Manitoba Moose (37-29-5-2) vs. GRIFFINS (38-25-7-4)

Griffins Game #75 * Home Game #38 * AHL Game #1116

Season Series: 6-1-0-0 Home Series: 3-0-0-0 Road Series: 3-1-0-0
All-Time Series: 62-29-1-1-7 All-Time Home Series: 32-12-1-1-5 All-Time Road Series: 30-17-0-0-2

Griffins vs. Moose
Eighth of eight meetings overall, fourth of four at Van Andel Arena…Grand Rapids has claimed 11 of the last 12 regular season meetings against Manitoba, including five in a row…In the last 12 matchups, the Griffins are outscoring the Moose 38-18…Grand Rapids is 3-0 against Manitoba at Van Andel Arena this season but all three contests have been decided by one goal, including the first two matchups that went into overtime…The Griffins have won four straight over Manitoba at the Van…Since the Moose rejoined the AHL in 2015-16 following a four-year hiatus, the Griffins are 18-5 vs. Manitoba, including 9-2 at Van Andel Arena and 9-3 at Bell MTS Place…Chris Terry has six goals among 10 points in six games this season, both of which are the most for either team…Patrik Rybar is 2-0-0 with a 1.00 GAA and a 0.962 save percentage against Manitoba while Harri Sateri is 4-1-0 with a 2.18 GAA and a 0.913 save percentage…Grand Rapids is 23-for-24 (95.8%) on the penalty kill vs. Manitoba…In the last matchup on Feb. 6 at the Van, which also marked the 100th all-time regular season meeting between the former International Hockey League foes, Filip Hronek scored two power play goals at 18:39 and 19:35 of the third period to give Grand Rapids a 2-1 comeback victory…Defenseman Dylan McIlrath hails from Winnipeg…Dominic Turgeon recorded his first career hat trick at Manitoba on Feb. 17, 2018…Axel Holmstrom made his AHL debut at Manitoba on April 4, 2017, and scored his first AHL goal (overtime) at the Moose on April 5, 2017.

Last Game (Wednesday): Wild 7 at Griffins 3 - read the full recap here
After Turner Elson scored 38 seconds in, Iowa notched four unanswered goals...Elson’s tally marked his 18th of the campaign, establishing a new career high...Wade Megan (19) and rookie Chase Pearson (2) also recorded goals...Ryan Donato posted two goals and three assists, the first five-point game by a Griffins opponent since Abbotsford’s Ryan Stone did so on April 8, 2011 (2-3—5)...Grand Rapids outshot Iowa 41-25 in this game and 212-140 in the six-game season series...Grand Rapids’ 23 shots in the third period tied a season high for shots in a period...The Griffins finished the season set vs. Iowa with a 2-2-1-1 record...The last time the Griffins surrendered seven goals on home ice was Oct. 7, 2017 (2-7 vs. Manitoba)…The eight Griffins who were assigned by the Detroit Red Wings on Sunday combined for three assists.

Status Update
The Griffins’ magic number to extend their franchise-record Calder Cup Playoff streak to seven years stands at one point. With Chicago already having clinched the Central Division, Grand Rapids is in sole possession of second place with a 38-25-7-4 record and 87 points, leading Milwaukee by three. The Griffins will look to snap a seven-game winless streak (0-6-1-0) when they host the Manitoba Moose tonight to conclude the home portion of their schedule. Grand Rapids finishes off its regular season at Milwaukee tomorrow.

Playoff Push
The Griffins’ magic number to clinch a playoff berth stands at one point. Grand Rapids can secure both a playoff bid and home-ice advantage for the best-of-five Central Division Semifinals with at least a point tonight. An Iowa loss vs. Chicago tonight will also clinch a playoff spot for the Griffins. Should the Griffins claim their spot, it will extend their franchise-record postseason streak to seven years and mark the 17th time in the franchise’s 23-year history they have qualified for the league’s playoffs (includes IHL). Ben Simon is seeking to become the eighth head coach in franchise history to lead the Griffins to the postseason during his first full season behind the bench, joining Dave Allison (1996-97), Bruce Cassidy (2000-01), Danton Cole (2002-03), Greg Ireland (2005-06) Curt Fraser (2008-09), Jeff Blashill (2012-13) and Todd Nelson (2015-16).

Griffins to Wings
Of the 38 players to play for the Red Wings this season, 27 had spent time in Grand Rapids at some point during their careers. A total of 14 players skated in games for both the Griffins and Red Wings this season.

Friendly Confines
The Griffins are averaging 8,135 fans per game with one home game remaining. Grand Rapids is on track to finish with an increase over last season (7,960 avg.) and post an average of 8,000+ for the fifth time in the last six seasons.

