Griffins Game #47 * Home Game #24 * AHL Game #784

Season Series: 2-4-1-0 Home Series: 2-1-0-0 Road Series: 0-3-1-0
All-Time Series: 41-29-5-5 All-Time Home Series: 22-12-1-4 All-Time Road Series: 19-17-4-1

Stars at Griffins
Eighth of eight meetings overall, fourth of four at Van Andel Arena...Since the 2019-20 season, the Griffins are 11-14-3-2 (.450) against Texas with a minus-20 scoring margin (102-82)...Also since 2019-20, Grand Rapids is 6-6-1-1 (.500) against the Stars at Van Andel Arena and has been outscored 41-39...The Griffins have points in four of the past five home games against Texas (3-1-0-1)…Through 48 games, Texas ranks third in the AHL with an average of 3.50 goals scored, while conceding an average of 3.23 goals (25th in AHL)...Texas is 3-5-1-1 in its last 10 games and 13-11-1-1 on the road this season...The Griffins are 7-0-1-2 in their last 10 and 13-6-3-1 at home...Grand Rapids is on a 13-game point streak overall (9-0-2-2) and an eight-game home point streak (5-0-2-1)...The Stars are on a two-game losing skid...The Stars’ penalty kill unit is tied for 22nd on the circuit at 80.2% and the Griffins come in at T25th (79.4%)...Texas’ power play places second at 22.4%, while the Griffins rank 16th (18.7%)...Joel L’Esperance competed with the Texas Stars from 2017-22 and totaled 136 points (80-56—136) in 183 games...Texas’ Logan Stankoven (24-33—57, 1st) and Mavrik Bourque (17-39—56, 2nd) are the top two scorers in the AHL. Bourque also paces the league in assists, while Stankoven is second in goals.

Last Time Out
Sebastian Cossa picked up his first AHL shutout with a 28-save performance, which propelled the Griffins' point streak to 13 games and pushed them into a second-place spot in the Central Division with a 1-0 victory over the Texas Stars at Van Andel Arena on Wednesday. Cossa, who extended his point streak to seven games (5-0-2), became just the third Griffins rookie to record a shutout over the last nine seasons. The rookie netminder also became the fourth rookie for Grand Rapids to blank a team 1-0, a feat that had not been accomplished in over 11 years. Grand Rapids' 13-game point streak (9-0-2-2) was last matched by a stretch of 13 consecutive wins between Feb. 20-March 19, 2016. The Griffins also extended their home point streak to eight contests, which last occurred during an identical 5-0-2-1 run from Dec. 4, 2021-Jan. 15, 2022.

Roster Shakeup
- Feb. 13—D Jared McIsaac reassigned to HC Ambri-Piotta (Switzerland) from Grand Rapids by Detroit
- Feb. 19—F Matt Luff assigned by Detroit

This Date in Griffins History
2002: A franchise-record nine players light the lamp in a 9-1 annihilation of Utah at Van Andel Arena, marking the Griffins' largest margin of victory ever on home ice.

Sea Bass Fishing
On Wednesday, Sebastian Cossa collected his first AHL shutout with a 28-save performance against the Texas Stars. He became just the third Griffins rookie to record a shutout over the last nine seasons. He is also just the fifth Griffins rookie to win a game 1-0, the first to do it in more than 11 years, and the second to do it in nearly 22 years. Cossa won a team-high four straight games from Jan. 19-Feb. 2 and is currently on a seven-game point streak (6-0-2) from Jan. 19-Feb. 21. The 6-foot-7 goaltender is 8-2-3 in his last 13 outings from Dec. 15-Feb. 21. Since returning from the holiday break on Dec. 27, Cossa has a 7-1-2 ledger with a 1.89 goals against average and a .928 save percentage. The former 15^th overall pick by the Red Wings in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft has allowed more than two goals just three times in his past 10 games. Through 23 contests, Cossa is 11-7-5 with one shutout to go along with a 2.63 goals against average and a .909 save percentage. The 21-year-old ranks sixth among rookie goaltenders in both goals against average and save percentage.

