Griffins Game #56 * Home Game #28 * AHL Game #827

Season Series: 2-1-0-0 Home Series: 1-0-0-0 Road Series: 1-1-0-0
All-Time Series: 52-29-1-5-2 All-Time Home Series: 27-12-1-3-1 All-Time Road Series: 25-17-0-2-1

Griffins vs. Rampage
Fourth of eight meetings overall, second of four at Van Andel Arena…After playing San Antonio three times in their first 55 games, the Griffins’ next three contests and four of the next five will come against the Rampage…The last time Grand Rapids played the same opponent three straight times was Feb. 1-4, 2018 when the Griffins visited Cleveland for three games in four days and took home five out of a possible six points...San Antonio’s 5-4 victory at the AT&T Center in the last tilt on Jan. 5 ended Grand Rapids’ six-game winning streak in the series…Since being swept in all four meetings during the 2015-16 campaign, the Griffins have won 16 of the last 19 and outscored the Rampage 75-42…The Griffins have won the last nine at Van Andel Arena with a +23 scoring advantage (42-19)…Chris Terry (0-4—4 in 3 GP) leads the team in the series followed by three players with three points each…Calvin Pickard, who earned his 100th AHL win on Nov. 20 vs. San Antonio, appeared in 21 games with the Rampage during the 2015-16 season and posted a 9-8-4 record to go along with a 2.75 GAA, a 0.917 save percentage and one shutout…Turner Elson spent the 2016-17 with San Antonio and scored three points (1-2—3) while being limited by injury to 13 games…Zach Nastasiuk was a second-round draft selection, 48th overall, by Detroit in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft and skated in 65 games with the Griffins from 2013-18, tallying 14 points (4-10—14) and four PIM.

Last Time Out (Thursday): Griffins 3 at Wolves 2 - Recap
The Griffins wrapped up their three-game trip through Illinois with a 3-0 mark and evened their road record for the season to 13-13-1-1...Grand Rapids finished 3-1 at Allstate Arena this season, their most wins since collecting four in five games during the 2016-17 series...The Griffins scored three unanswered goals over a 5:51 span in the third period...Tyler Spezia started Grand Rapids’ scoring at 2:53 and has goals in back-to-back games...Kyle Wood netted his first tally as a Griffin in his 27th game...Joe Veleno banked his third game-winning goal of the season...Pat Nagle made his fourth consecutive start to equal his AHL career high set earlier this season...Behind 28 saves, Nagle won his fifth start in a row.

Status Update
The Griffins are on a season-high four-game winning streak and are four games above 0.500 for the first time all year. The last winning streak of four or longer was six and came Nov. 24-Dec. 5, 2018. Grand Rapids sits in third place in the Central Division with 59 points, four ahead of Chicago and Rockford. The Griffins have picked up points in 15 of their last 18 outings overall (12-3-1-2), in 12 of their last 13 divisional battles (10-1-1-1) and in 10 of their last 11 at Van Andel Arena (7-1-1-2). After finishing 3-0 during a three-game tour through Illinois, Grand Rapids returns to Van Andel Arena to host San Antonio tonight and tomorrow.

Net Nagle
Pat Nagle is 5-0 in six February games while posting a 1.46 GAA and a 0.946 save percentage. Among netminders with 300 or more minutes in the month, his GAA leads the league. The former Ferris State Bulldog has won each of his last five starts. He’s also started four straight games, which matches his AHL career best that was set Dec. 21-31, and appeared in the last six. In his last nine games dating to Jan. 17, he has tallied a 7-1 record, a 1.76 GAA and a 0.935 save mark. If Nagle had enough minutes to qualify (about 120 shy), his season 2.00 GAA would tie for third in the AHL.

Movin’ On Up
Over the last 18 games, during which the Griffins have climbed from last place in the division into third, Grand Rapids is outscoring opponents 54-43 and outshooting them 600-515 (+85) while operating at 19.2% on the power play (15-for-78) and 87.7% on the penalty kill (50-for-57). The Griffins have allowed the game’s opening goal 13 times in the last 18. Chris Terry (5-8—13), Taro Hirose (0-12—12), Evgeny Svechnikov (6-4—10) and Michael Rasmussen (3-7—10) are the leading scorers in the stretch. Pat Nagle (7-1, 1.76 GAA, 0.935%) and Calvin Pickard (5-2-1, 2.66 GA, 0.910%, 1 SO) have shared crease duties during the run.

