Griffins Game #70 * Road Game #35 * AHL Game #1,115

Season Series: 6-0-0-0 Home Series: 4-0-0-0 Road Series: 2-0-0-0
All-Time Series: 49-23-5-3 All-Time Home Series: 25-10-4-2 All-Time Road Series: 24-13-1-1

Griffins at Wild
Seventh of eight meetings overall, third of four at Wells Fargo Arena…Grand Rapids will try to finish undefeated against the Wild for just the second time (4-0-0-0, 2014-15) since Iowa joined the AHL in 2013-14...The Griffins are 18-11-4-1 (.603) overall since the 2019-20 season against the Wild but have been outscored by Iowa 107-104...Grand Rapids is 7-7-1-1 (.500) on the road against Iowa since the 2019-20 season with a minus-nine scoring margin (58-49)...The Griffins have points in five of the last seven meetings (4-2-0-1) against the Wild in Iowa...The Wild are 13-18-1-2 at home this season, while Grand Rapids is 13-15-4-2 on the road...Iowa is 4-4-1-1 in its last 10 outings and has one win in its last five games (1-3-0-1)…The Griffins are 5-4-1-0 in their last 10 and have just one win in their last four games...The Wild’s power play ranks 24th on the circuit at 17.5% and their penalty kill comes in at 74.7% (32nd)...The Griffins rank 28th in the league with a power-play rate of 16.5%, while their penalty kill places 21st at 80.8%...Iowa ranks 31st out of 32 teams with an average of 2.54 goals scored per game and 30th with an average of 3.46 goals allowed per contest...Former Griffins head coach Ben Simon (2018-23) is now an assistant coach for the Wild...Former Griffin Turner Elson is featured on Iowa’s roster after being acquired by the Minnesota Wild at the NHL Trade Deadline.

Last Time Out
The Griffins finished their three-game weekend with a 7-2 loss to the Chicago Wolves at Allstate Arena on Sunday. Elmer Soderblom (1-1--2) and Amadeus Lombardi (0-2--2) both picked up two points in the contest. The Griffins finished their eight-game series against the Wolves with a 5-2-0-1 record. The seven goals conceded by the Griffins were the most the team had given up since Nov. 18. The loss also marked the worst defeat by goal differential that Grand Rapids had suffered all season.

This Date in Griffins History
1997: Griffins win their first-ever playoff game, claiming a 3-1 decision at Orlando. Danton Cole tallies the first playoff goal in Griffins’ history, scoring at 5:10 of the first period, while Todd Nelson notches the game-winning goal on a power play some 13 minutes later.

Roster Shake Up
- April 8—G Ville Husso reassigned by Detroit on a conditioning loan
- April 10—F Zach Aston-Reese recalled by Detroit
-April 15—G Ville Husso recalled from conditioning loan by Detroit
-April 16—F Riley Sawchuk reassigned to Toledo (ECHL) by Grand Rapids

The Promised Land
On March 27, the Griffins clinched their 18th playoff berth in 28 seasons with a 5-2 victory over the Cleveland Monsters at Van Andel Arena. The Griffins return to the Calder Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2019, ending a drought that included two postseasons (2020 and 2021) that were canceled due to COVID-19. This marked the team’s earliest clinching date since 2017, when the AHL’s eventual Calder Cup champions secured their spot on March 26. Clinching a spot with 25 days remaining in the regular season also marked the earliest the Griffins have clinched relative to the date of their finale since 2006, when the AHL’s regular-season champions locked up their berth with 34 days to play. Exactly three months prior to clinching, the sixth-place Griffins were tied for the fourth-lowest points percentage in the AHL, bringing a 9-13-3-1 record (.423) into their first game after the Christmas break. They’ve since posted a 26-9-5-3 mark (.698), solidifying their hold on second place in the Central Division and becoming the fourth of now 21 teams to secure a berth in the Calder Cup Playoffs.

Playoff Picture
As the regular season enters its final week, the Griffins have clinched a playoff berth and are in second place in the Central Division with a 35-22-8-4 record and 82 points with just three games remaining. They have secured a first-round bye and a berth in the Central Division Semifinals against the Rockford IceHogs. Home-ice advantage is still up for grabs, as the Griffins have a magic number of six over the IceHogs.

