Griffins Game #52 * Home Game #27 * AHL Game #768

Season Series: 1-2-0-0 Home Series: 0-1-0-0 Road Series: 1-1-0-0
All-Time Series: 53-31-5-10 All-Time Home Series: 30-16-1-2 All-Time Road Series: 23-15-4-8

Griffins vs. Monsters
Fourth of four meetings overall, second of two at Van Andel Arena…In the last matchup at Van Andel Arena on Nov. 6 during Grand Rapids’ annual school day game, Cleveland set a Griffins record for most shorthanded goals against in a single game with three and won 5-3...Grand Rapids has points in 12 of the last 16 meetings overall (9-4-1-2)…At Van Andel Arena, the Griffins have points in nine of the last 13 (8-4-0-1)…Head coach Ben Simon is a native of Shaker Heights, a Cleveland suburb…Captain Matthew Ford spent most of his first three pro seasons (2008-11) with the Monsters, totaling 69 points (39-30—69) in 126 appearances...Monsters first-year head coach Mike Eaves was Ford’s college coach at Wisconsin and they won the 2006 NCAA Championship together…Calvin Pickard began his pro career with the Monsters, appearing in 142 games from 2011-15 and posting a 60-54-21 record to go along with a 2.63 GAA, a 0.913 save percentage and 10 shutouts…Pickard is the Monsters’ all-time leader in goalie wins.

0 to 100
In a rivalry that dates to the 2007-08 season, tonight’s rematch at Van Andel Arena is the 100th all-time regular season meeting between the teams. Grand Rapids took a 3-2 victory in the first duel on Oct. 6, 2007 at Cleveland (then known as the Lake Erie Monsters) and has outscored the Monsters 326-305. Nearly a third (28) of the meetings have been tied after regulation and almost half (46) have been one-goal decisions. The teams also met once in the postseason, as the Monsters vanquished Grand Rapids in six games in the 2016 Central Division Finals on their way to their first Calder Cup. In fact, the Monsters’ only losses in that championship run were to the Griffins.

Top 5 Opponents in Regular Season GP

Last Game (Tuesday): Griffins 2 at Monsters 6 - Recap
Grand Rapids had its eight-game point streak (5-0-1-2) at Cleveland snapped, losing in regulation for the first time since Feb. 28, 2017...Evgeny Svechnikov extended his goal streak to three games while Taro Hirose, assigned by Detroit earlier in the day, moved his assist streak to six...Svechnikov became the fourth Griffin to reach 10 goals this season...Cleveland’s four goals in the second period were the most in a single frame since Texas scored four times in the third on March 20, 2019.

Status Update
The Griffins have collected points in 11 of their last 14 games (8-3-1-2) and are tied for fourth in the Central Division standings. Grand Rapids concludes a home-and-home set against Cleveland tonight at Van Andel Arena before heading to Chicago tomorrow to face the Wolves, who lead the Griffins by two points for third position.

Movin’ On Up
Over the last 14 games, during which the Griffins have risen from last place in the division into a tie for fourth, Grand Rapids is outscoring opponents 40-36 and outshooting them 474-417 (+57) while operating at 22.6% on the power play (14-for-62) and 82.9% on the penalty kill (34-for-41). Chris Terry (5-7—12), Taro Hirose (0-10—10), Evgeny Svechnikov (5-3—8) and Michael Rasmussen (3-5—8) are the leading scorers in the stretch. Pat Nagle (3-1, 1.76 GAA, 0.940%) and Calvin Pickard (5-2-1, 2.66 GA, 0.910%, 1 SO) and have shared crease duties during the run.

Russian Influence
Evgeny Svechnikov is on a career-high three-game goal streak, banking four power play tallies among six points in that span. Six points is the most productive three-game stretch of the third-year pro’s career. Svechnikov’s team-high six points in February are nearly as much as his outputs from December (2-2—4) and January (1-2—3) combined.

Tar-Oh!
Rookie Taro Hirose has collected nine helpers during his six-game assist streak, which is the longest by a Griffin this season. Hirose’s 20 points (4-16—20) and 16 assists are both team highs since Dec. 3 – the date of his first assignment by Detroit to Grand Rapids.

Net Nagle
In his last seven appearances, Pat Nagle has accounted for a 4-2 record, a 1.85 GAA and a 0.934 save percentage. If he had enough minutes to qualify (about 300 shy), his 2.09 season GAA would place fourth in the league.

Time to Tango
Eric Tangradi has lit the lamp twice in the last three games and lists eight goals among 10 points in 12 appearances this season. He ties for third on the team in power play goals (5), ties for sixth in goals overall and places third in points per game (0.83). A 2017 Calder Cup champion with Grand Rapids, Tangradi ranks among the club’s all-time leaders with 174 points (9th), 84 goals (5th) and 26 PPG (T2nd).

Back Up, Terr
2020 AHL All-Star Classic selection Chris Terry leads the team with 16 points (5-11—16) in 17 GP in the new year. Overall, he ties for sixth in the AHL in points (46) while pacing the Griffins in goals (18), assists (28), multi-point games (14) and power play goals (9).

February Finish
The Griffins have points in 20 of their last 25 games in the month of February (16-5-2-2, 0.720). That stretch includes points in 14 of 16 appearances at Van Andel Arena (11-2-2-1), including in six straight (4-0-2-0), and in six of nine contests on foreign ice (5-3-0-1).

Rotating Roster
Five different goaltenders have logged 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 79 times.

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 987-678-27-61-116 (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)…The Griffins have earned 40 or more wins and accumulated 90 or more points in six of the last seven seasons…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’ 327 regular season wins since the 2012-13 campaign are third, behind only Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s 329 and Toronto’s 341 while the Griffins’ 712 points in that span are fourth, trailing Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (715), Providence (718) and Toronto (740)…Since the affiliation began in 2002-03, 93 Griffins have gone on to play for the Red Wings.

This Date in Griffins History
Grand Rapids is 5-4-0-2 all time on Valentine’s Day, including 5-2-0-2 at Van Andel Arena.
2002: Head coach Bruce Cassidy, assistant coach Gene Reilly, John Gruden and Chris Bala represent the Griffins as members of the PlanetUSA AHL All-Star team in St. John's, Newfoundland. Kip Miller (NY Islanders), Martin Prusek and Petr Schastlivy (both injured) miss the game. Bala notches a goal and two assists in a 13-11 loss to the Canadian All-Stars.
2003: With the second of his three assists on the night, Travis Richards becomes just the second Griffin to reach the 200-point mark in a 5-2 home triumph against Cincinnati.
2004: Joey MacDonald becomes the first goalie in Griffins history to record three consecutive home shutouts, making 35 saves to lead Grand Rapids to a 3-0 win over Houston. MacDonald also sets a franchise mark by extending his home shutout streak to 194:41, while the Griffins push their record home unbeaten streak to 12 games (9-0-3-0) and claim their sixth straight win in friendly confines, four of them by shutout.
2005: In the 2005 AHL All-Star Game at Manchester, reserve Joey MacDonald makes a game-high 17 saves during the second period for Canada. However, PlanetUSA and starter Niklas Kronwall rally from a 4-0 deficit to scratch out a 5-4 shootout win.

Time: 7 p.m. at Van Andel Arena (doors open at 6 p.m.).

$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 Sam Iannamico/Griffins