Of Note
Joe Hicketts has five assists in the last seven games and leads the team’s defensemen in scoring...Matt Ford shows four points (2-2—4) in the last three games...Aided by his first Griffins goal on Thursday, Kyle Wood has points in a season-high three straight...Turner Elson missed the last two games due to injury, leaving Dominic Turgeon as the lone Griffin to play in all 55 games this season.

Steady Eddy?
Since Jan. 7, the Red Wings have recalled or assigned a player from or to Grand Rapids 19 times and the Griffins have posted a 12-3-1-2 ledger. From Oct. 4-Jan. 6, the transaction number was 62 and the record was 14-19-2-2. Total this season, there have been 81 transactions from Detroit and the Griffins have used 38 different players, including five goalies.

Russian Influence
Evgeny Svechnikov had his season-high five-game point streak (5-3—8) snapped in Thursday’s win at Chicago. His team-high eight points (5-3—8) in seven February appearances surpasses his outputs from December (2-2—4 in 11 GP) and January (1-2—3 in 10 GP) combined.

Tar-Oh!
Rookie Taro Hirose’s 22 points and 18 assists are both team highs since Dec. 3 – the date of his first assignment by Detroit to GR.

Model Year
Captain Matthew Ford ties for third on the team in scoring. In his 12th year as a pro, Ford has banked 10 or more tallies in seven consecutive campaigns and his three multi-goal outings are his most since producing three during 2015-16 with Bakersfield.

Back Up, Terr
2020 AHL All-Star Classic selection Chris Terry leads the team with 17 points (5-12—17) in 19 GP in the new year. Overall, he places eighth in the AHL in points (47) while pacing the Griffins in goals (18), assists (29), multi-point games (14) and power play goals (9).

February Finish
The Griffins have points in 24 of their last 29 games in the month of February (20-5-2-2, 0.759). That stretch includes points in 15 of 17 appearances at Van Andel Arena (12-2-2-1), including in seven straight (5-0-2-0), and in nine of 12 contests on foreign ice (8-3-0-1).

Give Me a Break
Since joining the AHL in the 2001-02 season, the Griffins post a 307-218-7-21-27 (0.577) combined record in games played after the all-star break. Grand Rapids has tallied a 0.500 mark or better in each of the last nine seasons after the hiatus, including going a combined 137-72-11-12 (0.640) since 2012-13 – the year its current postseason streak began. The Griffins are 6-2-1-0 after the break so far this season.

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 991-678-27-61-116 (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’ 331 regular season wins since the 2012-13 campaign are behind only Toronto’s 343 while the Griffins’ 720 points in that span are third, trailing Providence (724) and Toronto (744).

This Date in Griffins History
2006: The Griffins win 4-0 at Rochester thanks to Joey MacDonald’s 33 saves.
2012: After having played just 11 games for the Red Wings – all on the road – Ty Conklin makes his Griffins debut and his first appearance of the season in front of a friendly crowd, making 22 saves in a 4-2 win over Hamilton at Van Andel Arena.

Presented by Adventure Credit Union

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

‘90s Night presented by Adventure Credit Union: The Griffins will celebrate the decade with music, videos and in-game elements that feature the 1990s.

Fanny Pack Giveaway presented by Adventure Credit Union: The first 2,500 fans will receive a Griffins fanny pack.

Fan-Designed Jersey Auction: After the game, fans can bid on the fan-designed jerseys that will be worn by the Griffins, with proceeds to benefit Grand Valley State University’s Iota Tau Alpha chapter. The jersey auction will take place off the Griffins’ bench in sections 121 and 122. Select players will also be in attendance.

Friends & Family 4-Packs presented by Big E’s Sports Grill: Available for all Saturday games, each pack includes four tickets and $20 in concession cash for a great low price. Visit griffinshockey.com/f4p or call (616) 774-4585 ext. 2. Continuing this season, fans may use their concession cash to purchase healthy choice menu options at the stand located outside of section 126, including low-fat yogurt, apples, oranges, granola bars and smoothies.

Photo at top by Sam Iannamico/Griffins