Griffins Game #58 * Road Game #26 * AHL Game #929

Season Series: 5-1-0-1 Home Series: 2-1-0-0 Road Series: 3-0-0-1
All-Time Series: 109-92-2-8-6 All-Time Home Series: 53-41-2-6-4 All-Time Road Series: 56-51-0-2-2

Griffins at Wolves
Eighth of 10 meetings overall, fifth of five at Allstate Arena…Chicago is one of five teams to defeat the Griffins twice this season...Grand Rapids has faced Chicago 217 times in the regular season dating back to their IHL days, the second-most of any Griffins opponent (Milwaukee, 238)…The Wolves are 15-8-2-3 at home this season compared to 13-7-4-3 on the road...The Griffins are 23-7-2-0 at home and 20-3-1-1 on the road...The Griffins are 6-3-1-0 in their last 10 games...Chicago is 4-4-1-1 in its last 10 outings and is on a four-game winless streak (0-3-0-1)...In the last five seasons since 2021-22, Grand Rapids is 19-21-2-3 (.478) against the Wolves and has been outscored 148-129. Also since the 2021-22 season, the Griffins are 10-12-0-1 (.457) against the Wolves at Allstate Arena with a minus-17 scoring margin (83-66)...The Wolves are tied for 18th with a power-play percentage of 18.8%, while their penalty kill places 11th at 82.5%...Chicago ranks 13th on the circuit with 3.18 goals scored per game and 23rd with 3.18 goals against per game...Chicago’s Yanick Turcotte ranks ninth in the AHL in penalty minutes (121). Justin Robidas (22-30—52) is tied for ninth in points and Bradly Nadeau (25-26—51) ranks 13th in points. Nadeau also is tied for eighth in goals. Cayden Primeau ranks 12th in GAA (2.61) and tied for 10th in save percentage (.909)...Former Griffins assistant coach Spiros Anastas (2012-14) was named the interim head coach of the Wolves on Dec. 12...Defenseman William Lagesson competed for Chicago during the 2022-23 season and posted a career-high 32 points (10-22—32) in 65 games...Brandon Hawkins suited up for six games with the Wolves also in 2022-23.   

Last Time Out
A three-goal first period for the Milwaukee Admirals powered them to a 5-2 victory over the Griffins on Saturday at Van Andel Arena. William Dufour tallied a power-play goal in his Griffins debut, while Michael Milne and Toledo Walleye captain Brandon Hawkins also made their Grand Rapids debuts. Eduards Tralmaks notched his 19th tally of the season on the man-advantage, while Austin Watson potted his 150th pro assist. Erik Gustafsson bagged his 20th helper of the campaign, while Grand Rapids went 6-for-7 on its league-leading penalty kill and 2-for-2 on the power play. Grand Rapids played without its top-five scorers – with John Leonard, Dominik Shine, Sheldon Dries and Michael Brandsegg-Nygard all on recall to Detroit and Amadeus Lombardi injured. 

This Date in Griffins History
2014: Andrej Nestrasil scores twice on the power play with assists from Mitch Callahan on both goals to carry the Griffins to a 4-3 win over the Oklahoma City Barons at the Cox Convention Center.

Shine On, Captain 
Captain Dominik Shine scored his first NHL goal on Sunday in Detroit’s 3-0 victory at the New Jersey Devils. Shine (32 years, 324 days) became the fifth-oldest player in Red Wings history to score his first-career NHL goal. He has appeared in eight games with Detroit this season after making his NHL debut last campaign on Jan. 27, 2025, against the Los Angeles Kings. Throughout his NHL career, Shine has two points (1-1—2) in 17 outings. The Detroit native has competed in 521 games with the Griffins since 2016-17, showing 221 points (96-125—221), 594 penalty minutes and a plus-five rating. With Grand Rapids this season, the AHL all-star has 37 points (21-16—37) in 38 games with 41 penalty minutes and a career-high plus-25 rating. On the all-time regular-season franchise leaderboard, Shine ranks third in games played (521), third in goals (96), seventh in assists (125), fourth in points (221), fifth in penalty minutes (594), tied for fifth in shorthanded goals (6), tied for third in game-winners (15), tied for first in unassisted goals (10), and third in shots (897). 