Need to Get Back on Track
The Griffins have won just one of their last four games and have points in four of their last eight contests (3-4-1-0). Grand Rapids suffered its worst defeat of the season on Sunday, a 7-2 loss at the Chicago Wolves. The Griffins have secured at least a point in 36 of their last 46 contests (27-10-6-3). The Griffins are 26-9-5-3 (.698) since Christmas and have had a trio of winning streaks of five or more games in the same season for the first time since 2013-14. The Griffins enjoyed a franchise-record 19-game home point streak (14-0-3-2) from Jan. 13-April 5, beating out the previous mark of 16 games that was established from Jan. 9-Feb. 27, 2004, that was the longest such streak in the AHL since the Providence Bruins went 18-0-3-2 over 23 games in 2015-16. The Griffins saw their overall 18-game point streak (13-0-3-2 from Jan. 13-March 2) come to an end on March 4 in Cleveland, which was one game shy of tying the franchise record of 19 contests (Feb. 4-March 20, 2015 15-0-3-1) and is the second-longest run in the AHL this season. Grand Rapids’ nine-game road point streak (8-0-0-1) from Dec. 27-Feb. 17 was their longest since an 11-game run (9-0-1-1) from Jan. 29-March 12, 2015 and is tied for the second longest in the AHL this season. Grand Rapids has points in 25 of its last 30 games (20-5-3-2) inside Van Andel Arena and has points in 15 of its past 22 road appearances (11-7-3-1). The Griffins have been stellar at home with a 22-7-4-2 mark, outscoring their opponents 109-79. Grand Rapids has battled on the road this season, earning points in 14 of its last 20 games to move to 13-15-4-2 away from home.

The Champs are Here
The Griffins’ roster is comprised of numerous coaches and players who have either reached a playoff final or won a title for their respective pro, college, junior or national team(s). Most recently, Steph Julien claimed the 2023 World Junior Championship as an assistant coach for Team Canada, and Brogan Rafferty reached the 2023 Calder Cup Finals with Coachella Valley.

Showing Out in the Show
Gustav Nyquist and Dylan Larkin each recorded his 500th NHL point last week, joining a very distinguished group of Griffins alumni to reach that milestone. Nyquist (784 GP, 198—305—503) accomplished the feat on Tuesday, April 9 with an assist in Nashville’s 4-3 overtime loss to Winnipeg, while Larkin (652 GP, 212-294—506) joined the club on Thursday, April 11 with his first point – an assist on Lucas Raymond’s second goal of the opening period – of a three-point night in Detroit’s 6-5 overtime loss at Pittsburgh. Larkin and Nyquist now rank eighth and ninth, respectively, in NHL points among all players to ever wear a Griffins uniform, and third and fourth among Griffins who made their NHL debuts after playing for Grand Rapids.

Sea Bass Fishing
Sebastian Cossa enjoyed a franchise-record 19-game point streak from Jan. 19-April 5 (13-0-6), beating Marc Lamothe’s previous record of 15-games (9-0-4-2 (W-L-T-OTL)) set from Oct. 19-Nov. 30, 2002. Cossa’s 13-game home point streak (9-0-4, Jan. 24-April 5) tied the franchise record, which is also held by Jared Coreau (2015-16), Daniel Larsson (2008-09) and Mike Fountain (bridging the 1999-00 and 2000-01 seasons). Cossa is also on a nine-game road point streak (7-0-2) from Dec. 27-April 13), which is one shy of tying the record of 10 held by Jimmy Howard (2005-06). Since returning from the holiday break on Dec. 27, Cossa has a 16-2-6 ledger with a 2.01 goals against average and a .923 save percentage. Prior to the holiday break, Cossa possessed a 4-6-3 record with a 3.18 goals against average and a .897 save percentage. The former 15^th overall pick by the Red Wings in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft has allowed more than two goals just seven times in his past 24 games. Through 37 contests, Cossa is 20-8-9 with two shutouts to go along with a 2.42 goals against average and a .913 save percentage. Cossa is tied for fourth among rookie goaltenders in goals against average and ranks fourth in save percentage.

Johnny Bravo
Jonatan Berggren logged his first AHL hat trick on April 3 during a four-point night (3-1—4) against the Chicago Wolves. Berggren enjoyed a team-best nine-game point streak (8-7—15) from Feb. 24-April 5 and has 30 points (16-14—30) in his last 26 games from Jan. 13-April 14. Berggren also has 36 points (17-19—36) in his last 31 outings and 39 points (19-20—39) in his last 34 contests from Dec. 15– April 14. Berggren’s 1.08 points per game rank fifth among skaters who have played at least 30 games. The 23-year-old leads the roster in points (24-30—54), assists (30) and goals (24) through 50 appearances this season. The Enkoping, Sweden, product became the seventh-fastest player to reach 100 points as a Griffin, doing so in just his 106th game on Jan. 26 against Belleville. Berggren has a combined 125 points (49-76—125) in 127 career AHL appearances from 2021-24, collecting an assist during his 100th game as a Griffin on Jan. 10 against Milwaukee. During his rookie season with the Griffins in 2021-22, Berggren broke Grand Rapids’ rookie single-season scoring record with 64 points (21-43—64) in 70 games, five more points than the previous record held by Teemu Pulkkinen (2013-14).

