in GAA (2.22), tied for seventh in wins (14), and third in save percentage (.930).

Last Time Out
The Griffins sustained their third straight shutout loss, falling 3-0 against the Milwaukee Admirals at Panther Arena on Friday. The game marked the first instance in franchise history that the Griffins have been shut out in three consecutive outings. The Griffins have failed to score in their last 181:53 minutes of play, dating back to Austin Watson’s empty net goal against Rockford on Jan. 29. Despite the loss, Josiah Didier and William Wallinder both skated in their 100th game as a Griffin. Goaltender Sebastian Cossa saved 19 shots in his 26th start of the year (14-9-3) and Dominik Shine returned to the Griffins' lineup following his first stint with the Detroit Red Wings. 

This Date in Griffins History
2008: In his first AHL contest since 1993, Darren McCarty records an assist and earns third-star honors in his Griffins debut, as Grand Rapids scores three power play goals and a shorthanded tally to defeat the Lake Erie Monsters 4-1 in Cleveland.  

High and Lows
Between the flu bug, call-ups, and losing a combined 8-0 in the previous weekend series against Colorado, the all-star break came at a great time for the Griffins. Prior to last weekend, Grand Rapids had been on a season-high six-game point streak (5-0-0-1). They also rattled off a four-game win streak from Jan. 18-29. Now, the Griffins are on a three-game losing streak with a minus-11 scoring margin (11-0). During the last five games, Grand Rapids has averaged 1.20 goals per game while giving up 2.60 tallies. The defense has been solid once again, allowing just 2.46 goals per game since the start of January. Grand Rapids remains in first place in the Central Division, tied for third in the Western Conference, and tied for ninth in the AHL with a 25-15-3-1 record and 54 points through 44 games. The Griffins are 16-11-2-0 against their division rivals with a plus-six scoring margin and have held at least a share of the top spot in the division since Nov. 8. 

Goose Egg
Last weekend, the Griffins were shut out in back-to-back nights for the first time in franchise history, as Colorado’s Adam Scheel made a combined 55 saves in the two games. The team returned from break and were shut out again for the third straight game, a feat never done before in franchise history. The 6-0 defeat on Jan. 31 against the Eagles was just the third time in franchise history that Grand Rapids allowed a hat trick and was shut out in the same game. The Griffins were last shut out in consecutive home games in 2019, on Dec. 27 (0-3 vs. MIL) and 31 (0-2 L vs. CHI). The last time they were shut out in consecutive games overall was in 2016, on Jan. 23 (0-2 L vs. RCH) and 27 (0-4 L vs. TOR). The Griffins are now scoreless over their last 181:53 played overall, going back to Austin Watson’s late empty-netter on Jan. 29 in a 4-1 win over Rockford. 

Career Year
Dominik Shine is just one point from tying his career best of 33 points and is on pace to reach 55 (19-36—55) this season. The veteran is also two assists from tying his career high of 23 (2023-24) and six goals from tying his career best of 17 (2021-22). He has already notched career-high totals in power-play goals (4), game-winners (3), and multi-point outings (8). On Jan. 18, Shine moved into a tie for 10th place on the team’s all time goals scored list with his 72nd tally as a Griffin. The 31-year-old also has 13 points (5-8—13) in his last 16 contests. Shine ranks first on the roster in points (11-21—32) and assists (21), fourth in goals (11), and third in power-play goals (4) in 41 games. The Detroit native has spent his entire career within the Red Wings’ organization since 2016-17 and has accumulated 170 points (72-98—170) and 513 penalty minutes in 463 appearances with the Griffins. In the Griffins’ all-time rankings, Shine places third in games played, sixth in penalty minutes, tied for 10th in goals scored (72), tied for 10th in overtime goals (2), and tied for first in unassisted goals (10). On Jan. 27, Shine signed his first NHL contract, a two-year deal with the Detroit Red Wings. Later that evening, he made his NHL debut against the Los Angeles Kings. Shine, 31, became the oldest skater to make his NHL debut since defenseman Evgeny Medvedev did it with the Philadelphia Flyers at 33 on Oct. 8, 2015, and the oldest Red Wings player to make his NHL debut since center Vaclav Nedomansky did it at 33 on Nov. 18, 1977. Shine later bagged his first NHL point with an assist on Feb. 1 at Calgary and finished his call up with one assist in four outings. 

Leaders of the Clubhouse
Veteran leadership has led the way for the Griffins this season, as the average age of their top four scorers is 30. Dominik Shine (31) paces the team in points with 32 (11-21—32), while Austin Watson (33) places second with 29 (12-17—29), Joe Snively (29) third with 28 (15-13—28), and Sheldon Dries (30) rounding out the top four with 24 points (17-7—24). The four players are also the only to score at least 10 goals this season for Grand Rapids. Combined, the players have 1,988 pro games under their belt with 924 points (442-482—924). 

Come Out Firing
When the Griffins start hot, things usually turn out pretty well for the team, as they have a 15-1-2-1 record when scoring the game’s first goal compared to a 9-14-1-0 mark when they allow the first tally. They also have yet to suffer a regulation loss when leading after the first period (9-0-2-1) or when leading after the second period (14-0-2-0). When Grand Rapids is trailing after the opening frame, it is 3-10-1-0 and 4-12-0-0 when it trails after the second period. 