Are We Talking About Playoffs? 
With the Hershey Bears’ 4-1 win over the Rockford IceHogs on Feb. 27, the Griffins clinched a spot in the Calder Cup Playoffs. Feb. 27 marked the earliest clinching date in franchise history (previously March 6) and the earliest for an AHL team since 1993, when the Binghamton Rangers clinched on Feb. 24 with 24 games remaining. Grand Rapids need just two points to clinch a first-round bye and has a magic number of 13 to clinch the division title, a feat not accomplished since the 2014-15 season. The Griffins have led the Central Division for the entire season and are 22 points above second-place Chicago. The Griffins have dropped to second place in the AHL for the first time this season and trail the Providence Bruins by one point in the race for the Macgregor Kilpatrick Trophy, awarded to the AHL's regular-season champions. Grand Rapids is 33-6-3-1 against its division rivals and has outscored them 158-89, suffering its first regulation defeat against the division on Jan. 9 against Texas. The Griffins’ 33 wins are the most divisional victories since 2016-17 (40-20-1-3). Twelve of the remaining 15 games for Grand Rapids will be against the Central Division (80.0%). The Griffins will see the most games against the Rockford IceHogs (4). 

Sustained Excellence 
The Griffins have lost just three times in regulation in their last 13 games since Feb. 7 (9-3-1-0). In those 13 games, Grand Rapids has averaged 3.62 goals per game while allowing 2.31 goals. The Griffins have continued their league-record campaign with a 43-10-3-1 ledger and 90 points through 57 games and possessed the second-best record in the AHL’s 90-year history through 55 games. Grand Rapids reached 90 points (56 games) for the first time since 2017-18 (93 pts., 76 games). The team saw its franchise-record tying 15-game win streak from Nov. 22-Dec. 27 come to an end in overtime on Dec. 31, which also tied for the sixth-longest run in AHL history. In addition, the Griffins’ 19-game point streak from Nov. 22-Jan. 7 (18-0-1-0) ended on Jan. 9, which tied for the longest run in franchise history. The Griffins are 20-3-1-1 on the road and 23-7-2-0 at home. The 17-game points streak on the road from Oct. 10-Jan. 23 (15-0-1-1) set a new AHL record, eclipsing the 2010-11 Milwaukee Admirals’ 16-game run (10-0-4-2). Grand Rapids ranks second in the AHL in points (90) and has a 22-point cushion over Chicago for first place in the Central Division. 

Night Moves 
Second-year pro Gabriel Seger enjoyed a career-high three-game goal streak from March 4-7. Prior to the start of this month, Seger had four goals in the first 52 games of his campaign. Last season, the 26-year-old logged 17 points (10-7—17) and a plus-five rating in 59 regular-season games, adding three appearances in the Calder Cup Playoffs. Prior to turning pro, Seger spent five seasons in the college ranks split between Union College (2019-22) and Cornell University (2022-24). As a fifth-year senior in 2023-24, Seger was a Hobey Baker Memorial Award nominee when he led the Big Red with 44 points (14-30—44) in 35 games. 

On The Right Trail
Since returning from the Olympics, Eduards Tralmaks has five points (1-4—5) in six games. With the Griffins this season, the Riga, Latvia, native has 29 points (19-10—29), six penalty minutes and a plus-23 rating in 50 games. He ranks among the team leaders in points (6th), goals (4th) and plus-minus rating (5th). Tralmaks logged four points (3-1—4) in four games during his first Olympics with Team Latvia. He paced Latvia in points and goals and finished the tournament tied for eighth in goals among all skaters. Last season with Rytiri Kladno in the top pro league in Czechia, Tralmaks ranked first on the circuit with 51 points (23-28—51) in 48 contests. 

