GRIFFINS (14-7-1-2) at Iowa Wild (13-5-4-2)

Griffins Game #25 * Road Game #12 * AHL Game #367

Season Series: 1-0-0-1 Home Series: 0-0-0-1 Road Series: 1-0-0-0
All-Time Series: 30-10-0-2 All-Time Home Series: 14-5-0-2 All-Time Road Series: 16-5-0-0

Griffins at Wild
Third of six meetings overall, second of three at Wells Fargo Arena…Iowa had its 10-game point streak snapped last night...15 of the last 20 meetings between the teams have been decided by one goal, including nine that have gone past 60 minutes…The last three matchups have gone into either overtime or a shootout, including both games this season…In the last meeting in Des Moines on Nov. 26, Filip Hronek scored the winner in overtime…In the first game of the year on Nov. 2 in West Michigan, Iowa scored twice in the four-round shootout to defeat the Griffins by a 3-2 margin…The Griffins are outshooting Iowa 73-45 through two games…The Griffins won 20 of the first 24 all-time games against the Wild, and are 10-6-0-2 since…At Wells Fargo Arena, Grand Rapids claimed the first eight all-time matchups from Oct. 27, 2013-Dec. 13, 2015, and is 8-5 since…The Griffins have won the last four in Des Moines, including two in a shootout and one in overtime…Wild forward Landon Ferraro was a second-round draft selection by Detroit in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft…Ferraro tallied 140 points (75-65—140) in 270 games with the Griffins over parts of five seasons (2009-10; 2011-15) and helped the team win the 2013 Calder Cup...Ferraro became the 142nd Griffins alumnus to play in the NHL when he debuted with the Red Wings on March 18, 2014 vs. Toronto…Gerald Mayhew, in his second full pro season with Iowa, is a Wyandotte, Mich., native and skated four seasons with the Ferris State Bulldogs (WCHA), tallying 119 points (52-67—119) in 150 games from 2013-17…Rookie netminder Kaapo Kahkonen leads the AHL with a 1.94 GAA and was named the AHL’s Goaltender of the Month for November.

Last Game (Friday): Griffins 2 at IceHogs 3 OT - Read the full recap here
Grand Rapids had its streak of 27 straight penalties killed spanning more than eight games snapped when Rockford scored the game-tying goal on the man-advantage with 2:58 remaining...The Griffins fired a season-high 43 shots...Rookie Givani Smith banked his first pro goal, tipping in Matt Ford’s shot at 3:45 in the second period...Ford’s assist on Smith’s goal marked his 200th career AHL helper...Derek Hulak tallied his first goal as a Griffin…Matt Puempel’s assist on Hulak’s goal was his 200th point as a pro...Grand Rapids lost in overtime for the first time this season (3-1)...The Griffins are winless in their last seven trips to the BMO Harris Bank Center (0-3-1-3).

Status Update
The Griffins had their season-high six-game winning streak snapped in last night’s overtime loss, but still show points in nine consecutive (7-0-1-1). Grand Rapids has picked up points in 15 of its last 17 games (12-2-1-2) and is tied for second in the Central Division with a 14-7-1-2 overall mark. Grand Rapids continues its three-game road trip tonight at Iowa before finishing the tour at Milwaukee on Tuesday. The Griffins are in the midst of facing 14 Central Division opponents in a row. Grand Rapids is 7-1-1-1 in its last 10, the best mark in the Western Conference in that span.

Fine With Nine
During the Griffins’ nine-game point streak, which began Nov. 17 vs. Manitoba, Chris Terry and Turner Elson lead the team with five goals apiece while Filip Hronek is the top point producer with 12 (4-8—12). Grand Rapids is a +10 in goal differential during the run, while the power play is operating at 17.6% (6/34) and the penalty kill at 96.6% (28/29). Harri Sateri is 4-0-1 with a 2.54 GAA and a 0.912 save percentage and Patrik Rybar is 3-0-1 to go along with a 2.18 GAA and a 0.915 save percentage. Five of the nine games have been all square after regulation.