Records are Meant to be Broken
Showing a 13-0-6 mark from Jan. 19-April 5, Sebastian Cossa set a franchise record for the longest point streak by a goaltender at 19 outings, beating Marc Lamothe’s previous record of 15 games (9-0-4-2 (W-L-T-OTL)) set from Oct. 19-Nov. 30, 2002. Cossa’s 13-game point streak at home (9-0-4, Jan. 24-April 5) also tied a franchise record. On Nov. 10 in his 365th game as a Griffin, Dominik Shine passed Mitch Callahan for third on the team’s all-time games played list. Taro Hirose took sole possession of sixth place on the team’s all-time points list (197) on March 27 and is now four points from overtaking Derek King (203, 1999-01; 2002-04) for fifth place. Grand Rapids set a franchise record with a point in 19 straight home games, breaking a 16-game record that was established more than 20 years ago, from Jan. 9-Feb. 27, 2004. The home point run is the second franchise-record streak that the Griffins have tied in the last three months, piggybacking their seven-game road winning streak from Dec. 27, 2023-Feb. 2, 2024. The Griffins also rattled off an 18-game point streak from Jan. 13-March 2 (13-0-3-2), which was one game shy of tying the franchise record of 19 contests (Feb. 4-March 20, 2015 15-0-3-1). Finally, the Griffins have had a trio of winning streaks of five or more games in the same season for the first time since 2013-14.

It’s Taco Time
Taro Hirose became the third-fastest player to reach 200 points as a Griffin when he did so in his 243^rd game on April 5 against the Rockford IceHogs, also scoring his 50^th goal as a Griffin. Hirose, who is in his fifth season as a Griffin, has 11 points (3-8—11) in his last 16 outings. The Calgary, Alberta, native has logged a total of 35 points (9-26—35) in 51 appearances this season, after having missed 12 straight games from Dec. 29-Jan. 27 due to rehabbing an injury. On March 27, the 27-year-old passed Tomas Tatar (196) for sixth place on the Griffins’ all-time points list with 200, and his 150 assists rank third in franchise history. Hirose is now four points from claiming sole possession of fifth place on the team’s all-time points list, as Derek King (203) currently holds the position.

a-MAZ-ing
Rookie Carter Mazur enjoyed a three-game point streak from April 3-6 (1-3—4). Since March 1, the Jackson, Michigan, product has 12 points (4-8—12) in 15 outings. Mazur ranks second on the roster with 36 points (16-20—36) in 57 contests, while also ranking second on the team in goals (16). His 16 goals are tied for 15^th among AHL rookies and his six power-play tallies are tied for 10th among first-year players. This past summer, the 22-year-old made his Team USA debut at the World Championship and accumulated four points (1-3—4) in 10 contests. The former third-round selection (70th overall) by the Red Wings has a total of 42 points (19-23—42) in 63 games throughout his pro career. Prior to turning pro, Mazur spent two seasons at the University of Denver (2021-23) and amassed 75 points (36-39—75) in 81 games, winning a national title in 2022 and earning a spot on the NCAA Second All-American Team in 2023.

Matty Ice
On Feb. 21, Matt Luff made his season debut after rehabbing an injury suffered in training camp that kept him sidelined for the first 45 games of the season. Luff enjoyed a seven-game point streak from March 15-29 (4-5—9), and now has 16 points (8-8—16) in his last 18 contests. Last season, the 26-year-old posted 25 points (8-17—25) and six penalty minutes in 28 games with the Griffins on top of producing four points (2-2—4) in 19 outings with the Detroit Red Wings. The Windsor, Ontario, native has 161 points (65-96—161) in 220 career AHL outings from 2016-24.

Future is Bright
Rookies Marco Kasper and Amadeus Lombardi continue to excel during their rookie campaigns. Kasper, the former 8^th overall pick in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft, has four points in his last six games and nine points in his last 13 outings (4-5—9). The 20-year-old is tied for third on the roster with 35 points (14-21—35) in 68 contests. Lombardi, the 113^th overall pick in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft, has five helpers in his last six appearances and eight points in his last 13 games (0-8—8). The 20-year-old has shown 26 points (5-21—26) in 67 games during his rookie season.

Thou Shall Not Pass
The Griffins’ defense has been much improved since the holiday break, allowing an average of 2.53 goals per game from Dec. 27-April 14. Prior to the holiday break, Grand Rapids allowed 3.31 goals per game from Oct. 13-Dec. 20. The Griffins have allowed a total of 195 goals through 69 games this season, which ranks second in the Central Division and 10th in the AHL. Grand Rapids is also 10th on the circuit with 2.83 goals against per game, which is second in the division trailing only Milwaukee (2.67, 3rd). Netminders Sebastian Cossa (2.42) and Michael Hutchinson (2.89) each possess a goals against average below 3.00. Defensemen Albert Johansson (+8), Josiah Didier (+7), Wyatt Newpower (+6), Antti Tuomisto (+5), Simon Edvinsson (+5), Eemil Viro (+5), Radim Simek (+5) and Brogan Rafferty (+4) all have a positive plus-minus rating.

