Griffins Game #45 * Home Game #23 * AHL Game #653

Season Series: 2-0-0-0 Home Series: 0-0-0-0 Road Series: 2-0-0-0
All-Time Series: 3-1-0-0 All-Time Home Series: 1-0-0-0 All-Time Road Series: 2-1-0-0

Griffins vs. Gulls
Third of four meetings overall, first of two at Van Andel Arena…The season series will conclude tomorrow...The Griffins claimed the first two meetings of the season in southern California, recovering from a two-goal deficit to win 4-3 on Dec. 11 and taking a 3-2 shootout victory on Dec. 17…Grand Rapids and San Diego are squaring off for the first time since the 2015-16 campaign…The Gulls are making their first visit to Van Andel Arena since Nov. 20, 2015, which ended in a 7-4 Griffins victory…Grand Rapids holds a 27-11-2-0-0 all-time record (0.700) against Anaheim’s AHL affiliates, including 22-10-2-0-0 against the Cincinnati Mighty Ducks, 2-0-0-0 against the Iowa Chops and 3-1-0-0 against San Diego…Eric Tangradi was selected in the second round, 42nd overall, of the 2007 NHL Entry Draft by Anaheim but did not suit up for any clubs in the organization…Tangradi scored the first goal of his Griffins career at San Diego on Oct. 10, 2015…Rookie defenseman Alec McCrea hails from San Diego and Gulls first-year forward Brent Gates Jr. is a Grand Rapids native...The Griffins hold a 10-12-1-3 record (0.462) against current teams in the Pacific Division, including a 5-5-0-1 mark (0.500) at home.

California Dreamin’
Tonight and tomorrow will mark the 17th and 18th times, respectively, the Griffins have hosted a team from California, including playoffs. Grand Rapids is 8-7-0-1 (0.531) all time against Golden State teams at Van Andel Arena.

Last Time Out (Wednesday): Wild 3 at Griffins 4 SO - Recap
Grand Rapids snapped a four-game winless skid against Iowa (0-2-2-0)...The Griffins recorded a season-high 47 shots, one game after attempting 46...Chris Terry tied the game with 57 seconds remaining in regulation and added a marker in the shootout...Matt Puempel notched the shootout-deciding goal...Dominic Turgeon scored his second shorthanded tally of the year and has both of the team’s SHG...Turgeon’s goal 12 seconds in to the middle frame was the fastest to open any period by the Griffins this season and the fastest since Filip Zadina scored eight seconds into overtime on Feb. 16, 2019 vs. San Antonio...Dominik Shine extended his point streak to a career-high three games while assisting on Tyler Spezia’s fourth of the season…Gerald Mayhew’s power-play goal at 4:01 of the first period snapped Grand Rapids’ streak of 12 straight penalties killed.

Status Update

The Griffins are on a season-high seven-game point streak (5-0-0-2) and sit in a fourth-place tie in the Central Division standings. Grand Rapids is 4-0-0-2 in its eight-game homestand, which wraps up tonight and tomorrow against San Diego. The Griffins will then pause for the AHL all-star break. After tomorrow, Grand Rapids will have played eight home games in 16 days. The Griffins will then skate just once in the next 10 (next Friday at Iowa) and only twice in the next 13 (Feb. 5 at Milwaukee). Following Detroit’s assignment of Dennis Cholowski, Calvin Pickard, Givani Smith and Filip Zadina on Jan. 22, the Griffins’ roster now hosts all six of the Red Wings’ recent first-round draft picks (Moritz Seider 2019, Zadina 2018, Joe Veleno 2018, Michael Rasmussen 2017, Cholowski 2016, Evgeny Svechnikov 2015). Adding in Dylan McIlrath (New York Rangers 2010) and Matt Puempel (Ottawa Senators 2011), Grand Rapids’ roster features eight former first-round draft selections.

Heads Up, Seven Up
During their seven-game point streak, the Griffins are outscoring opponents 22-14 and outshooting foes 251-196 while operating at 19.2% on the power play (5-for-26) and killing off 15 of 17 penalties (88.2%). Chris Terry (4-3—7) leads the team in goals and points during the streak, followed by Michael Rasmussen (2-3—5) and six players with four points apiece.

Staycation
The Griffins are 4-0-0-2 so far in their eight-game homestand that lasts through Saturday. It is the team’s lengthiest since an eight-game stretch from Oct. 14-Nov. 4, 2006 (4-3-0-1 record). In fact, the only longer homestand Grand Rapids has enjoyed is nine games from Oct. 26-Nov. 18, 2004 (4-4-1-0 record). Chris Terry (4-2—6) and Michael Rasmussen (2-3—5) are the Griffins’ point leaders during the home stretch. Since the 2016-17 season, Grand Rapids is 17-6-0-3 (0.712) in West Michigan in January.

Picks and Pucks
Calvin Pickard was named the AHL Player of the Week for the period ending Jan. 12 after compiling a 1.33 GAA, a 0.953 save percentage and one shutout in three victories from Jan. 8-11. He was recalled by the Red Wings on Jan. 12 and assigned back to Grand Rapids on Jan. 22.