Untouchables
Below are statistical categories in which the Griffins are undefeated in regulation.
- 20-0 when leading after the first period
- 31-0 when leading after the second period 
- 9-0 in games decided by four or more goals
- 17-0 when allowing one goal or less
- 36-0-1-1 when scoring at least three goals
- 6-0-1-0 when scoring a shorthanded goal
- 1-0-1-1 when allowing a shorthanded goal
- 3-0 when allowing 10-19 shots 

Record Setters 
Below is a list of team and league records that the Griffins have either set or tied this season. 
- Best record in AHL history through 25 games (23-1-0-1, 47 pts.), 30 games (27-1-1-1, 56 pts.), 40 games (32-5-2-1, 67 pts.) and 50 games (40-7-2-1, 83 pts.), while tying for the best start through 35 games (29-3-2-1, 61 pts.)
- Second-best record in AHL history through 55 games (42-9-3-1, 88 pts.)
- Tied second-best record in AHL history through 45 games (35-7-2-1, 73 pts.)
- Reached the 60-point mark in just 32 games, three games faster than any team in AHL history
- AHL record 17-game road points streak from Oct. 10-Jan. 23 (15-0-1-1)
- Tied franchise-record 15-game winning streak from Nov. 22-Dec. 27, which also tied for sixth-longest in AHL history
- Tied franchise-record 19-game points streak from Nov. 22-Jan. 7 (18-0-1-0)
- Franchise-record start with an 8-0 record and was the league’s last undefeated team for first time since 2000-01 IHL season
- Started 6-0 at home for first time since 2009-10 (8-0)
- Franchise record for largest margin of victory (9) on Nov. 25 at Texas (10-1 W) 
- Franchise record for fewest shots in a game (10) on Jan. 17 versus Milwaukee 
- Earliest playoff clinching date in franchise history on Feb. 27 (previously March 6) 

What’s The Password?
The Griffins’ defense remains the best in the AHL, as it ranks first with 2.04 goals allowed per contest. Grand Rapids posted its eighth shutout of the season on Feb. 15 against Texas, which are the most since 2016-17 (8). The Griffins shut out their opponent in two straight games from Jan. 17-21 in addition to posting consecutive shutouts from Dec. 21-27. Prior to this season, the last time Grand Rapids logged two straight shutouts was Feb. 15-17, 2018. The Griffins have allowed more than two goals just 18 times all season (31.6%) and have averaged 2.80 goals allowed in their last five outings. In addition, the team’s penalty kill is first in the AHL at 86.3%. In net, Sebastian Cossa sports a 2.11 GAA with a .922 save percentage and five shutouts, while rookie netminder Michal Postava possesses a 1.82 GAA, a .935 save percentage and two shutouts. 

Ups and Downs 
Grand Rapids has been held to under four goals in five of the previous seven games since Feb. 25. However, the Griffins have played with 12 forwards just twice in their last 12 games due to roster limitations. The Griffins rank second in the AHL with 3.47 goals per game. The team has outscored its opponents 198-116 and is 31-1 when scoring the game’s first goal. The Griffins have outscored their opponents 100-62 at home, while possessing a 98-54 advantage on the road. Grand Rapids has its largest scoring margin against its opponents in the third period (78-36). John Leonard leads the team and is tied for third in the AHL with 27 goals, while Dominik Shine ranks second on the roster with 21 and Sheldon Dries places third with 20. 

