Griffins Game #28 * Home Game #12 * AHL Game #403

Season Series: 3-0-0-0 Home Series: 2-0-0-0 Road Series: 1-0-0-0
All-Time Series: 116-83-7-9-8 All-Time Home Series: 63-39-2-3-3 All-Time Road Series: 53-44-5-6-5

Admirals at Griffins
Fourth of eight meetings overall, third of four at Van Andel Arena…Grand Rapids is 14-15-2-0 (.484) against Milwaukee since the 2020-21 campaign...Dating back to the 2020-21 season, the Griffins are 10-6-1-0 (.618) against the Admirals in Grand Rapids...Grand Rapids has faced Milwaukee more than any other opponent – 224th meeting tonight – and the Griffins’ 116 victories against the Admirals are the most against any foe…Milwaukee is 3-4-1-2 in its last 10 games and 7-5-1-2 on the road...The Griffins are 5-4-1-0 in their last 10 games and 8-3-0-0 at home...Milwaukee’s power play ranks 16th at 17.8%, and its penalty kill ranks fifth at 86.7%...Grand Rapids ranks 18th on the power play at 17.0% and second on the penalty kill at 89.1%...Milwaukee is tied for fifth in the AHL with 2.65 goals allowed per game and tied for 21st in goals scored per game (2.91)...The Griffins and Admirals are the bottom two teams in the AHL for shots per game, as Grand Rapids ranks last at 24.9 and Milwaukee second-to-last at 25.6...Milwaukee head coach Karl Taylor enters his sixth season as head boss. Taylor has a 216-118-32-16 record (.628) with the Admirals that includes two division titles and three 40-plus win seasons, in addition to never finishing worse than third place in the Central Division...Austin Watson spent nine seasons within Nashville’s organization and logged 132 points (73-59—132) in 234 games with the Admirals...Milwaukee’s Vinnie Hinostroza is tied for third the AHL in points (8-21—29) while ranking first in assists (21).

Last Time Out
The Griffins secured a point but fell to the Texas Stars in overtime 3-2, concluding their season-high six-game road trip at the H-E-B Center at Cedar Park on Wednesday. Sheldon Dries tallied his team-high 12th goal of the year and his fifth in the last six games. Austin Watson scored during a power play, increasing his point streak to three (3-1—4). The Griffins’ power-play goal marked their seventh in the last 10 outings. Sebastian Cossa manned the net for Grand Rapids and saved 23 shots, maintaining a .920 save percentage and a 2.28 goals-against average through 17 appearances (10-5-2). The Griffins finished their season-high six-game road trip with a 3-2-1-0 record. 

This Date in Griffins History
2013: Mitch Callahan’s overtime goal lifts the Griffins to a 3-2 win over Rockford, pushing Grand Rapids’ franchise-record start to an incredible 21-5-1-1. The Griffins win for the 19th time in their last 22 games, a stretch of success unmatched in the team’s 18 seasons. 

Keep It Steady  
Despite dropping five of their past nine games, the Griffins still rank first in the Central Division, second in the Western Conference, and fourth in the AHL with a 17-8-2-0 record and 36 points through 27 games. This marks the first time that Grand Rapids has been atop the division in December or later since the 2018-19 season, when it held a share of first place as late as March 8. When Dec. 16 dawned last season, the Griffins stood fourth place in the division with a 9-12-2-1 record. The Griffins have won with defense, as they have allowed two goals or less in 15 of the 27 contests and have scored an average of 3.00 goals per game (T19th). 

Young Sheldon
Veteran Sheldon Dries has scored a goal in the five of the last six games and has nine points (6-3—9) in his last nine outings. The Macomb, Michigan, native is first on the roster with 12 goals in 24 games and is on pace for his second 30-plus goal campaign (35 in 2021-22). Dries is no stranger to West Michigan, as he spent four seasons at Western Michigan University from 2013-17 and totaled 84 points (44-40—84) in 148 contests, serving as captain for three campaigns. The 30-year-old has competed in 420 pro games with 246 points (141-105—246) and 220 points (125-95—220) in 298 AHL appearances. 

