Griffins Game #29 * Home Game #13 * AHL Game #424

Season Series: 1-0-1-0 Home Series: 0-0-0-0 Road Series: 1-0-1-0
All-Time Series: 43-29-6-5 All-Time Home Series: 23-12-1-4 All-Time Road Series: 20-17-5-1

Stars at Griffins
Third of eight meetings overall, first of four at Van Andel Arena...In the last five seasons since the 2020-21, the Griffins are 11-11-3-1 (.500) against Texas with a minus-11 scoring margin (84-73)...Also since 2020-21, Grand Rapids is 5-6-0-1 (.538) against the Stars at Van Andel Arena and has been outscored 33-29...The Griffins have points in five of the last six games against the Stars in Grand Rapids (4-1-0-1)…Texas is the fourth-highest scoring team in the AHL with 3.58 goals scored per game, while conceding the seventh-most at 3.46 goals...Texas ranks 12th in shots per game (30.4) and the Griffins rank last at 24.6...Texas is 5-4-1-0 in its last 10 games and 7-4-1-0 on the road this season...The Griffins are 4-5-1-0 in their last 10 and 8-4-0-0 at home...The Stars have three wins in their last eight games (3-4-1-0) and Grand Rapids has two wins in its last six outings (2-3-1-0)...The Stars’ penalty kill unit ranks 22nd at 79.8% and the Griffins come in at second (87.5%)...Texas’ power play places 11th at 19.4% while the Griffins rank 19th (17.2%)...Jack Campbell competed with the Texas Stars from 2011-16, making his pro debut on March 23, 2012 at Oklahoma City (1-3 L, 32 saves). He then made his NHL debut with the Dallas Stars on Oct. 20, 2013 at Anaheim (3-6 L, 41 saves). With the Texas Stars, Campbell showed a 56-43-15 record during the regular season with a 2.79 GAA and a .908 save percentage. Campbell became a Calder Cup champion with the Stars in 2014, contributing with a 2-1 record, a 2.54 GAA and a .917 save percentage in four games...Sheldon Dries made his pro debut with the Stars on Oct. 6, 2017 at Chicago and totaled 30 points (19-11—30) in 70 games during his rookie season with the club...Cross Hanas is a native of Highland Village, Texas and played for the Dallas Stars Elite in the T1EHL from 2015-18 at the U13, U14 and U16 levels before joining the WHL...Texas’ Antonio Stranges is tied for seventh in the AHL with 27 points (11-16—27), Justin Hryckowian is tied for second among rookies with 24 points (10-14—24), and Kyle Capobianco ranks fourth among defensemen with 21 points (2-19—21). 

Last Time Out
In their return home from a season-high six-game road trip, the Griffins suffered a 6-1 loss to the Milwaukee Admirals behind a hat trick from Vinnie Hinostroza on Friday at Van Andel Arena. Joe Snively secured the lone tally for the Griffins, scoring his 10th goal of the season, while William Wallinder and Dominik Shine were credited with the assists. Following his stint with the Detroit Red Wings, Ville Husso returned to the crease for Grand Rapids. Despite the loss, Husso sports a 4-1-0 record with the Griffins this year. The five-goal loss was the Griffins’ largest margin of defeat this season. Their last five-goal loss (or more) at home occurred on May 12, 2021, against Chicago, as Grand Rapids fell 7-0 in front of a “capacity” crowd of 750 at Van Andel Arena, during the shortened 2021 COVID season. The most recent five-goal loss occurred on April 14, 2024 in a 2-7 game at Chicago. 

This Date in Griffins History
2010: Ilari Filppula notches his second goal of the third period with just 2:54 left to lift the Griffins to a 4-3 victory over Toronto. The game marks the first time ever that brothers Brian Lashoff of the Griffins and Matt Lashoff of the Marlies play against each other in organized competition. 

Keep It Steady  
Despite dropping six of their past 10 games (4-5-1-0), the Griffins still rank first in the Central Division, second in the Western Conference, and tied for fourth in the AHL with a 17-9-2-0 record and 36 points through 28 games. This marks the first time that Grand Rapids has been atop the division in December or later since the 2018-19 season, when it held a share of first place as late as March 8. When Dec. 16 dawned last season, the Griffins stood fourth place in the division with a 9-12-2-1 record. The Griffins have won with defense, as they have allowed two goals or less in 15 of the 28 contests and have scored an average of 2.93 goals per game (T20th). 