The Brick Wall
Sebastian Cossa, the 15th overall pick in 2021, collected his fifth shutout of the season on Feb. 15 against Texas with 26 saves and enjoyed a seven-game point streak from Feb. 3-28 (6-0-1). His career-high five shutouts are the most by a Griffin since 2015-16 (Jared Coreau). Cossa has a 24-6-3 record with a 2.11 goals-against average and a .922 save percentage. He enjoyed a career-high 10-game win streak from Nov. 25-Dec. 27, showing a 1.51 GAA and a .939 save percentage, and a 14-game point streak from Nov. 25-Jan. 13 (12-0-2). In the AHL rankings, Cossa places second in GAA, third in save percentage, second in shutouts, second in wins and ninth in minutes played (1960:35). Cossa won two straight AHL Goaltender of the Month awards (November and December), becoming the first netminder in franchise history to receive the honor twice in the same season. The 23-year-old also became just the third goaltender in team history to win the award twice in any fashion, joining Jared Coreau (Feb. 2018, Dec. 2015) and Jimmy Howard (Dec. 2007, March 2006). In parts of four seasons with Grand Rapids since 2022-23, Cossa has notched a 68-31-17 mark with eight shutouts to go along with a 2.40 GAA and a .913 save percentage in 117 outings, becoming just the sixth netminder to reach the century mark with the team. 

Just Getting Started 
Rookie netminder Michal Postava tied a franchise record by becoming the 10th netminder in team history to post back-to-back shutouts from Jan. 17-21. He collected his first AHL shutout on Jan. 17 with 10 saves in a 2-0 victory over Milwaukee and followed that performance with a 19-save blanking of Milwaukee on Jan. 21. His 10 saves on Jan. 17 set a new franchise record for fewest in a shutout. Postava logged a shutout streak of 156:20 from Jan. 9-25, which was 3:47 short of breaking the franchise record by Jared Coreau in 2014-15 (160:06). After beginning the campaign 5-0, the 23-year-old suffered his first AHL defeat on Jan. 9 against Texas. Postava is now 12-4-0 with a 1.82 goals-against average and a .935 save percentage in 18 games. Last season, Postava became a Czech Extraliga champion with Kometa Brno, showing a league-best .940 save percentage with a 1.97 GAA and a 10-7 record in 17 playoff games. During the regular season with Kometa Brno, Postava ranked among the Czech Extraliga leaders in save percentage (.921, 5th), GAA (2.39, 11th), wins (23, 4th), games played (42, T2nd) and shutouts (3, T7th). As an undrafted free agent, Postava signed a two-year, entry-level contract with the Detroit Red Wings last summer. 

AHL Leaderboard Tracker 
x Michael Brandsegg-Nygard—Tied for 14th in plus-minus (+24), tied for third in game-winners (6), tied for sixth among rookies in goals (16), tied for eighth among rookies in assists (21), tied for fourth among rookies in points (37), third among rookies in plus-minus (+24), tied for seventh among rookies in power-play goals (5), second among rookies in shots (121), first among rookies in game-winners (6)
Sebastian Cossa—Second in GAA (2.11), third in save percentage (.922), second in shutouts (5), second in wins (24), tied for 11th in games played (33), ninth in minutes played (1960:35)
x Sheldon Dries—Tied for 15th in power-play goals (7)
Erik Gustafsson—Tied for 15th among defensemen in plus-minus (+18), tied for 13th among defensemen in power-play goals (2)
Alex Kannok Leipert—Tied for seventh in shorthanded assists (2), tied for third among defensemen in shorthanded assists (2)
William Lagesson—Third in plus-minus (+29), first among defensemen in plus-minus (+29)
x John Leonard—Tied for third in goals (27), tied for third in shorthanded goals (3), first in game-winners (8)
Amadeus Lombardi—Tied for seventh in game-winners (5)
x Dominik Shine—Tied for 10th in plus-minus (+25)
Antti Tuomisto—Tied for 14th among defensemen in plus-minus (+19)
Austin Watson—Fifth in penalty minutes (137) 

Milestones 
Last night against Milwaukee, Austin Watson bagged his 150th pro assist.  
Tyler Angle—One game from 300 as a pro
William Lagesson—Two points from 100 in the AHL
x Dominik Shine—Four goals from 100 as a Griffin, one unassisted goal from claiming sole possession of the franchise record of 11

Photo by Nicolas Carrillo/Griffins