Griffins Game #31 * Road Game #17 * AHL Game #454

Season Series: 0-1-1-0 Home Series: 0-0-1-0 Road Series: 0-1-0-0
All-Time Series: 31-13-2-2 All-Time Home Series: 14-6-2-2 All-Time Road Series: 17-7-0-0

Griffins at Wild
Third of six meetings overall, second of three at Wells Fargo Arena...The Griffins are winless in their last three vs. Iowa (0-2-1-0)...A native of Wyandotte, Mich., and a Ferris State University product, Gerald Mayhew shows 15 points (11-4—15) and a plus-nine rating in 15 career GP against Grand Rapids...In the last 10 overall between the teams, Grand Rapids is 4-3-2-1…In the last 10 at Wells Fargo Arena, the Griffins are 6-4-0-0…While winning 20 of the first 24 all-time meetings, Grand Rapids outscored the Wild 91-43…Since then, the Griffins are 11-9-2-2 in the series and have been outscored 76-68…17 of the last 26 meetings have been decided by one goal, including 11 that have been tied after regulation...The teams will meet again Jan. 22 in West Michigan.

Last Time Out (Friday): Griffins 2 at Wild 4 - Recap
While on a conditioning assignment by Detroit, Jimmy Howard made his second appearance of the season for the Griffins and rounded up 25 saves...Eric Tangradi (4) netted a power play goal for the second straight game…Matt Ford (5), in his first game since being named a playing captain for the 2020 AHL All-Star Classic, lit the lamp...Matt Puempel made his return to the lineup after missing the last four due to injury and contributed an assist...Grand Rapids was outshot 29-28, finished 1-for-4 on the power play and 3-for-3 on the penalty kill.

Status Update
The Griffins have points in four of the last six games (3-2-0-1) and are 3-2 in their season-high six-game road swing, which comes to an end tonight. Yesterday started a stretch of 13 straight games the Griffins will play against Central Division opponents. After tonight, Grand Rapids will be off for the holiday break until Dec. 27, when the Griffins return to Van Andel Arena for the first time since Dec. 6 and host Milwaukee.

Road Trippin’
The Griffins are 3-2 in their six-game road trip. The excursion that spans 14 days and covers 4,243 miles started last Wednesday at San Diego, traversed through Bakersfield last weekend, went back to San Diego on Tuesday and concludes with a two-game set at Iowa this weekend. Eric Tangradi (3-2—5), Givani Smith (1-4—5) and Taro Hirose (2-3—5) lead the team in scoring during the tour. Including this trip, Grand Rapids has now posted a 0.500 record or better during each of its last seven road trips lasting six games or longer: 5-1-0-0 in 2018-19 (March 16-26), 3-2-0-2 in 2016-17 (Feb. 28-March 12), 4-2-0-1 in 2013-14 (March 13-28), 4-2-0-1 in 2012-13 (March 23-April 6), 3-3-0-0 in 2010-11 (Jan. 6-18), 4-1-0-1 in 2009-10 (March 12-25).

Rally Griffs
The Griffins have only led for 25:04 so far in the road trip but still post a 3-2 mark. Majority of that time (20:49) came during Tuesday’s SOW at San Diego. Four of the five contests have been decided by one, and Grand Rapids has overcome a two-goal deficit twice.

Rotating Roster
Including four goalies, the Griffins have used 36 players already before the halfway mark this season. Here is how the current usage stacks up to the final player counts in recent seasons: 2018-19 – 41 players, 2017-18 – 32, 2016-17 – 39, 2015-16 – 37 and 2014-15 – 39. Since the AHL’s season began on Oct. 4, the Red Wings have recalled or assigned a player from or to Grand Rapids a total of 53 times.

Lights Out
Since the third period at Chicago on Nov. 27, Grand Rapids’ penalty killers have gone 35 for its last 36 (97.2%), which includes warding off 24 consecutive penalties.

Goalvani
Givani Smith shows 13 points (4-9—13) in 19 AHL games this season and has already equaled his scoring production from his rookie campaign when he appeared in 64 contests (6-7—13). He ties for the team lead in December scoring with six points (1-5—6).

Tar-Oh!
Rookie Taro Hirose has played hero twice on the road trip so far, notching the overtime-winner on Dec. 13 at Bakersfield and netting the only goal in the shootout on Tuesday at San Diego. Hirose’s six points (3-3—6) in seven games since Dec. 3 (date of assignment by Detroit) tie for tops on the team in that span.