Keep the Good Times Rolling
The Griffins saw their season-high seven-game win streak (Jan. 19-Feb. 9) come to an end on Feb. 9, which was the longest win streak since the team rattled off a 13-game run from Feb. 20-March 19, 2016. However, Grand Rapids is still on a 13-game point streak (9-0-2-2, Jan. 13-Feb. 21), which is the second-longest run in the AHL this season and the team’s longest since Feb. 20-March 19, 2016 (13-0-0-0). Grand Rapids saw its season-best seven-game road winning streak (Dec. 27-Feb. 2) come to an end last Tuesday, which was tied for the longest road winning streak in franchise history (Jan. 29-Feb. 28, 2015 and Oct. 16-Dec. 3, 2004). Grand Rapids’ active nine-game road point streak (8-0-0-1) is the longest since an 11-game run (9-0-1-1) from Jan. 29-March 12, 2015 and the longest in the AHL this season. The Griffins have secured at least a point in 20 of their last 23 contests (15-3-3-2). The Griffins are 14-2-2-2 since Christmas and have a pair of winning streaks of five or more games in the same season for the first time since 2015-16. Grand Rapids has points in 14 of its last 18 games (11-4-2-1) inside Van Andel Arena and has points in 10 of its past 11 road appearances (8-1-1-1). The Griffins’ active eight-game home point streak is the team’s first since an identical 5-0-2-1 stretch from Dec. 4, 2021-Jan. 15, 2022. The Griffins have been solid at home with a 13-6-3-1 mark, outscoring their opponents 69-54. Grand Rapids has started to find a rhythm on the road, earning points in nine straight games to move above the .500 mark away from home (10-9-2-2).

I Need to Rest
The Griffins competed in five straight games that were decided past regulation from Feb. 2-16, which tied a franchise record set from Jan. 19-20, 2009. Last Friday was the first time in Griffins history that they lost on a penalty shot in overtime. The only other time they faced one was against the Monsters on Nov. 7, 2010 when Jordan Pearce stopped Lake Erie’s Brandon Rogers. The Griffins came away with two of the five victories from Feb. 2-16 (2-0-1-2) and are now 4-8 this season in games decided after regulation. As a team, the Griffins are a combined 6-for-25 during a shootout (24%), as Tim Gettinger (2-for-3) paces the team with a 66.7% conversion rate. Sebastian Cossa has stopped 75% (9-for-12) of opponents’ shootout attempts and Michael Hutchinson comes in at 66.7% (8-for-12). The Griffins have an all-time record of 117-126 during a shootout.

Clutch Hutch
Veteran goaltender Michael Hutchinson has been solid for the Griffins this year, posting an 11-8-3 mark with one shutout in 23 games to go along with a 2.79 goals against average and a .897 save percentage. The 33-year-old is on an active five-game point streak from Jan. 13-Feb. 17 (3-0-2) and has a .903 save percentage and a 2.52 goals against average during the run. Since returning from the holiday break on Dec. 27, Hutchinson has accumulated a 6-1-2 record with a .865 save percentage and a 2.55 goals against average. The Barrie, Ontario, native has an all-time AHL record of 117-79-23 with a 2.60 goals against average and a .915 save percentage. Hutchinson has also appeared in 154 NHL contests, showing a 2.94 goals against average and a .902 save percentage.

Wall-E
Rookie defenseman William Wallinder enjoyed a season-high three-game assist streak (0-3—3) from Feb. 13-17. Through 44 games, the Solleftea, Sweden, native has 11 points (3-8—11), eight penalty minutes and a plus-four rating. Wallinder’s three goals are tied for 12^th among first-year defensemen in the AHL. The 21-year-old was selected with the 32nd overall pick by the Detroit Red Wings in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft. Last season with Rogle BK (SHL), Wallinder paced the Champions Hockey League defensemen with seven assists and in 2021-22 was named the Swedish Junior Hockey Player of the Year in addition to claiming a bronze medal at the World Junior Championship.

