Griffins Game #35 * Home Game #16 * AHL Game #529

Season Series: 2-1-0-0 Home Series: 2-1-0-0 Road Series: 0-0-0-0
All-Time Series: 77-45-1-1-10 All-Time Home Series: 42-20-1-1-7 All-Time Road Series: 35-25-0-0-3

Moose at Griffins
Fourth of eight meetings overall, fourth of four at Van Andel Arena…Since the Moose rejoined the AHL in 2015-16, Grand Rapids is 33-21-0-3 (.605) against them, including a 19-10-0-2 (.645) ledger at Van Andel Arena...The Griffins are 12-12-0-3 (.500) overall against Manitoba since the 2020-21 season with a minus-11 scoring margin (76-65)...At home since 2019-20, Grand Rapids is 7-6-0-2 (.533) against the Moose with a minus-five scoring margin (38-33)...Eight of the last 11 meetings have been decided by just one goal, including all three games this season...The Moose are 4-5-1-0 in their last 10 games, 7-9-1-0 on the road this season, on a season-high four-game point streak (3-0-1-0)...The Griffins are 5-3-2-0 in their last 10 outings and 9-5-1-0 at home...This is the 135th meeting between the two teams, which is the fifth-most encounters by any Grand Rapids opponent...Manitoba ranks second-to-last in goals scored per game at 2.32 and third-to-last in goals against per game (3.71)...The Griffins are tied for 21st with 2.88 goals per game and tied for first with 2.47 goals against per outing...The Griffins rank second-to-last with 25.4 shot per game while the Moose place 28th at 26.6...Grand Rapids ranks 16th with 28.8 shots allowed and Manitoba sits at 17th with 29.1...Manitoba’s Mark Liwiski is tied for 12th among skaters and third among rookies with 63 penalty minutes. Parker Ford is tied for fourth in short-handed goals with two...Former Griffin Drew MacIntyre (2004-06) returns to Grand Rapids as Manitoba’s goaltending coach. MacIntyre was a member of the Griffins’ 2005-06 squad that won the AHL’s regular-season championship, and he remains as Grand Rapids’ career playoff leader in GAA (1.62) and save percentage (.940). 

Last Time Out
A back-and-forth outing saw the Griffins drop the opening contest of their five-game homestand at Van Andel Arena against the Manitoba Moose 3-2 on Friday. Elmer Soderblom tallied two points in the campaign (1-1—2), while marking his 50th point in the AHL and as a Griffin. Gabriel Seger also posted his second multi-point game of the season (1-1—2), securing his sixth goal. Goaltender Sebastian Cossa manned the net for Grand Rapids and saved 26 shots. Eight of the last 11 meetings between Grand Rapids and Manitoba have been decided by one goal, including all three matchups this year. Antti Tuomisto skated in his 150th contest as a professional. 

This Date in Griffins History
2014: With a 4-1 victory over Iowa, the Western Conference-leading Griffins complete the first half of their regular season slate with a 25-10-1-2 record, marking the team’s second-most wins and points ever through 38 games.   

The Ups and Downs
The Griffins returned from the holiday break with a 3-0-0-0 record in their first three games but have since gone on to drop their last two outings. The defense has been solid once again, allowing just 1.40 goals since the break. However, the offense has averaged just 1.33 goals per game in its last three contests. On Jan. 2, the Griffins claimed a 1-0 shootout victory over Cleveland behind 31 saves by Ville Husso. This marked the Griffins’ second 1-0 shootout victory on the road in franchise history and the first in more than a quarter-century (April 18, 1999). Grand Rapids remains in first place in the Central Division, second in the Western Conference, and tied for sixth in the AHL with a 20-11-3-0 record and 43 points through 34 games. Grand Rapids has fared well against its division rivals with a 12-9-2-0 mark and has remained the top team in the division since Nov. 8. 

Home Sweet Home 
Last Saturday, the Griffins finished a stretch of games that saw them play nine of 12 contests on the road from Dec. 7-Jan. 4 and showed a 6-4-2-0 record. Grand Rapids is now in a season-high five-game homestand and in a stretch that will see it play eight of its next 10 games inside Van Andel Arena, which began last night. The Griffins are 9-5-1-0 at home this season but have won just one of their last five home outings (1-3-1-0). Under head coach Dan Watson, Grand Rapids is 32-12-5-2 (.696) inside Van Andel Arena.

