GRIFFINS (35-18-6-4) at Texas Stars (31-27-4-3)

Griffins Game #64 * Road Game #30 * AHL Game #983

Season Series: 4-2-0-0 Home Series: 3-1-0-0 Road Series: 1-1-0-0
All-Time Series: 29-14-2-3 All-Time Home Series: 16-6-0-3 All-Time Road Series: 13-8-2-0

Griffins at Stars
Seventh of eight meetings overall, third of four at the H-E-B Center at Cedar Park…The season series will conclude on Saturday...Grand Rapids is 4-2 in the season series, winning the last four matchups…The Griffins have points in nine of the last 12 games (8-3-1-0) at the H-E-B Center…Since the 2013-14 campaign, Grand Rapids is 19-7-1-1 in 28 games overall vs. Texas…In the last meeting on March 6 at Van Andel Arena, the Griffins scored three unanswered goals in the third period and won 5-2…Chris Terry produced a career-high five points (2-3—5) in that March 6 victory, the first five-point game by a Griffin since Eric Tangradi (2-3—5) on March 11, 2016 vs. Manitoba…In 6 GP in the season series, Terry has six goals among 11 points, both of which are the most for either team…In two games, Patrik Rybar shows a 2-0-0 record to go along with a 2.40 GAA and a 0.925 save percentage…Harri Sateri is 2-2-0 in four games against Texas with a 3.28 GAA and a 0.882 save percentage…Derek Hulak, in his first season as a Griffin, made his AHL debut with the Stars during the 2013-14 campaign and helped Texas win the 2014 Calder Cup…Appearing in 142 regular season games with the Stars from 2013-16, he compiled 86 points (39-47—86), a plus-18 rating and 42 PIM…Hulak added one goal in 10 Calder Cup Playoff contests…Dominik Shine and Texas forward Robbie Payne played college hockey at Northern Michigan together from 2014-17.

Last Time Out (Tuesday): Griffins 2 at Rampage 1 SO - Read the full recap here
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.

Status Update
Following a 2-1 shootout win at San Antonio last night, the Griffins stand alone in second place in the Central Division with a 35-18-6-4 record (80 points). They trail first-place Chicago by one point. Grand Rapids has earned points in 12 of its last 15 outings (9-3-3-0) and in 17 of its last 22 (14-5-3-0). The Griffins are 2-0 in their season-high six-game, 11-day road trip, which continues tonight at the Texas Stars. Grand Rapids is in a stretch of facing 20 consecutive division foes (7-3-3-0 record so far).

Road Trippin’
Grand Rapids will play nine of its final 13 games in enemy territory, including its current six-game road swing that lasts until March 26. The Griffins have won three straight and have points in 11 of their last 15 contests on foreign ice (8-4-2-1). Chris Terry (13-9—22) and Matt Puempel (12-10—22) pace the team in scoring in away games. In his last six road starts, Harri Sateri is 4-1-1 with a 2.26 GAA and a 0.922 save percentage. 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, 2.72 and 9.24% on the road.

Free Hockey
Last night’s 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.

Suite Life
Tonight marks the fifth of nine road games the Griffins will play 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 82-43-7-8 (0.639) mark since 2008-09. The Griffins played just two road games in February, their fewest since having two in 2011-12.

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 962-647-27-57-112 (0.587) in the regular season since 1996-97…Grand Rapids’ 302 regular season wins and 654 points since the 2012-13 campaign are both the second-most in the AHL in that time, trailing only Toronto (312 / 674) and just ahead of Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (298 / 645).

Wade For It
In 22 GP in 2019, Wade Megan ranks among Grand Rapids’ leaders with 23 points (T1st), 12 goals (1st), a plus-13 rating (1st) and 11 assists (T4th). He has tallied six points (2-4—6) during his current four-game point streak.

(Don’t) Put It In Reverse Terr
With 27 goals (T7th in AHL) and 55 points (T16th) – both team highs – Chris Terry has surpassed the 50-point mark in his seventh consecutive full AHL season. Owning 495 career AHL points, he needs five more to become the 96th player in league history to amass 500 or more.

Puemped Up
The 40th player in franchise history to record 100 or more points in a Griffins uniform, Matt Puempel has found the scoresheet in 10 of his last 13 games (7-6—13). The sixth-year pro leads Grand Rapids with 16 multi-point outings and eight power play goals while placing second in both goals (24) and points (49). His team-high 212 shots are third in the league. Puempel has reached the 20-goal plateau for the third time in his AHL career and in back-to-back campaigns after depositing 23 last season (22 with Grand Rapids, 1 with Hartford).

This Date in Griffins History
The Griffins are 8-2-1-0-0 all time when playing on March 20, including a 2-2-0-0-0 mark on road ice.
1998: Grand Rapids clinches its second straight playoff berth with 2-1 win versus Cleveland.
2006: Jimmy Howard is named AHL Player of the Week, becoming the fourth Griffin this season and the third Grand Rapids goalie in five years to receive the award. He led the Griffins to four come-from-behind victories – becoming the first netminder in franchise history to earn four wins in a span of five nights – while going 4-0 with a 1.46 goals against average and a 0.943 save percentage.
2012: Trailing 4-1 entering the third period, the Griffins fight back with three goals in a span of 2:07 en route to capturing a 5-4 shootout victory at San Antonio.
2015: The Griffins extend their team-record point streak to 19 games (15-0-3-1) with a 3-1 win over Milwaukee before a sold-out Van Andel Arena.

Page Turner
Sixth-year pro Turner Elson has set new career highs this season in both points (33) and assists (18). His 15 goals are the most since scoring a career high 17 in 2014-15 with Adirondack.

You’re A Wizard, Harri
Harri Sateri is on a six-game point streak (3-0-3). In his last 14 appearances, he is 9-2-3 with a 2.15 GAA and a 0.923 save percentage. The Finnish netminder stopped 23 of 24 shots in a shootout victory at San Antonio last night to claim his 20th win of the season, the first time he’s reached the 20-win mark in his AHL career.

Rybar Supports
Patrik Rybar is 6-3-0 in his last nine starts, showing a 2.00 GAA and a 0.931 save percentage with a pair of shutouts in that time. In his first season in North America, Rybar ranks third in the AHL with a 2.29 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).

Photo by Sam Iannamico/Griffins