Lock it Down
The Griffins’ defense has been much improved since the holiday break, allowing an average of 2.30 goals per game from Dec. 27-Feb. 21. Prior to the holiday break, Grand Rapids allowed 3.31 goals per game from Oct. 13-Dec. 20. The Griffins have allowed a total of 132 goals through 46 games this season, which ranks second in the Central Division and tied for fifth in the AHL. Grand Rapids is also tied for ninth on the circuit with 2.87 goals against per game, which is second in the division trailing only Milwaukee (2.33). Netminders Sebastian Cossa (2.63) and Michael Hutchinson (2.79) each possess a goals against average below 3.00. Defensemen Wyatt Newpower (+9), Albert Johansson (+8), Simon Edvinsson (+5), William Wallinder (+4), Antti Tuomisto (+2) and Brogan Rafferty (+2) all have a positive plus-minus rating.

Johnny Bravo
Jonatan Berggren enjoyed a four-game point streak (3-1—4) from Feb. 9-16 and has 14 points (8-6—14) in his last 13 games from Jan. 13-Feb. 21. Berggren also has 20 points (9-11—20) in his last 18 outings and 23 points (11-12—23) in his last 21 contests from Dec. 15-Feb. 21. The 23-year-old leads the roster in points (16-22—38), assists (22) and goals (16) through 37 appearances this season. The Enkoping, Sweden, product became the seventh-fastest player to reach 100 points as a Griffin, doing so in just his 106th game on Jan. 26 against Belleville. Berggren has a combined 109 points (41-68—109) in 114 career AHL appearances from 2021-24, collecting an assist during his 100th game as a Griffin on Jan. 10 against Milwaukee. During his rookie season with the Griffins in 2021-22, Berggren broke Grand Rapids’ rookie single-season scoring record with 64 points (21-43—64) in 70 games, five more points than the previous record held by Teemu Pulkkinen (2013-14). The prospect has appeared in 76 games with the Red Wings throughout two seasons and has 33 points (17-16—33), including five points (2-3—5) in nine contests this campaign. Berggren participated in the 2024 AHL All-Star Classic presented by Tech CU.

Oh, It’s You Again
The Griffins are in second place in the Central Division with a 23-15-5-3 record and 54 points, 15 points clear of a playoff spot. In the final 26 games of the regular season, Grand Rapids will compete against the Central Division 23 times, with its only games outside of the division coming against Cleveland (3). The Griffins have done well against their division rivals, as they are 17-9-2-1 (.638) with a plus-13 scoring margin against the Central Division. Grand Rapids is undefeated this season against Chicago (3-0-0-0) and Iowa (2-0-0-0), while it has collected just two wins against Texas (2-4-1-0) and Milwaukee (2-2-0-0). Iowa will be the Griffins’ most frequent opponents down the stretch, as there are still six meetings against the franchise. Grand Rapids will also see a lot of Chicago (5) and Rockford (5) as the season progresses.

Under Three is Key
Unsurprisingly, the Griffins have done well in games where they have scored four or more goals, going 16-1-1-0 (.917). Although, when scoring three goals or less the team is just 7-14-4-3 (.375). Grand Rapids has surpassed the four-goal mark in 10 of its last 23 outings. On the flip side, Grand Rapids is just 6-12-5-3 (.385) when allowing at least three goals, compared to a 17-3-0-0 mark (.850) when allowing two goals or less. In their last 23 appearances, the Griffins have allowed three or more goals 12 times.

AHL Leaderboard Tracker
Sebastian Cossa—2.63 GAA places sixth among rookie netminders, .909 save percentage ranks sixth among rookie goaltenders
Simon Edvinsson—Two power-play goals are tied for 14th among defensemen, two game-winners are tied for sixth among defensemen
Carter Mazur—Two game-winners are tied for 14th among rookies, five power-play goals are tied for ninth among rookies
Antti Tuomisto—Four goals are tied for seventh among rookie defensemen, one power-play goal is tied for sixth among rookie defensemen, two game-winners are tied for first among rookie defensemen
William Wallinder—Three goals are tied for 12th among rookie defensemen

Milestones
Zach Aston-Reese competed in his 100th game in the AHL last Friday. Jonatan Berggren recorded his 200^th point as a pro on Feb. 10 against Manitoba, while Simon Edvinsson registered his 50^th point as a Griffin.
Taro Hirose—Three goals from 50 as a Griffin
Matt Luff—Two games from 200 in the AHL
Dominik Shine—One game from 400 as a Griffin
Tyler Spezia—One assist from 50 as a Griffin

Photo by Nicolas Carrillo/Griffins