Home Cooking
The Griffins have just one game left at Van Andel Arena in the regular season. Despite a recent five-game winless streak at home (0-4-1-0), Grand Rapids shows a 22-9-3-3 overall mark inside friendly confines and ranks among the league’s home leaders with 22 wins (T9th), 50 points (T6th) and a 0.676 points percentage (T8th). The Griffins have won 20 or more home games for the seventh straight season. Grand Rapids is a +15 in goal differential at home while averaging 3.14 goals and operating at 18.13% on the power play, compared to –12, 2.70 and 10.96% on the road. Chris Terry (14-20—34), Carter Camper (12-19—31) and Matt Puempel (12-15—27) lead the team in scoring at home. Harri Sateri is 13-2-2 at Van Andel Arena with a 2.42 GAA and a 0.909 save percentage while Patrik Rybar is 9-7-4 with a 2.58 GAA and a 0.905 save mark.

(Don’t) Put It In Reverse Terr
Chris Terry became the 96th player in AHL history to amass 500 or more points when he tallied an assist on Turner Elson’s power play goal on March 31. With 29 goals (T10th in AHL) and 61 points (T13th) – both team highs – Terry has reached the 60-point mark for the sixth time in his AHL career.

Sharing the Wealth
Chris Terry (29-32—61), Matt Puempel (24-26—50) and Carter Camper (17-33—50) have all hit the 50-point plateau to mark the third consecutive season the Griffins have boasted at least three players with 50 or more points.

Wade For It
In 33 GP in 2019, Wade Megan leads Grand Rapids with 30 points and 16 goals while placing fourth with 14 assists. He needs one more goal to reach 20 for the second time in his career and become the third Griffin with 20 or more this season.

Page Turner
Sixth-year pro Turner Elson has continued his career year by scoring his 18th goal of the season on Wednesday. Elson has established career highs in goals (previous best was 17), points (39 – previous best was 30) and assists (21 – previous best was 16).

This Date in Griffins History
The Griffins are 4-3-0-0-0 all time when playing on April 12, including a 3-2-0-0-0 mark on home ice.
1997: Michel Picard collects his 100th point of the season with an assist in a 5-3 loss to Cleveland.
2000: A 5-2 win over Michigan gives the Griffins a 10-2 record against the K-Wings, setting a team record for most wins against an opponent in a single season. Grand Rapids finishes 28-8-4 all-time versus Michigan.
2005: Niklas Kronwall is named the winner of the Eddie Shore Award as the AHL’s outstanding defenseman, becoming the first European-born player to earn the honor.
2017: Overcoming a 42-save performance by Tom McCollum in his first game against his longtime team, the Griffins rally for a 2-1 shootout victory over Charlotte that clinches home-ice advantage in the opening round of the Calder Cup Playoffs.

Griffins in General
Grand Rapids needs two wins and three points to reach 40 and 90, respectively, for the seventh consecutive season...The Griffins were the second team in the Western Conference to reach 80 points following a 2-1 shootout win at San Antonio on March 19...Grand Rapids became the first in the West to hit the 70-point plateau after a 4-3 shootout win against Texas on Feb. 22...The Griffins became the fifth team in the league this season to reach 30 victories after a 3-2 overtime win vs. San Antonio on Feb. 16...Grand Rapids achieved 30 Ws or more in its first 53 games for the sixth time in the last seven seasons...The Griffins’ 3-0 win against Milwaukee on Jan. 19 marked the franchise’s 950th all-time regular season victory…Grand Rapids is 965-654-27-58-112 (0.586) in the regular season since 1996-97…Grand Rapids’ 305 regular season wins and 661 points since the 2012-13 campaign are both the second-most in the AHL in that time, trailing only Toronto (317 / 686) and just ahead of Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (303 / 655).

PROMOTIONS

Season Finale presented by Huntington Bank

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

Post-Game Jersey Auction: The Griffins’ Friday night jerseys will be autographed and auctioned off to the public after the game. The jersey auction will take place off the Griffins’ bench in sections 121 and 122.

“Put A Lid On It” Bike Giveaway: Gabriel Flynn, 5, of Wyoming will receive a new bike during the first intermission, courtesy of the Griffins’ “Put A Lid On It” helmet safety program presented by Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital. His name was chosen at random from more than 600 children who visited griffinshockey.com during the past year and made a pledge to always wear their helmets when riding bikes. For more information on the program or to make a helmet pledge, visit griffinshockey.com/putalidonit.

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.

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.

College Night presented by Michigan First Credit Union: College students can 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.

Photo by Mark Newman/Griffins