Young Sheldon
Veteran Sheldon Dries has scored a goal in the five of the last seven games and has nine points (6-3—9) in his last 10 outings. The Macomb, Michigan, native is first on the roster with 12 goals in 25 games and is on pace for his second 30-plus goal campaign (35 in 2021-22). Dries is no stranger to West Michigan, as he spent four seasons at Western Michigan University from 2013-17 and totaled 84 points (44-40—84) in 148 contests, serving as captain for three campaigns. The 30-year-old has competed in 421 pro games with 246 points (141-105—246) and 220 points (125-95—220) in 299 AHL appearances. 

Road Trip 
The Griffins concluded their season-high six-game road trip on Wednesday at the Texas Stars and finished the stretch of games with a 3-2-1-0 mark. Grand Rapids is in the midst of a stretch that will see it play nine of 12 games on the road, which began on Dec. 7 at Chicago and will end on Jan. 4 at Milwaukee. The Griffins are 9-5-2-0 (.625) in foreign territory this campaign with 20 points, which ranks fourth in the AHL on the road. Through the first 16 road games last season, Grand Rapids sported a 4-9-2-1 record (.344). 

Austin Powers 
Veteran Austin Watson enjoyed a team-high four-game point streak from Dec. 1-8 (2-2—4), which was three games short of his career best in the AH. Watson has secured a point in nine of the past 12 games (7-3—10) and is tied for first on the roster with 21 points (9-12—21) in 27 games. 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 153 points (82-71—153) in 261 outings, as he had spent his entire AHL career with Milwaukee before this season. 

Battle for Power
The Griffins scored a power-play goal in five straight games from Nov. 24-Dec. 6 (5-for-15, 33.3%) but have now converted on four of their past 31 man-advantages (12.9%). The power play ranks 18th on the circuit at 17.2% (17-for-99). If you break it down further, Grand Rapids’ home power play is 7-for-35 (20.0%, T12th) and its road power play is 10-for-64 (15.6%, 21st). The Griffins’ penalty kill ranks second in the AHL at 87.5% and their four short-handed goals are tied for fifth. Grand Rapids has surrendered a power-play goal in five of its last eight outings (25-for-31 on PK, 80.6%).   

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 10-5-2 mark with a 2.28 GAA and a .920 save percentage in 17 games. Cossa ranks among the AHL leaders in minutes played (1,001:48, 4th), GAA (10th) wins (T4th), and save percentage (9th). 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 was assigned to Grand Rapids on Nov. 18 and made his Griffins debut on Dec. 6 against the Chicago Wolves. He later bagged his first win as a Griffin on Dec. 17 at Texas behind 20 saves in a 4-2 victory. Through three games with Grand Rapids, Campbell has a 2.37 goals-against average and a .917 save percentage. Campbell has 441 pro games under his belt with a 2.67 GAA and 230 wins since 2011-12, splitting time between the NHL (176 GP), AHL (238 GP) and ECHL (27 GP). Campbell competed with the Texas Stars from 2011-16, making his pro debut on March 23, 2012 at Oklahoma City (1-3 L, 32 saves). He then made his NHL debut with the Dallas Stars on Oct. 20, 2013 at Anaheim (3-6 L, 41 saves). With Texas, Campbell showed a 56-43-15 record during the regular season with a 2.79 GAA and a .908 save percentage. Campbell became a Calder Cup champion with the Stars in 2014, contributing with a 2-1 record, a 2.54 GAA and a .917 save percentage in four games. Ville Husso was reassigned to the Griffins by Detroit on Thursday. Husso has a 4-1-0 ledger with one shutout to go along with a 2.39 goals-against average and a .914 save percentage in six appearances. Through seven career games with Grand Rapids, Husso has a 5-1-0 record with two shutouts, and a 2.02 goals-against average. 

He Shoots, He Scores
Through the first 10 games of the season, the Griffins scored more than two goals just three times and averaged 2.20 goals per game, which ranked 29th in the AHL as of Nov. 4. Since then, Grand Rapids has scored at least four goals in nine of the last 18 contests, averaging 3.33 goals per game. However, the Griffins have struggled to find the back of the net as of late, with 2.38 goals per game in their last eight outings. The Griffins are tied for 20th on the circuit with 2.93 goals per outing while tying for fifth in goals against per game (2.64). When scoring at least three goals this season, Grand Rapids is 14-0-0-0 compared to 3-9-2-0 when scoring fewer than three goals. 

