Griffins Game #49 * Home Game #25 * AHL Game #736

Season Series: 1-2-0-1 Home Series: 1-0-0-0 Road Series: 0-2-0-1
All-Time Series: 31-17-2-4 All-Time Home Series: 17-6-0-3 All-Time Road Series: 14-11-2-1

Griffins vs. Stars
Fifth of eight meetings overall, second of four at Van Andel Arena…The home team has won all four matchups this season...Grand Rapids has points in seven of the last 10 meetings overall (6-3-0-1)…The Griffins have points in six of the last seven matchups at Van Andel Arena (5-1-0-1), including wins in each of the last four…In Texas’ first visit of the season to Van Andel Arena on Oct. 26, Grand Rapids rallied for a 6-4 win after falling behind 3-0 at the 16:56 mark of the opening period…Joe Hicketts (0-4—4 in 4 GP) leads the team in the season series…Jake Oettinger has stopped all 61 shots he’s faced against the Griffins in two games…The Griffins and Stars are facing off for the 11th consecutive season and Grand Rapids has finished with a 0.500 record or better in season series nine times, including eight consecutive years.

Last Time Out (Wednesday): Griffins 2 at Admirals 1 - Recap
Grand Rapids has won the last three meetings, which have all come at Panther Arena and been one-goal margins...Four of Milwaukee’s nine regulation losses have come against the Griffins...Troy Grosenick had allowed just one goal in a 160:09 span against the Griffins this season before Chase Pearson and Joe Veleno scored 2:35 apart in the opening period...Veleno netted his second game-winning goal of the campaign, which ties for second on the team...Eric Tangradi returned to the lineup after missing the previous 10 games due to injury...Calvin Pickard stopped 29 shots to pick up his 15th win on the year...Since the Admirals moved to Panther Arena at the beginning of the 2016-17 season, the Griffins are 15-5 at Milwaukee in the regular season.

Status Update
The Griffins have points in nine of their last 11 games (7-2-0-2) and have moved into a tie for fourth place in the Central Division with a 21-21-2-4 (48 points) overall record. Grand Rapids hosts Texas, the team it is tied with in the standings, for a two-game weekend set beginning tonight. The Griffins have points in seven of their last eight outings at Van Andel Arena (5-1-0-2).

Adding to the List
Taro Hirose and Gustav Lindstrom became the 183rd and 184th Griffins alumni, respectively, to play in the NHL when they suited up for Detroit on Thursday in the team’s 4-3 shootout win at Buffalo. Hirose was making his return to the Red Wings’ lineup after he opened the campaign on Detroit’s roster. In his NHL debut, Lindstrom logged 12:07 of ice time and recorded two penalty minutes. Lindstrom also became the 102nd player in Griffins history to make his NHL debut after playing for Grand Rapids. Both players skated in the Red Wings’ loss last night at Columbus.

Picks and Pucks
Calvin Pickard has won five of his last six starts, posting a 1.67 GAA, a 0.941 save percentage (160 of 170) and one shutout in that stretch. Since Jan. 8, Pickard’s 1.67 GAA is second in the league among netminders with 360 or more minutes.

Terrific Turg
One of only two Griffins (Turner Elson) to play in every game this season, Dominic Turgeon ranks third on the team in goals (10) while tying for third in points (20). He has already matched his scoring output from last season when he suited up 72 times.

Lights Out
Over the last 11 games, Grand Rapids’ penalty kill has gone 27-for-31 (87.1%) and the Griffins have scored three shorthanded tallies (Dominic Turgeon 2, Chase Pearson 1). In the last 27 contests, the Griffins have killed 82 of 92 penalties (89.1%).

Net Nagle
Pat Nagle has won three of his last five starts, showing a 2.20 GAA and stopping 123 of 134 shots in that stretch (0.918). His 2.32 season GAA ranks ninth among AHL netminders with more than 550 minutes.

Back Up, Terr
2020 AHL All-Star Classic selection Chris Terry leads the team with 12 points (4-8—12) in 14 GP in the new year. Overall, he ties for eighth in the AHL in points (42) while pacing the Griffins in goals (17), assists (25), multi-point games (13) and power play goals (9).

Give Me a Break
Since joining the AHL in the 2001-02 season, the Griffins post a 302-217-7-20-27 (0.574) 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 132-71-10-12 (0.636) since 2012-13 – the year its current postseason streak began.

Rotating Roster
Five different goaltenders have logged minutes for Grand Rapids this season, the team’s most since five suited up during the 2014-15 campaign (Pat Nagle, Jonas Gustavsson, Petr Mrazek, Jared Coreau, Tom McCollum). Including those five goalies, the Griffins have used 38 players already this season. Here is how the current usage stacks up to the final player counts in recent seasons: 2018-19 – 41 players, 2017-18 – 32, 2016-17 – 39, 2015-16 – 37 and 2014-15 – 39. Since the AHL’s season began on Oct. 4, the Red Wings have recalled or assigned a player from or to Grand Rapids a total of 76 times.

This Date in Griffins History
2002: A 3-1 loss to Utah gives GR its first three-game losing skid in a calendar year, when the Griffins lost four straight from Feb. 2-9, 2001.
2004: The Griffins host the AHL All-Star Skills Competition, the first event of the 2004 Pepsi AHL All-Star Classic. PlanetUSA posts an 18-9 victory over the Canadian All-Stars, but Grand Rapids’ Nathan Robinson suffers a pulled groin in the Fastest Skater competition.
2008: In his first AHL contest since 1993, Darren McCarty records an assist and earns third-star honors in his Griffins debut, as Grand Rapids scores three power play goals and a shorthanded tally to defeat the Lake Erie Monsters 4-1 in Cleveland.
2014: In their first game on NHL ice since April 26, 2006, the Griffins complete a four-game season sweep of Rochester with a 5-1 win at the First Niagara Center, home to the Buffalo Sabres.
2017: After joining the team on a conditioning loan from Detroit, Jimmy Howard makes 16 saves to notch his first victory in a Griffins uniform since April 26, 2009, 4-1 over Manitoba. Howard leaves the game midway through the third period for precautionary reasons, leaving Eddie Pasquale to enter in relief and stop the six shots that come his way.
2018: Former Griffin Chris Kelly is named captain of Team Canada for the Olympic Games in PyeongChang, South Korea.

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 986-677-27-60-116 (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’ 326 regular season wins since the 2012-13 campaign are third, behind only Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s 328 and Toronto’s 339 while the Griffins’ 709 points in that span are fourth, trailing Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (713), Providence (717) and Toronto (736)…Since the affiliation began in 2002-03, 93 Griffins have gone on to play for the Red Wings.

Back-to-Back
This weekend marks the 16th of 25 times total this season the Griffins will play on consecutive nights.

Presented by Lake Michigan Credit Union

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

Stranger Griffs Night presented by Lake Michigan Credit Union: All in-game presentation elements will have a Stranger Griffs feel, themed after a popular television streaming series. A one-of-a-kind Stranger Griffs photo backdrop will be located on the concourse.

Trucker Hat Giveaway presented by Lake Michigan Credit Union: The first 2,500 fans will receive a Stranger Griffs trucker hat.

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.