Lights Out
Since the third period on Nov. 27 at Chicago, Grand Rapids has fended off 71 of its last 79 penalties (89.9%). Grand Rapids’ streak of 12 in a row killed was snapped on Wednesday. The Griffins have vaulted from 30th in the AHL in penalty killing on Nov. 28 to their current position of 15th.

Net Nagle
Pat Nagle has won three of his last four starts, showing a 1.98 GAA and stopping 93 of 101 shots in that stretch (0.921). His 2.23 season GAA ranks eighth among AHL netminders with more than 500 minutes.

All That Ras
Second-year pro Michael Rasmussen has collected five points (2-3—5) in his first six games back in the lineup after missing the previous 23 due to injury. Among Griffins with more than 10 GP this season, Rasmussen ranks second in points/game with 0.88, behind only Chris Terry’s 0.98.

Ford, Terry Heading to All-Star Classic
The AHL announced on Jan. 3 that Chris Terry has been selected to the 2020 AHL All-Star Classic, which will be held this coming Sunday and Monday in Ontario, Calif. Terry joins Matthew Ford on the all-star team, after the Griffins’ captain was named as one of the two playing captains on Dec. 18. Terry, in his 11th season as a pro and second in Grand Rapids, has earned his fourth straight AHL All-Star bid and fifth overall (2012). He becomes the sixth Griffin ever to be named an all-star in back-to-back years (Matt Lorito 2017-18, Xavier Ouellet 2015-16, Gustav Nyquist 2012-13, Niklas Kronwall 2004-05, Michel Picard 1997-98 in the IHL) and only the third Grand Rapids forward to earn consecutive AHL selections, joining Lorito and Nyquist. 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).

Back Up, Terr
2020 AHL All-Star Classic selection Chris Terry leads the team with 11 points (4-7—11) in 10 GP in the new year. He ties for fifth in the AHL in points (41) while pacing the Griffins in goals (17), assists (24), multi-point games (13) and power play goals (9). He became the 43rd player in franchise history to score 100 points in a Griffins uniform following his three-point effort on Jan. 11 and he tied Slava Butsayev (1999-01) as the seventh-fastest player to reach the century mark. In his 11th-year pro, Terry guided 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.

Rotating Roster
Kevin Poulin made his Griffins debut on Jan. 4 and became the fifth goaltender to log minutes for Grand Rapids this season, the team’s most since five suited up during the 2014-15 campaign (Pat Nagle, Jonas Gustavsson, Petr Mrazek, Jared Coreau, Tom McCollum). Including those five goalies, the Griffins have used 38 players already 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 69 times.

This Date in Griffins History
2002: The Griffins and Detroit Red Wings hold a joint press conference at The B.O.B. in downtown Grand Rapids to announce a five-year affiliation agreement (2002-03 to 2006-07). Red Wings general manager Ken Holland and assistant GM Jim Nill are present for the announcement, made before an overflow crowd of media and sponsors.
2004: Griffins complete a six-game home stand, the second-longest in franchise history, without a loss (4-0-2-0), skating to a 4-2 win over Cleveland. Michel Picard records the 1,000th point of his 15-year professional career with his third assist of the game, and Dave Van Drunen breaks Travis Richards’ team record by appearing in his 127th consecutive regular season game.

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 984-675-27-60-116 (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)…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’ 324 regular season wins since the 2012-13 campaign tie Wilkes-Barre/Scranton for second, behind only Toronto’s 338 while the Griffins’ 705 points in that span are third, trailing Providence (712) and Toronto (733)…Since the affiliation began in 2002-03, 92 Griffins have gone on to play for the Red Wings.

Presented by Spectrum Health Stroke Awareness

$2 Beers and $2 Hot Dogs: Fans can enjoy $2 domestic drafts and $2 hot dogs from 6-8 p.m., while supplies last.

Get in the D-ZONE presented by Coppercraft Distillery: Every Friday night is a Griffins D-Zone night. Avoid the concession lines and get your $2 beers and $2 hot dogs served to you in your seats. Call (616) 774-4585 ext. 2 or visit griffinshockey.com/dzone today to purchase a package of four or more D-Zone tickets for any Friday night game.

College Night presented by Michigan First Credit Union: Presented by Michigan First Credit Union, college students can buy online using their school .edu email address or show their ID at every Friday game to purchase an Upper Level Faceoff ticket for $13 (or $12 in advance at The Zone) or an Upper Level Center Ice ticket for $16 (or $15 in advance at The Zone). Limit one ticket per ID if purchasing in-person. Visit griffinshockey.com/college to sign up for College Night alerts.

Free Ride Friday on the Rapid: Ride the Rapid to and from any Friday game and enjoy complimentary fare by showing your ticket to the game. Visit ridetherapid.org for schedule information, routes and maps.

Photo by San Diego Gulls