Clutch Hutch
Veteran goaltender Michael Hutchinson has been solid for the Griffins this year, posting a 14-14-3 mark with two shutouts in 32 games to go along with a 2.89 goals against average and an .892 save percentage. The 34-year-old enjoyed a seven-game point streak from Jan. 13-March 1 (5-0-2). Since returning from the holiday break on Dec. 27, Hutchinson has accumulated a 9-7-2 record with one shutout, an .890 save percentage and a 2.84 goals against average. The Barrie, Ontario, native has an all-time AHL record of 120-85-23 with a 2.62 goals against average and a .914 save percentage. Hutchinson has also appeared in 154 NHL contests, showing a 2.94 goals against average and a .902 save percentage.

No Need for Extra Bodies
Last season, the Griffins used a franchise-record 49 players, which included a franchise-record eight goaltenders. The 49 players last campaign beat out the previous record of 48 set during the 2021-22 season. However, it has been much different this season, as the Griffins have not had a single skater compete on a professional tryout. Grand Rapids has used just four goaltenders this season, with two of them suiting up for one game each (John Lethemon & Ville Husso). The team has also used just 31 skaters throughout the season, a drastic change from the 49 and 48 players used in the past two seasons, respectively.

Crunch Time
The Griffins have excelled during the third period of games this season, as they have outscored their opponents 83-58 in the final frame and outshot their opponents 637-607. Grand Rapids has seven wins when trailing after the second period, which is tied for third in the AHL. The Griffins also have a 41-30 shot advantage in overtime this campaign. However, Grand Rapids is just 6-12 in games decided past regulation (4-8 in OT, 2-4 in SO). The Griffins’ 22 regulation losses this season are tied for the fourth fewest in the AHL, while their eight overtime defeats are tied for the fourth most and four shootout losses are tied for the fifth most.

Oh, It’s You Again
Each of Grand Rapids’ remaining three games will be against the Central Division. The Griffins have done well against their division rivals, as they are 28-15-4-2 (.633) with a plus-15 scoring margin against the Central Division. Grand Rapids is undefeated this season against Iowa (6-0-0-0). The Griffins will face Iowa twice and Milwaukee once to close out the regular season.

Pucks on Net
The Griffins have done well when outshooting their opponents this season with a 20-4-5-4 (.742) record compared to a 14-17-3-0 (.456) mark when they are being outshot. Grand Rapids is 21-5-4-4 (.735) when producing at least 30 shots and 26-12-6-2 (.652) when it keeps its opponents under 29 shots. The Griffins rank 20th in the AHL with 29.2 shots per game, while they concede the sixth fewest in the league at 27.7. The Griffins are averaging 27.5 shots per game in their last 10 outings, while giving up an average of 24.9.

Under Three is Key
Unsurprisingly, the Griffins have done well in games where they have scored four or more goals, going 24-1-2-0 (.926). Although, when scoring three goals or less the team is just 11-21-6-4 (.381). Grand Rapids has reached the four-goal mark in nine of its last 23 outings. On the flip side, Grand Rapids is just 9-18-7-3 (.378) when allowing at least three goals, compared to a 26-4-1-1 mark (.844) when allowing two goals or less. In their last 23 appearances, the Griffins have allowed three or more goals 11 times.

AHL Leaderboard Tracker
Jonatan Berggren—1.08 points per game rank fifth among skaters who have played at least 30 games
Sebastian Cossa—2.42 GAA is tied for fourth among rookie netminders and tied for seventh among qualified goalies, .913 save percentage ranks fourth among rookie goaltenders and tied for 12th among qualified goalies
Simon Edvinsson—Three game-winners are tied for fourth among defensemen
Marco Kasper—145 shots rank 13^th among rookies
Carter Mazur—Six power-play goals are tied for 10th among rookies, 16 goals are tied for 15th among rookies
Antti Tuomisto—Five goals are tied for 12th among rookie defensemen, one power-play goal is tied for 10th among rookie defensemen, two game-winners are tied for second among rookie defensemen, plus-five rating is tied for 14th among rookie defensemen

Milestones
William Wallinder competed in his 250th pro game on April 13 at Chicago and Macro Kasper skated in his 200th game as a professional on April 12 against Rockford.
Jonatan Berggren—One goal from 50 as a Griffin
Sebastian Cossa—Three wins from 50 as a pro
Taro Hirose—Four points from claiming fifth place on the team’s all-time points list
Matt Luff—Four assists from 100 in the AHL
Wyatt Newpower—Two games from 150 as a Griffin
Brogan Rafferty—One point from 150 as a pro, two points from 150 in the AHL

Photo by Nicolas Carrillo/Griffins