Written In The Stars
Goaltender Sebastian Cossa, forward Austin Watson, and head coach Dan Watson will represent the Griffins at this year’s AHL All-Star Classic to be held Feb. 2-3 at Acrisure Arena in Palm Desert, California. Cossa, who is in his second full season with the Griffins, will make his first appearance in the AHL All-Star Classic and the first for a Griffins goalie since Petr Mrazek in 2013. The 15th overall pick by the Detroit Red Wings in 2021 ranks among the AHL’s leaders in minutes played (1,178:10, 7th), games played (20, T7th), GAA (2.34, 12th), wins (10, T8th), and save percentage (.917, T12th). Austin Watson, a 13-year veteran, will also make his first AHL All-Star Classic appearance. The Ann Arbor, Michigan, native is tied for first on the roster with 25 points (9-16—25) in 32 games, while also tying for the team lead in assists (16) and power-play goals (4). Dan Watson is the first Griffins coach to achieve an all-star honor since Todd Nelson in 2017 and the fourth head coach in franchise history to coach in an all-star game, joining Nelson, Jeff Blashill (2014), and Bruce Cassidy (2002 AHL, 2001 IHL). This will mark Watson’s third career all-star appearance, as he was chosen to coach in the ECHL All-Star Game in both 2017 and 2022 while with the Toledo Walleye. 

Shine Bright
Veteran Dominik Shine is tied for first on the roster in points (10-15—25) and third in assists (15) and goals (10) in 34 games. Shine collected his sixth multi-point game of the season on Dec. 7 at Chicago (0-2—2), which tied for his career-high mark set in 2021-22, and now has six points (4-2—6) in his last nine contests. Last year, Shine posted career-high numbers in assists (23), points (33) and plus-minus rating (+8) and is on pace to reach 53 points (21-32—53) this season. The Detroit native has spent his entire career with Grand Rapids since 2016-17 and has accumulated 163 points (71-92—163) and 511 penalty minutes in 456 appearances. In the Griffins’ all-time rankings, Shine places third in games played, sixth in penalty minutes, tied for 10th in overtime goals (2), and tied for first in unassisted goals (10). 

Rollercoaster Ride
The Griffins ranked 29th in the AHL through the first 10 games with 2.20 goals per contest before showing 4.10 goals per game from Nov. 7-Dec. 1 and going 8-2-0-0 during the run. The Griffins then averaged just 2.33 goals per game from Dec. 6-22 and went 3-4-2-0 in those contests. Grand Rapids has now potted 14 goals across five games (2.80) since Dec. 28 with a 3-2-0-0 record. The Griffins are tied for 21st on the circuit with 2.88 goals per outing, while tying for first in goals against per game (2.47). When scoring at least three goals this season, Grand Rapids is 16-0-0-0 compared to 4-11-3-0 when scoring fewer than three goals. 

Austin Powers
Veteran Austin Watson enjoyed a team-high four-game point streak from Dec. 1-8 (2-2—4) and has secured a point in 11 of the past 17 games (7-7—14). Watson is tied for first on the roster with 25 points (9-16—25) in 32 games and tied for the team lead in assists (16) and power-play goals (4). 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 157 points (82-75—157) in 266 outings, as he had spent his entire AHL career with Milwaukee before this season. 

Lock It Down 
Despite allowing 2.92 goals per game in the month of December, the Griffins remain one of the top defensive teams in the AHL, as they are tied for first with 2.47 goals against per game and have allowed on average just 1.40 in their past five games. Dating back to last season, Grand Rapids has allowed just 40 goals in its last 18 regular-season games at Van Andel Arena (2.22 GA per game). Also dating back to last season, the Griffins have allowed 54 goals in their last 21 regular-season road games (2.57 GA per game). 