No Ordinary Joe
Newcomer Joe Snively enjoyed a team-high four-game goal streak from Nov. 13-22 and has 14 points (8-6—14) in his last 16 outings. Snively is tied for first on the roster in points (10-11—21) and second in goals (10) through 28 appearances. The Herndon, Virginia, native has won the last two Calder Cups with the Hershey Bears and showed a combined 33 points (6-27—33) in 40 games during the postseason with a 28-12 record in the past two playoffs. Snively also aided Hershey to a regular-season title last year with a 53-14-0-5 mark (111 pts., .771), the second-best regular-season record in AHL history and the most wins by an AHL team in a 72-game season. The 28-year-old is in search of his third straight Calder Cup, as only 11 players in league history have won three consecutive cups in the AHL and no one has achieved this feat since the 1978 season. 

Damn Daniel, Back At It Again 
Rookie Nate Danielson, selected ninth overall by Detroit in 2023, had just two points (1-1—2) in his first eight games as a pro. However, he enjoyed a team-high four-game point streak (1-4—5) from Nov. 24-Dec. 1 and has 12 points (2-10—12) in his last 16 contests. His 13 assists in 28 games are tied for seventh among rookies while his 16 points are tied for 17th among first-year players. Danielson is also tied for fourth on the roster in points and second in assists. The 20-year-old made his pro debut with Grand Rapids on May 20 at Milwaukee during the Calder Cup Playoffs and finished the postseason with two appearances. Prior to turning pro, Danielson spent four campaigns in the WHL from 2020-24 and amassed 217 points (83-134—217) in 199 regular-season games. 

Let’s Show Some Love to the Defense
The Griffins are tied for fifth in the AHL with 2.64 goals allowed per game, as the 74 goals surrendered are tied for 10th in the AHL. Dating back to last season, Grand Rapids has allowed just 33 goals in its last 15 regular-season games at Van Andel Arena (2.20 GA per game). Also dating back to last season, the Griffins have allowed 50 goals in their last 18 regular-season road games (2.78 GA per game). 

If You Ain’t First, You’re Last
Starting the game off on the right foot has been imperative for the Griffins early this season. Grand Rapids is 11-1-1-0 when scoring the game’s first goal and 14-2-1-0 when either tied or leading after the first period. The Griffins have scored the first goal 13 times, tied for the 16th-most in the AHL, and their 11 wins while scoring the first tally are tied for sixth on the circuit. When the Griffins allow the first goal they are 6-8-1-0, and 3-8-0-0 when trailing after two periods. 

Shoot Your Shot
The Griffins have outshot their opponent just six times in the first 28 contests, with three of those six coming against Chicago. The Griffins average 24.6 shots per game, which ranks last in the AHL. Grand Rapids has been held to under 20 shots six times and has exceeded 30 shots six times. On the flip side, the Griffins’ opponents average 29.1 shots per game (17th in AHL) and have been held to under 30 shots 13 times. The third period has given the Griffins the most problems, as they are being outshot 258-193 compared to being outshot 256-251 in the second and 276-230 in the first. However, Grand Rapids has a 11-4-1-0 ledger when recording 20-29 shots and a 9-5-1-0 mark when allowing 30-39 shots. 

AHL Leaderboard Tracker
Shai Buium—Tied for 15th among rookie defensemen in plus-minus rating (+4), tied for 12th among rookie defensemen in assists (8)
Sebastian Cossa—Fourth in minutes played (1,001:48), tied for fifth in games played (16), 10th in GAA (2.28), tied for fourth in wins (10), and ninth in save percentage (.920)
Nate Danielson—Tied for second in short-handed assists (2), tied for first among rookies in short-handed assists (2), tied for seventh among rookies in assists (13)
Alex Doucet—Tied for third in short-handed goals (2), tied for first among rookies in short-handed goals (2)
x-William Lagesson—Tied for 13th among defensemen in plus-minus rating (+10), tied for fourth among defensemen in short-handed assists (1)
Amadeus Lombardi—Tied for second in game-winners (4)
Austin Watson—Tied for first in major penalties (6) 

Milestones 
On Tuesday, Tim Gettinger skated in his 300th game in the AHL. Last Saturday, Elmer Soderblom registered his 100th point as a pro with an assist at Colorado and Austin Watson collected his 150th AHL point with a goal. 
Alex Doucet—One point from 50 as a pro
Sheldon Dries—One game from 300 in the AHL, five assists from 100 in the AHL

Photo by Logan Foust/Texas Stars