Seider, Veleno Head to WJC
The Red Wings on Wednesday reassigned defenseman Moritz Seider from the Griffins to Germany’s U20 National Team and center Joe Veleno from the Griffins to Canada’s U20 National Team for the 2020 IIHF World Junior Championship. This marks the second consecutive year a player has left the Griffins mid-season to compete in the World Junior Championship after Filip Zadina represented the Czech Republic at the 2019 event. Tomas Tatar also suited up for Slovakia during his rookie campaign with Grand Rapids in 2009-10.

Ford Named Playing Captain
AHL President and CEO David Andrews announced on Wednesday that Matthew Ford will serve as one of the two playing captains for the 2020 AHL All-Star Classic, to be held January 26-27 in Ontario, Calif. Hershey Bears forward Matt Moulson was also selected. A SoCal native, Ford is in his third season as the Griffins’ captain, fourth in Grand Rapids and 12th in the AHL. He becomes the fourth Griffin to be chosen as a playing captain for an AHL All-Star Classic, joining Jeff Hoggan (2016, West), Kip Miller (2007, PlanetUSA) and Travis Richards (2004, PlanetUSA).

Time to Tango
Signed to a one-year contract by Grand Rapids 90 minutes prior to the opening faceoff against Rockford on Dec. 6, Eric Tangradi has six points (4-2—6) in his first six outings during his return to a Griffins uniform, including a PPG in back-to-back games. A 2017 Calder Cup champion with Grand Rapids, Tangradi ranks among the team’s all-time leaders with 170 points (9th), 80 goals (5th), 23 PPG (T8th), 14 GWG (4th), three OT goals (T3rd) and eight unassisted goals (T3rd) in 206 games since 2015-16. Tangradi posted nine points (5-4—9) in 22 games for Astana Barys of the KHL this season and spent the 2018-19 campaign in the New Jersey organization.

Back Up, Terr
Chris Terry ties for sixth in the AHL in points (28) while pacing the Griffins in goals (12), assists (16), multi-point games (9) and power play goals (8). In his 11th-year pro, Terry led the Griffins with 61 points last season and the most recent player to lead GR in scoring in back-to-back seasons was Andy Miele in 2014-15 and 2015-16.

Griffins in General
Grand Rapids is in the franchise’s 24th overall season of play, 19th as a member of the American Hockey League and 18th as the primary affiliate of the 11-time Stanley Cup champion Detroit Red Wings…Grand Rapids is 977-671-27-59-114 (0.583) in the regular season since 1996-97 to go along with 17 playoff appearances, seven division titles and two Calder Cups (2017, 2013)…The Griffins have earned 40 or more wins and accumulated 90 or more points in six of the last seven seasons…Grand Rapids has qualified for the Calder Cup Playoffs in a franchise-record seven consecutive seasons and advanced to at least the second round on five occasions…The Griffins’ 8-5 season-opening win at Chicago on Oct. 5 marked the club’s 750th win in the AHL…Grand Rapids’ 317 regular season wins since the 2012-13 campaign tie Providence for third, behind Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s 319 and Toronto’s 334 while the Griffins’ 688 points in that span are fourth, trailing Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (691), Providence (701) and Toronto (724)…Since the affiliation began in 2002-03, 92 Griffins have gone on to play for the Red Wings.

This Date in Griffins History
2005: Jimmy Howard earns his first pro shutout with 23 saves in a 5-0 win at Milwaukee. Clay Wilson becomes the 11th Griffin – and just the second defenseman – to score both a power play goal and a shorthanded goal in the same game.
2016: Evgeny Svechnikov’s first two-goal game as a pro gives Grand Rapids more than enough offense and Eddie Pasquale shuts the door on the other end with 27 saves to propel the Griffins to a 3-0 victory over Milwaukee, giving them points in 12 of their last 13 games (9-1-1-2).
2017: Tyler Bertuzzi registers a season-high three-point performance (2-1—3), including a pair of power play goals, in a 5-4 loss at Chicago that proves to be his last game in a Griffins uniform. He is recalled by Detroit after the game and remains with the Red Wings the rest of the season.
2018: After having scored three goals in their previous 171:57 entering the night, the Griffins score three times in a 2:13 span of the third period to take a 4-1 win at Manitoba.

Photo by Iowa Wild