Road Trip 
The Griffins concluded their season-high six-game road trip on Wednesday at the Texas Stars and finished the stretch of games with a 3-2-1-0 mark. Grand Rapids is in the midst of a stretch that will see it play nine of 12 games on the road, which began on Dec. 7 at Chicago. The Griffins are 9-5-2-0 (.625) in foreign territory this campaign with 20 points, which ranks fourth in the AHL on the road. Through the first 16 road games last season, Grand Rapids sported a 4-9-2-1 record (.344). 

Austin Powers 
Veteran Austin Watson enjoyed a team-high four-game point streak from Dec. 1-8 (2-2—4), which was three games short of his career best in the AHL, and is now on a three-game point streak from Dec. 14-18 (3-1—4). Watson has secured a point in nine of the past 11 games (7-3—10) and ranks first on the roster with 21 points (9-12—21) in 26 games. The Ann Arbor, Michigan, native has spent the majority of his career in the NHL, showing 118 points (60-58—118) in 518 appearances. At the AHL level, Watson possesses 153 points (82-71—153) in 260 outings, as he had spent his entire AHL career with Milwaukee before this season. 

Battle for Power
The Griffins scored a power-play goal in five straight games from Nov. 24-Dec. 6 (5-for-15, 33.3%) but have now converted on three of their past 26 man-advantages (11.5%). The power play ranks 18th on the circuit at 17.0% (16-for-94). If you break it down further, Grand Rapids’ home power play is 6-for-30 (20.0%, T12th) and its road power play is 10-for-64 (15.6%, T22nd). The Griffins’ penalty kill ranks second in the AHL at 89.1% and their four short-handed goals are tied for fourth. Grand Rapids has surrendered a power-play goal in four of its last seven outings (23-for-27 on PK, 85.2%).   

Holy Goalies
Sebastian Cossa, the 15th overall pick by the Detroit Red Wings in 2021, has been the go-to netminder for the Griffins this season, as he has a 10-5-2 mark with a 2.28 GAA and a .920 save percentage in 17 games. Cossa ranks among the AHL leaders in minutes played (1,001:48, 3rd), GAA (9th) wins (T3rd), and save percentage (6th). The 22-year-old collected his first NHL victory during his debut on Dec. 9 at the Buffalo Sabres with a 6-5 shootout victory behind 12 saves and two stops in the shootout. Cossa became the first netminder in NHL history to win his debut via a shootout in a relief effort. Veteran Jack Campbell was assigned to Grand Rapids on Nov. 18 and made his Griffins debut on Dec. 6 against the Chicago Wolves. He later bagged his first win as a Griffin on Dec. 17 at Texas behind 20 saves in a 4-2 victory. Through three games with Grand Rapids, Campbell has a 2.37 goals-against average and a .917 save percentage. Campbell has 441 pro games under his belt with a 2.67 GAA and 230 wins since 2011-12, splitting time between the NHL (176 GP), AHL (238 GP) and ECHL (27 GP). Ville Husso was reassigned to the Griffins by Detroit on Thursday. Husso has a 4-0-0 ledger with one shutout to go along with a 1.58 goals-against average and a .944 save percentage in five appearances. Through six career games with Grand Rapids, Husso has a 5-0-0 record with two shutouts, and a 1.29 goals-against average. 

He Shoots, He Scores
Through the first 10 games of the season, the Griffins scored more than two goals just three times and averaged 2.20 goals per game, which ranked 29th in the AHL as of Nov. 4. Since then, Grand Rapids has scored at least four goals in nine of the last 17 contests, averaging 3.47 goals per game. However, the Griffins have struggled to find the back of the net as of late, with 2.57 goals per game in their last seven outings. The Griffins are tied for 19th on the circuit with 3.00 goals per outing while tying for second in goals against per game (2.52). When scoring at least three goals this season, Grand Rapids is 14-0-0-0 compared to 3-8-2-0 when scoring fewer than three goals. 

