Griffins Game #49 * Road Game #25 * AHL Game #792

Season Series: 2-3-0-0 Home Series: 1-3-0-0 Road Series: 1-0-0-0
All-Time Series:69-40-1-1-9 All-Time Home Series: 38-18-1-1-6 All-Time Road Series: 31-22-0-0-3

Griffins at Moose
Sixth of eight meetings overall, second of four at the Canada Life Centre…Since the Moose rejoined the AHL in 2015-16, Grand Rapids is 25-16-0-2 (0.605) against them, including a 10-8-0-1 (0.553) ledger in Manitoba…Last night, Grand Rapids snapped its six-game winless skid at Manitoba that dated back to the 2019-20 season...This is the 121st meeting between the two teams, which is tied for the fourth-most encounters by any Grand Rapids opponent...This will be the fourth game of Manitoba’s eight-game homestand…Manitoba is 5-2-1-2 in its last 10 games while the Griffins are 6-4-0-0...On home ice this season, the Moose are 13-7-1-2 and the Griffins bolster a 12-11-0-1 ledger on the road...The Moose rank second in the AHL with a power play percentage of 24.7% but their home power play ranks 12th at 20.0%...Manitoba’s penalty kill is also one of the best on the circuit, as it is tied for third at 84.5%...Moose rookie goaltender Arvid Holm ranks eighth among first-year netminders with a 2.73 goals against average and fifth with a 0.912 save percentage.

Last Time Out
The Griffins won their fifth-consecutive road game in a 5-4 shootout victory over the Manitoba Moose on Sunday at the Canada Life Centre. Victor Brattstrom (W, 26 saves) made two saves while Austin Czarnik and Elmer Soderblom scored in the shootout to push the Griffins to victory. Brattstrom also chipped-in an assist on the opening goal for Grand Rapids, his second of the year. Danny O’Regan earned the third star of the game, recording a goal and an assist. Tonight was O’Regan’s first multi-point outing since his Griffins debut on Dec. 22, 2022 against the Chicago Wolves (2-1–3). Joel L’Esperance bagged his 100th pro goal and the Griffins improved to 12-0-2-2 in games decided by one goal.

Roster Shakeup
- Feb. 2—F Filip Zadina assigned by Detroit on a conditioning loan
- Feb. 3—F Alex Chiasson re-signed to a PTO by Grand Rapids
- Feb. 5—F Filip Zadina and F Jonatan Berggren recalled by Detroit; F Adam Erne assigned by Detroit
- Feb. 9—D Seth Barton reassigned to Toledo (ECHL) from Grand Rapids by Detroit; D Donovan Sebrango reassigned to Grand Rapids from Toledo by Detroit
- Feb. 14—F Jakub Vrana recalled by Detroit

This Date in Griffins History
2004: Grand Rapids extends its record unbeaten streak at home to 13 games with a 2-1 overtime win versus Hamilton. Joey MacDonald’s record shutout streak on home ice ends at 242:18, when he surrenders a goal to the Bulldogs’ Alexander Perezhogin at 7:37 of the third period.

Tough Sledding
The Griffins saw their season-high four-game win streak come to an end last weekend against the Manitoba Moose. This pushed Grand Rapids further back in the standings and are now seven points out of a playoff spot with 24 games remaining. However, Grand Rapids does have points in 10 of its last 14 contests (8-4-1-1). They are also on a five-game road win streak that spans from Jan. 29-Feb. 19. Since the new year, Grand Rapids has lost in regulation just six times through 19 games (10-6-1-2, 0.605).

Immortalized Forever
Right wing Chris Neil had his No. 25 jersey retired on Friday by the Ottawa Senators, making him the first Griffins alum to have his number retired by an NHL franchise. Neil skated for the Griffins from 1999-2001, making his pro debut with the franchise and helping lead the team to the 2000 IHL Turner Cup Finals and two division titles. He totaled 24 goals and 55 points in 129 games with Grand Rapids, while his 655 penalty minutes stand fourth in team history. Neil went on to play for the Ottawa Senators from 2001-17, playing all of his 15 NHL seasons with the club. He is one of two players in NHL history with at least 1,000 games played and 2,500 penalty minutes to play his entire career with the same team. Neil ranks third in Senators history in games played (1,026) and first in penalty minutes (2,522).

Alexander The Great
Netminder Alex Nedeljkovic has been a welcomed addition to the Griffins roster, as the goaltender was assigned by Detroit on Jan. 4. Nedeljkovic ‘s three-game win streak from Jan. 31-Feb. 4 tied for the longest run by a Griffins goaltender this campaign. Through 16 outings, Nedeljkovic has a 8-5-2 record with one shutout along with a 2.72 goals against average and a 0.914 save percentage. On Jan. 14, Nedeljkovic posted a 27-save shutout against the Chicago Wolves, his first in the AHL since Feb. 7, 2020 against Hartford (17 saves). On Jan. 11, Nedeljkovic recorded his fourth assist and fifth point of his AHL career, which was his first AHL point since Jan. 19, 2020.

Home Again, Home Again, Jiggity, Jig
The Griffins concluded their four-game homestand on Friday with a 1-3-0-0 (0.250) record. The Griffins now hit the road for a pair of games at Manitoba, which are the only road contests in their next seven outings. Grand Rapids is 9-12-2-1 (0.438) at home this season and 12-11-0-1 (0.517) on the road.

Just Keep it Close
The Griffins have had an up-and-down start to the season, but they have excelled at winning close games. In fact, Grand Rapids is 12-0-2-2 (0.875) in games decided by one goal and 4-0-2-0 (0.833) in overtime contests. In comparison, the Griffins are just 9-23-0-0 (0.281) in games decided by two or more tallies. In the 2021-22 season, the Griffins finished with a 13-7-6-2 (0.607) mark in games decided by one goal.

AHL Leaderboard Tracker
Austin Czarnik—Five game-winning goals are tied for second, three short-handed goals are tied for first
Simon Edvinsson—19 assists are tied for fourth among rookie defensemen, 23 points are tied for fifth among rookie defensemen
Joel L’Esperance—157 shots rank fourth

Milestones
Joel L’Esperance recorded his 100th goal as a pro on Feb. 19 at Manitoba. Adam Erne eclipsed 50 assists in the AHL on Feb. 17 against the Cleveland Monsters. Simon Edvinsson recorded four points (1-3—4) on Feb. 15 and eclipsed 50 points as a pro. Albert Johansson notched his 50th assist as a pro on Feb. 15 against Rockford and Tyler Spezia skated in his 250th game as a pro.
Adam Erne—Three assists from 100 as a pro
Steven Kampfer—Two assists from 150 as a pro
Alex Nedeljkovic—Three wins from 100 in the AHL
Chase Pearson—Two assists from 50 as a pro, in the AHL and as a Griffin
Dominik Shine—One assist from 50 as a pro, as a Griffin and in the AHL

Photo by Jonathan Kozub/Moose