Griffins Game #72 * Home Game #36 * AHL Game #1,148

Season Series: 3-3-1-0 Home Series: 2-1-0-0 Road Series: 1-2-1-0
All-Time Series: 112-83-7-9-8 All-Time Home Series: 60-39-2-3-3 All-Time Road Series: 52-44-5-6-5

Admirals at Griffins
Eighth of eight meetings overall, fourth of four at Van Andel Arena…On Feb. 25, the Griffins halted Milwaukee’s historic 19-game winning streak, which was the second-longest run in AHL history...Grand Rapids is 14-19-2-0 (.429) against Milwaukee since the 2019-20 campaign...Dating back to the 2019-20 season, the Griffins are 7-9-1-0 (.441) against the Admirals in Grand Rapids with a minus-two scoring margin (46-44)...The Admirals are 6-3-0-1 in their last 10 games and have won two straight...The Griffins are 4-5-1-0 in their last 10 games and have won two out of their last four contests...Milwaukee is 20-13-1-1 on the road this season, while Grand Rapids is 22-7-4-2 at home...Milwaukee’s penalty kill is tied for 17th at 81.1% while its power play is tied for 22nd at 17.6%...The Griffins’ power play ranks 27th at 16.9% and their penalty kill comes in at 80.8% (T19th)...Admirals’ goaltender Yaroslav Askarov ranks fifth in the AHL with a 2.39 GAA...Grand Rapids has faced Milwaukee more than any other opponent – 220th meeting tonight – and the Griffins’ 112 victories against the Admirals are the most against any foe…Milwaukee’s Zach L’Heureux ranks second in the AHL with 197 penalty minutes...Matt Luff logged 31 points (14-17—31) in 30 games with Milwaukee during the 2021-22 season.

Last Time Out
The Griffins concluded their final road game of the regular season with a 4-1 loss to the Iowa Wild at Wells Fargo Arena on Friday. Sebastian Cossa's road point streak was halted at 10 games (8-0-2), which tied Jimmy Howard's record from 2005-06. The Griffins posted a 7-1-0-0 record in their eight-game series against Iowa. Grand Rapids holds a one-point advantage over the Rockford IceHogs for second place in the Central Division. In their return from Detroit, both Austin Czarnik (1-0--1) and Simon Edvinsson (0-1--1) bagged a point.

This Date in Griffins History
2001: Derek King ties franchise playoff records with four goals and five points in a 7-4 rout of Cleveland.

Roster Shakeup
-April 16—F Riley Sawchuk reassigned to Toledo (ECHL) by Grand Rapids
-April 17—D Shai Buium signed to an ATO by Grand Rapids; D Simon Edvinsson and F Zach Aston-Reese reassigned by Detroit
-April 18—F Austin Czarnik reassigned by Detroit

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 27-10-5-3 mark (.689), solidifying their hold on second place in the Central Division and becoming the fourth of now 23 teams to secure a berth in the Calder Cup Playoffs.

Playoff Picture
As the regular season continues its final week, the Griffins have clinched a playoff berth and are in second place in the Central Division with a 36-22-8-4 record and 84 points with just one game 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 can claim it with a win tonight, a Rockford loss or a Griffins OT/SO loss and Rockford does not win in regulation.

Need to Get Back on Track
The Griffins have won just two of their last six games and have points in five of their last 10 contests (4-5-1-0). Grand Rapids suffered its worst defeat of the season last Sunday, a 7-2 loss at the Chicago Wolves. The Griffins have secured at least a point in 37 of their last 48 contests (28-11-6-3). The Griffins are 27-10-5-3 (.689) 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 16 of its past 24 road appearances (12-8-3-1). The Griffins have been stellar at home with a 22-7-4-2 mark, outscoring their opponents 109-79. Grand Rapids battled on the road this season, earning points in 15 of its final 22 games to finish 14-16-4-2 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, Shai Buium won the 2024 NCAA Title with Denver, 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’s 10-game road point streak (8-0-2) from Dec. 27-April 17 tied Jimmy Howard (2005-06) for the longest point streak on the road in franchise history. Since returning from the holiday break on Dec. 27, Cossa has a 17-3-6 ledger with a 2.09 goals against average and a .921 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 eight times in his past 26 games. Through 39 contests, Cossa is 21-9-9 with two shutouts to go along with a 2.45 goals against average and a .912 save percentage. Cossa ranks sixth among rookie goaltenders in goals against average and tied for fifth 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 32 points (16-16—32) in his last 28 games from Jan. 13-April 19. Berggren also has 38 points (17-21—38) in his last 33 outings and 41 points (19-22—41) in his last 36 contests from Dec. 15– April 19. Berggren’s 1.08 points per game are tied for fourth among skaters who have played at least 30 games. The 23-year-old leads the roster in points (24-32—56), assists (32) and goals (24) through 52 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 127 points (49-78—127) in 129 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. Cossa’s 10-game road point streak (8-0-2) from Dec. 27-April 17 tied Jimmy Howard (2005-06) for the longest point streak on the road in franchise history. 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.