Hit The Road
From Jan. 10-Feb. 1, Grand Rapids played eight of 10 games inside Van Andel Arena and finished with a 5-4-0-1 mark. Now, the team will hit the road for three of its next four games, making stops in Milwaukee and Iowa. The Griffins are 13-7-2-0 on the road this season and have points in seven of their last nine games in foreign territory (6-2-1-0). Under head coach Dan Watson, Grand Rapids is 27-23-6-2 (.534) away from home.   

Lock It Down
The Griffins have allowed just 2.46 goals per game since the start of January and rank third overall with 2.52 goals allowed per game. When teams do score on Grand Rapids, it is usually in the second period, as it has given up 38% of its goals in the middle frame (42 in 2nd, 31 in 1st, 34 in 3rd). Sebastian Cossa has shown a 2.23 GAA and .918 save percentage through 26 games, Jack Campbell has a 2.39 GAA and a .911 save percentage in seven appearances, and Ville Husso possesses a 2.37 GAA and a .922 save percentage in 10 contests. Dating back to last season, Grand Rapids has allowed just 59 goals in its last 25 regular-season games at Van Andel Arena (2.36 GA per game). Also dating back to last season, the Griffins have allowed 62 goals in their last 24 regular-season road games (2.58 GA per game). 

Ups and Downs
After going 6-for-13 (46.2%) on the man-advantage in five games from Jan. 15-25, Grand Rapids has failed to score on the power play in its last four outings (0-for-12). However, the power play has converted nine of its last 45 opportunities (20.0%) in the previous 16 contests. The power play is tied for 19th on the circuit at 17.7% (26-for-147). If you break it down further, Grand Rapids’ home power play is 12-for-66 (18.2%, T16th) and its road power play is 14-for-81 (17.3%, T19th). The Griffins have given up six short-handed goals, which is tied for the seventh-most. The Griffins’ penalty kill has struggled as of late, allowing a power-play goal in eight of their last 12 games (31-for-41 on PK, 75.6%). Grand Rapids has also surrendered a power-play goal in 15 of its last 24 outings (66-for-84 on PK, 78.6%). However, the penalty-kill unit remains in the top half of the league, as it is tied for 12th at 83.9%. Grand Rapids has also scored six short-handed tallies, which is tied for eighth in the AHL. When scoring on the power play, the Griffins are 14-4-2-1 and 7-11-1-1 when they allow a power-play goal. 

Holy Goalies 
Sebastian Cossa, the 15th overall pick by the Detroit Red Wings in 2021, has been the go-to netminder for the Griffins this season, as he has a 14-8-3 mark with a 2.23 GAA and a .918 save percentage in 26 games. Cossa ranks among the AHL leaders in minutes played (1,532:57, 6th), games played (26, T6th), GAA (T7th), wins (T7th), and save percentage (T6th). The 22-year-old collected his first NHL victory during his debut on Dec. 9 at the Buffalo Sabres with a 6-5 shootout victory behind 12 saves and two stops in the shootout. Cossa became the first netminder in NHL history to win his debut via a shootout in a relief effort. Veteran Jack Campbell made his Griffins debut on Dec. 6 against the Chicago Wolves and later bagged his first win as a Griffin on Dec. 17 at Texas behind 20 saves in a 4-2 decision. Through seven games with Grand Rapids, Campbell is 2-3-1 with a 2.39 GAA and a .911 save percentage. Campbell has 445 pro games under his belt with a 2.67 GAA and 231 wins since 2011-12, splitting time between the NHL (176 GP), AHL (242 GP) and ECHL (27 GP). In the AHL, Campbell has shown a 119-85-27 record with a 2.71 GAA and a .911 save percentage. Ville Husso was reassigned by the Red Wings on Jan. 18 and has shown a 7-2-0 mark with two shutouts in 10 games with the Griffins this year to go along with a 2.37 GAA and a .922 save percentage. Throughout his 11-game career with Grand Rapids since 2023-24, Husso has an 8-2-0 ledger with three shutouts, a 2.13 GAA and a .928 save percentage. 

AHL Leaderboard Tracker
Shai Buium—Tied for seventh among rookie defensemen in assists (15), 10th among rookie defensemen in points (15), tied for 12th among rookie defensemen in plus-minus rating (+7), tied for 11th among rookie defensemen in power-play assists (4)
Sebastian Cossa—Sixth in minutes played (1,532:57), tied for sixth in games played (26), tied for seventh in GAA (2.23), tied for seventh in wins (14), tied for sixth in save percentage (.918)
Nate Danielson—Tied for eighth among rookies in assists (18), tied for first in short-handed assists (3), first among rookies in short-handed assists (3), tied for 11th among rookies in power-play assists (7)
Josiah Didier—Tied for fourth in short-handed assists (2), tied for second among defensemen in short-handed assists (2)
Alex Doucet—Tied for seventh in short-handed goals (2), tied for first among rookies in short-handed goals (2)
Sheldon Dries—Tied for 14th in goals (17), tied for fourth in game-winners (5)
Amadeus Lombardi—Tied for 15th in game-winners (4)
Austin Watson—First in major penalties (9), tied for seventh in short-handed goals (2) 

Milestones
Last night, Josiah Didier and William Wallinder both competed in their 100th game as a Griffin. 
Sheldon Dries—Two assists from 100 in the AHL, four goals from 150 as a pro
Carter Mazur—Three points from 50 as a pro
Dominik Shine—One unassisted goal from claiming the franchise record of 11 in a career, one goal from moving into a tie for ninth place in the franchise’s all-time goals scored list (Derek King, 73), two assists from 100 as a Griffin, one assist from 100 as a pro

Photo by Milwaukee Admirals