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 10-7-3 mark with a 2.34 GAA and a .917 save percentage in 20 games. Cossa ranks among the AHL leaders in minutes played (1,178:10, 7th), games played (20, T7th), GAA (12th), wins (T8th), and save percentage (T12th). 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 made his Griffins debut on Dec. 6 against the Chicago Wolves and later bagged his first win as a Griffin on Dec. 17 at Texas behind 20 saves in a 4-2 decision. Through four games with Grand Rapids, Campbell is 2-2-0 with a 2.02 goals-against average and a .924 save percentage. Campbell has 442 pro games under his belt with a 2.67 GAA and 231 wins since 2011-12, splitting time between the NHL (176 GP), AHL (239 GP) and ECHL (27 GP). Ville Husso has a 6-1-0 ledger with two shutouts to go along with a 1.86 goals-against average and a .935 save percentage in eight appearances with the Griffins this season. Through nine career games with Grand Rapids, Husso has a 7-1-0 record with three shutouts, a 1.64 goals-against average, and a .942 save percentage. The 29-year-old posted a 1-0 shootout win on Jan. 2 at Cleveland, which marked the Griffins' second 1-0 shootout victory on the road in franchise history and their first in more than a quarter-century (April 18, 1999, Neil Little at Detroit). Husso has seen action in 418 pro games with a 172-122-58 ledger and a 2.69 goals-against average, which includes a 57-55-20 mark in the AHL with a 2.63 goals-against average. Husso was recalled by Detroit on Wednesday.

Battle For Power
The Griffins have converted on three of their last 16 power-play opportunities (18.8%) during their last six games. Grand Rapids had its best run when it scored a power-play goal in five straight games from Nov. 24-Dec. 6 (5-for-15, 33.3%). The power play is tied for 15th on the circuit at 17.1% (20-for-117). If you break it down further, Grand Rapids’ home power play is 8-for-44 (18.2%, 16th) and its road power play is 12-for-73 (16.4%, T18th). The Griffins have also given up five short-handed goals, which is tied for the seventh-most. The Griffins’ penalty kill has gone 19-for-24 (79.2%) in their last six games and, overall, ranks seventh in the AHL at 85.6%. Grand Rapids scored its fifth short-handed tally last Saturday at Milwaukee, which is tied for fourth on the circuit. Grand Rapids has surrendered a power-play goal in nine of its last 14 outings (42-for-53 on PK, 79.2%). When scoring on the power play, the Griffins are 11-4-2-0 and 5-8-1-0 when they allow a power-play goal. 

Pucks On Net 
The Griffins outshot their opponent just three times in the first 21 contests (14.3%) but have since outshot their opponent five times in the last 13 games (38.5%). Grand Rapids has held a shot advantage in two straight games from Jan. 2-4, a feat its only done three times this season (Dec. 7-8; Nov. 24-29). The Griffins average 25.4 shots per game, which ranks second-to-last in the AHL. Grand Rapids has been held to under 20 shots six times and has exceeded 30 shots eight times. On the flip side, the Griffins’ opponents average 28.8 shots per game (16th in AHL) and have been held to under 30 shots 16 times. The third period has given the Griffins the most problems, as they are being outshot 298-245 compared to being outshot 326-304 in the second and 333-296 in the first. However, Grand Rapids has a 12-6-2-0 ledger when recording 20-29 shots and an 11-5-2-0 mark when allowing 30-39 shots. 

AHL Leaderboard Tracker
Shai Buium—Tied for seventh among rookie defensemen in assists (11), sixth among rookie defensemen in plus-minus rating (+7)
Sebastian Cossa—Seventh in minutes played (1,178:10), tied for seventh in games played (20), 12th in GAA (2.34), tied for eighth in wins (10), and tied for 12th in save percentage (.917)
Nate Danielson—Tied for second in short-handed assists (2), tied for first among rookies in short-handed assists (2), tied for fourth among rookies in assists (16), tied for ninth among rookies in power-play assists (6)
Josiah Didier—Tied for 14th among defensemen in plus-minus rating (+11)
Alex Doucet—Tied for fourth in short-handed goals (2), tied for first among rookies in short-handed goals (2)
x William Lagesson—Tied for 11th in plus-minus rating (+13), ninth among defensemen in plus-minus rating (+13)
Amadeus Lombardi—Tied for fifth in game-winners (4)
Austin Watson—First in major penalties (8) 

Milestones
Last night, Elmer Soderblom collected his 50th point as a Griffin during a two-point outing (1-1—2) and Antti Tuomisto skated in his 150th pro game.
Sheldon Dries—Three assists from 100 in the AHL, two points from 250 as a pro 
Dominik Shine—One unassisted goal from claiming the franchise record of 11 in a career
Joe Snively—Four points from 200 in the AHL
Elmer Soderblom—One assist from 50 as a pro

Photo by Nicolas Carrillo/Griffins