Free Hockey
The Griffins have played three straight away games longer than 60 minutes for the first time since doing three in a row from March 11-18, 2017. The franchise record for most consecutive road contests tied after regulation is four, which was set Feb. 15-March 7, 1998.

Immediate ROI
Signed to a PTO on Wednesday, Derek Hulak scored his first goal as a Griffin while making his team debut last night. Hulak is the 501st player ever to play for Grand Rapids.

Road Reversal
After dropping their first four road games and being outscored by 12 in that stretch, the Griffins have points in six of their last seven (5-1-1-0) on foreign ice with a +6 scoring edge. On the road, Chris Terry has a team-high nine points (6-3—9) and Patrik Rybar is 3-1-0, allowing two or less goals in three of those four starts.

Filip Hero-nek
Second-year defenseman Filip Hronek extended his career-high point streak to eight with an assist last night. Hronek is also on an eight-game assist streak, which matches the franchise record established by center Valtteri Filppula from March 26-Oct. 13, 2006. During the point streak, the 21-year-old boasts 12 points (4-8—12), four two-point games and a plus-six rating. His 12 points since Nov. 23 are the most among league defensemen and tie for second among all AHL skaters. In addition, Hronek has found the scoresheet in 10 of the last 11 matchups. Last month, Hronek became the first player in franchise history to record an overtime goal in back-to-back games when he provided the theatrics in Nov. 24’s 4-3 win at Chicago and Nov. 26’s 3-2 victory at Iowa.

Longest Single-Season Point Streaks by a Griffins Defenseman Since 1999-2000

On a Terr

The AHL’s leading scorer from a season ago, Chris Terry had his season-high six-game point streak snapped last night but has still picked up points in six of the last seven, eight of the last 10 and 11 of the last 14. He ties for the league lead with 15 goals and has lit the lamp seven times in the last 10 games. Since the Griffins’ stretch of 15 points in their last 17 games began on Oct. 27, Terry paces the league with 13 goals while his 20 points in that span tie for fifth.

Page Turner
Sixth-year pro and second-year Griffin Turner Elson had his career-high-tying four-game point streak come to an end last night, but is still responsible for three multi-point outings in the last five. In the last 12 games, Elson accounts for 15 points (6-9—15). Elson ties for the league lead with two shorthanded goals, which are the team’s only two, and both have come against the Wolves. He’s accumulated 21 points – which is second on the team – through the first 24 tilts and is on pace for 66, which would more than double his previous best of 30.

Rybar Supports
Goaltender Patrik Rybar (pronounced REE-bar) shows points in eight of 10 starts this season (6-2-2) and is fourth in the league with a 2.27 goals against average. He claims a 1.97 GAA since Oct. 27, tying for second in the AHL among goalies who have played more than 500 minutes in that span. The 25-year-old is in his first season in North American and led the Czech Extraliga in both GAA (1.73) and shutouts (7) in 36 games with Hradec Kralove last season.

A Harri Situation
Goalie Harri Sateri has points in seven of his last eight starts (6-1-1-0), including five in a row. He had his four-game winning streak snapped in last night’s overtime defeat. During his five-game point run, the Finnish netminder owns a 2.54 goals against average and a 0.912 save percentage and has collected two wins in overtime.

This Date in Griffins History
2002: In a first-of-its-kind event, every Griffins player and coach takes turns skating with fans for one hour each, around the clock, as part of “The Great Skate.” Held outdoors at Rosa Parks Circle in downtown Grand Rapids, the event raises $12,000 for the Griffins Youth Foundation.
2007: Syracuse delivers a 2-1 loss to Grand Rapids by scoring both goals just seven seconds apart during the first period, setting a Griffins record for fastest two goals by an opponent that stands to this day.
2017: Rockford rallies from an early and brief deficit to claim a 4-1 win at Grand Rapids, as the Griffins suffer their first home regulation loss during the month of December in three years. They had gone 12-0-1-3 during their previous 16 December home games following a loss to Oklahoma City on Dec. 5, 2014.

Photo by Iowa Wild