No Ordinary Joe
Newcomer Joe Snively enjoyed a team-high four-game goal streak from Nov. 13-22 and has 13 points (7-6—13) in his last 15 outings. Snively is tied for second on the roster in points (9-11—20) and goals (9) through 27 appearances. The Herndon, Virginia, native has won the last two Calder Cups with the Hershey Bears and showed a combined 33 points (6-27—33) in 40 games during the postseason with a 28-12 record in the past two playoffs. Snively also aided Hershey to a regular-season title last year with a 53-14-0-5 mark (111 pts., .771), the second-best regular-season record in AHL history and the most wins by an AHL team in a 72-game season. The 28-year-old is in search of his third straight Calder Cup, as only 11 players in league history have won three consecutive cups in the AHL and no one has achieved this feat since the 1978 season. 

Damn Daniel, Back At It Again 
Rookie Nate Danielson, selected ninth overall by Detroit in 2023, had just two points (1-1—2) in his first eight games as a pro. However, he enjoyed a team-high four-game point streak (1-4—5) from Nov. 24-Dec. 1 and has 12 points (2-10—12) in his last 15 contests. His 13 assists in 27 games are tied for sixth among rookies while his 16 points are tied for 15th among first-year players. Danielson is also tied for fourth on the roster in points and second in assists. The 20-year-old made his pro debut with Grand Rapids on May 20 at Milwaukee during the Calder Cup Playoffs and finished the postseason with two appearances. Prior to turning pro, Danielson spent four campaigns in the WHL from 2020-24 and amassed 217 points (83-134—217) in 199 regular-season games. 

Let’s Show Some Love to the Defense
The Griffins are tied for second in the AHL with 2.52 goals allowed per game, as the 68 goals surrendered are tied for seventh in the AHL. Dating back to last season, Grand Rapids has allowed just 27 goals in its last 14 regular-season games at Van Andel Arena (1.93 GA per game). Also dating back to last season, the Griffins have allowed 50 goals in their last 18 regular-season road games (2.78 GA per game). 

If You Ain’t First, You’re Last
Starting the game off on the right foot has been imperative for the Griffins early this season. Grand Rapids is 11-1-1-0 when scoring the game’s first goal and 14-2-1-0 when either tied or leading after the first period. The Griffins have scored the first goal 13 times, tied for the 11th-most in the AHL, and their 11 wins while scoring the first tally are tied for fourth on the circuit. When the Griffins allow the first goal they are 6-7-1-0, and 3-7-0-0 when trailing after two periods. 

Shoot Your Shot
The Griffins have outshot their opponent just six times in the first 27 contests, with three of those six coming against Chicago. The Griffins average 24.9 shots per game, which ranks last in the AHL. Grand Rapids has been held to under 20 shots five times and has exceeded 30 shots six times. On the flip side, the Griffins’ opponents average 29.2 shots per game (17th in AHL) and have been held to under 30 shots 12 times. The third period has given the Griffins the most problems, as they are being outshot 247-189 compared to being outshot 257-247 in the second and 270-222 in the first. However, Grand Rapids has a 11-4-1-0 ledger when recording 20-29 shots and a 9-5-1-0 mark when allowing 30-39 shots. 

AHL Leaderboard Tracker
Shai Buium—Tied for 14th among rookie defensemen in plus-minus rating (+4), tied for 10th among rookie defensemen in assists (8)
Sebastian Cossa—Third in minutes played (1,001:48), tied for third in games played (16), ninth in GAA (2.28), third in wins (10), and sixth in save percentage (.920)
Nate Danielson—Tied for second in short-handed assists (2), tied for first among rookies in short-handed assists (2), tied for sixth among rookies in assists (13)
Alex Doucet—Tied for second in short-handed goals (2), tied for first among rookies in short-handed goals (2)
William Lagesson—Tied for ninth among defensemen in plus-minus rating (+10), tied for third among defensemen in short-handed assists (1)
Amadeus Lombardi—Tied for first in game-winners (4)
Austin Watson—First in major penalties (6) 

Milestones 
On Tuesday, Tim Gettinger skated in his 300th game in the AHL. Last Saturday, Elmer Soderblom registered his 100th point as a pro with an assist at Colorado and Austin Watson collected his 150th AHL point with a goal. 
Alex Doucet—One point from 50 as a pro
Sheldon Dries—Two games from 300 in the AHL, five assists from 100 in the AHL

Photo by Nicolas Carrillo/Griffins