Here Comes the Buium
On Friday, Shai Buium made his pro debut, becoming the third two-time NCAA champion (Denver 2022 and 2024) to play for the Griffins, joining Blaine Lacher (Lake Superior State 1992 and 1994) and fellow alum Brett Skinner (Denver 2004 and 2005). Amazingly, of the 11 all-time Griffins whom the Pioneers have produced, seven won a national championship at the school: Buium, Skinner, current Griffins Carter Mazur and Antti Tuomisto – both teammates of Buium in 2022 – along with 2017 champions Blake Hillman and Jarid Lukosevicius, and 2004 titlist Adam Berkhoel.

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 18 outings. The Calgary, Alberta, native has logged a total of 35 points (9-26—35) in 53 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 17 outings. Mazur ranks second on the roster with 36 points (16-20—36) in 59 contests, while also ranking second on the team in goals (16). His 16 goals are tied for 16^th among AHL rookies and his six power-play tallies are tied for 12th 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 65 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 18 points (10-8—18) in his last 20 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 163 points (67-96—163) in 222 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 eight games and nine points in his last 15 outings (4-5—9). The 20-year-old is tied for third on the roster with 35 points (14-21—35) in 70 contests. Lombardi, the 113^th overall pick in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft, has five helpers in his last eight appearances and eight points in his last 15 games (0-8—8). The 20-year-old has shown 26 points (5-21—26) in 69 games during his rookie season.

Thou Shall Not Pass
The Griffins’ defense has been much improved since the holiday break, allowing an average of 2.56 goals per game from Dec. 27-April 19. 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 201 goals through 71 games this season, which ranks second in the Central Division and eighth 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 (2.69, T3rd). Netminders Sebastian Cossa (2.45) and Michael Hutchinson (2.89) each possess a goals against average below 3.00. Defensemen Albert Johansson (+6), Josiah Didier (+6), Wyatt Newpower (+6), Simon Edvinsson (+5), Eemil Viro (+5), Antti Tuomisto (+4), Radim Simek (+4) and Brogan Rafferty (+3) 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 32 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 84-60 in the final frame and outshot their opponents 664-624. Grand Rapids has seven wins when trailing after the second period, which is tied for third in the AHL. The Griffins also have a 41-31 shot advantage in overtime this campaign. However, Grand Rapids is just 7-12 in games decided past regulation (4-8 in OT, 3-4 in SO). The Griffins’ 23 regulation losses this season are tied for the sixth fewest in the AHL, while their eight overtime defeats are tied for the fourth most and four shootout losses are tied for the sixth most.

Oh, It’s You Again
Grand Rapids will finish the regular season against the Central Division tonight. The Griffins have done well against their division rivals, as they are 29-16-4-2 (.627) with a plus-13 scoring margin against the Central Division.

Pucks on Net
The Griffins have done well when outshooting their opponents this season with a 21-5-5-4 (.729) record compared to a 14-17-3-0 (.456) mark when they are being outshot. Grand Rapids is 22-6-4-4 (.722) when producing at least 30 shots and 27-12-6-2 (.660) when it keeps its opponents under 30 shots. The Griffins rank 18th in the AHL with 29.7 shots per game, while they concede the sixth fewest in the league at 27.8. The Griffins are averaging 28.2 shots per game in their last 10 outings, while giving up an average of 26.3.

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 12-22-6-4 (.386). Grand Rapids has reached the four-goal mark in nine of its last 25 outings. On the flip side, Grand Rapids is just 9-19-7-3 (.368) when allowing at least three goals, compared to a 27-4-1-1 mark (.848) when allowing two goals or less. In their last 25 appearances, the Griffins have allowed three or more goals 12 times.

AHL Leaderboard Tracker
Jonatan Berggren—1.08 points per game are tied for fourth among skaters who have played at least 30 games
Sebastian Cossa—2.45 GAA ranks sixth among rookie netminders and tied for 10th among qualified goalies, .912 save percentage is tied for fifth among rookie goaltenders and tied for 14th among qualified goalies
Simon Edvinsson—Three game-winners are tied for fourth among defensemen
Marco Kasper—149 shots are tied for 11^th among rookies
Carter Mazur—Six power-play goals are tied for 12th among rookies, 16 goals are tied for 16th among rookies
Antti Tuomisto—Five goals are tied for 11th among rookie defensemen, one power-play goal is tied for 10th among rookie defensemen, two game-winners are tied for third among rookie defensemen

Milestones
On Wednesday, Brogan Rafferty collected his 150th pro point with an assist at Iowa. 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—Two 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 in the AHL

Photo by Nicolas Carrillo/Griffins