This Week’s Games
GRIFFINS at Cleveland Monsters // Tues., Feb. 28 // 7 p.m. // Quicken Loans Arena
Listen: ESPN 96.1 FM at 6:35 p.m.
Watch: AHLLive.com
Season Series: 2-1-1-0 Road, 6-1-1-1 Overall. Tenth of 12 meetings overall, fifth of six at Quicken Loans Arena.
All-Time Series: 18-13-3-6 Road, 44-25-4-8 Overall.
NHL Affiliation: Columbus Blue Jackets
Noteworthy: In nine games against Grand Rapids this year, Cleveland’s power play is converting on 25.9% of its chances (7/27). In 45 games against the rest of the AHL, Cleveland’s power play stands at 11.9% (18/151).

GRIFFINS at San Antonio Rampage // Fri., March 3 // 8:30 p.m. // AT&T Center
Listen: WOOD 106.9 FM/1300 AM at 8:05 p.m.
Watch: AHLLive.com
Season Series: 0-0-0-0 Road, 2-0-0-0 Overall. Third of four meetings overall, first of two at AT&T Center.
All-Time Series: 18-14-0-2-1 Road, 38-26-1-5-2 Overall.
NHL Affiliation: Colorado Avalanche
Noteworthy: Grand Rapids outscored San Antonio 11-1 during a two-game sweep at Van Andel Arena on Feb. 17-18.

GRIFFINS at Texas Stars // Sat., March 4 // 8 p.m. // H-E-B Center at Cedar Park
Listen: WOOD 106.9 FM/1300 AM at 7:35 p.m.
Watch: AHLLive.com
Season Series: 0-0-0-0 Road, 1-1-0-0 Overall. Third of four meetings overall, first of two at the H-E-B Center at Cedar Park.
All-Time Series: 10-5-1-0 Road, 22-9-1-2 Overall.
NHL Affiliation: Dallas Stars
Noteworthy: Grand Rapids has won five straight regular season meetings at Texas.

Last Week’s Results
Fri., Feb. 24 Milwaukee Admirals 5 at GRIFFINS 3 34-15-1-2 (71 points, 1st)
Sat., Feb. 25 Milwaukee Admirals 2 at GRIFFINS 6 35-15-1-2 (73 points, 1st)

Opening Faceoff: Following last Saturday’s 6-2 rout of Milwaukee, the Griffins have won five of their last six and continue to lead the Central Division while placing second in the Western Conference and third in the AHL with a 0.689 points percentage. Tuesday at Cleveland marks the beginning of a season-high seven-game road trip for the Griffins, the longest road swing since Grand Rapids played seven in a row on foreign ice from March 13-28, 2014. Six of seven games during the road trip will come against Pacific Division teams.

Last Week’s Recap: On Friday, the Griffins fell behind 4-0 to the visiting Admirals. Grand Rapids scored three goals in a 5:35 span during the third period to trim the deficit but an empty-net tally with 22 seconds remaining sealed the victory for Milwaukee. The Griffins exacted revenge a night later, routing Milwaukee 6-2 as 11 different players recorded at least a point. Jared Coreau started both games for Grand Rapids while on a conditioning assignment from Detroit.

Follow the Leader(s): Matt Lorito (16-28—44), Ben Street (17-24—41), Martin Frk (20-19—39), Tomas Nosek (14-24—38) and Mitch Callahan (14-22—36) lead the team in points…Lorito ties for 13th in the AHL in scoring...Evgeny Svechnikov’s 32 points (15-17—32) tie for 17th among rookies in scoring…Robbie Russo’s 29 points (6-23—29) are the most among team defensemen and tie for 13th among league blueliners…Rookie Dan Renouf has 55 PIM to pace the team…Eddie Pasquale’s 2.26 GAA is seventh in the AHL and his 0.922 save percentage ties for seventh...If he had enough minutes to qualify, Cal Heeter’s 2.08 GAA would place fourth and his 0.934 save percentage would be second in the league.

Road Crew: The Griffins are tied for the fewest amount of road games played in the AHL with 22, but that will soon change after this seven-game road trip. The road swing that begins tonight and ends March 12 in Stockton, will cover five cities, three time zones and – including two bookend travel days – will last 15 days. This trip marks only the sixth time in franchise history the Griffins will play seven or more consecutive games on foreign ice (2013-14, 2012-13, 2008-09, 2002-03, 1999-00). The 2008-09 team played a club-record eight in a row on the road from March 22-April 5.

On Track: Owning a 35-15-1-2 record (73 points), the Griffins are on pace for 50 wins and 104 points. Grand Rapids has reached 50 wins three times previously (55 in 2005-06, 53 in 2000-01 and 51 in 1999-00) and amassed 100 or more points five times (115 in 2005-06, 113 in 2000-01, 111 in 1999-00, 106 in 2002-03 and 100 in 2013-14).

Fantastic Frk: Martin Frk paces the team with 20 goals and has set a career high with 12 power play tallies. Frk’s 12 power play goals are the most in a season by a Griffin since Jeremy Williams banked 14 in 2009-10. In fact, 12 PPGs tie with Carl Corazzini (2007-08), Glen Metropolit (1998-99) and Michel Picard (1996-97) for seventh most in a single season in franchise history. One more and Frk can tie Jeff Nelson (1996-97) for sixth. Donald MacLean holds the team’s single-season power play goal record with 21, set in 2005-06. Including his 27-goal haul from last season, Frk is the ninth player in franchise history to log consecutive 20-goal campaigns and the first since Teemu Pulkkinen in 2013-14 and 2014-15. Tomas Tatar recorded three-straight 20-goal seasons from 2010-13, the only player in team history to accomplish such a feat.

Current Streaks: Eric Tangradi has accumulated seven points (4-3—7) in his last four games...Rookie Evgeny Svechnikov has points in 13 of his last 14 games (5-10—15)...Svechnikov recorded a 12-game point streak from Jan. 20-Feb. 17, tying for the fourth-longest streak in franchise history…Mitch Callahan has points in five straight (3-3—6)…Martin Frk has points in four straight (3-4—7), including back-to-back multi-point games...Matt Lorito has six points (4-2—6) during a three-game point streak...Tyler Bertuzzi has points in six straight (3-5—8) and in 11 of the last 12.

On the Power Play: Grand Rapids continues to lead the league with a power play percentage of 27.9% (64/229) and has recorded at least one goal while on the man advantage in six straight games, nine of the last 10 and 20 of the last 23. The Griffins have relied on the power play for 34.2% of their goals (64 of 187), the highest percentage in the AHL. The power play has been keyed by Tomas Nosek (7-16—23), Martin Frk (12-10—22), Matt Lorito (4-18—22), and Ben Street (6-13—19), who lead the team in points. Frk is tied for second in the league in power play tallies, as 12 of his team-leading 20 markers on the year have come with more skaters. Mitch Callahan has been on the ice 39 times during a power play goal, tops on the team. Of the Griffins’ 64 power play goals, 29 have been scored with five forwards on the ice, 21 with four forwards and one defensemen, 12 with three forwards and two defensemen, one with three forwards and one defenseman and one with six forwards.

Chasing PP History: To put in perspective the success of the Griffins’ power play thus far, the franchise record for highest power play percentage in a season is 21.8%, set in 2005-06. Through 53 games, the 2005-06 team stood at 22.2% while on the man advantage (80/360). The 2005-06 club, which played 80 regular season games, also scored 120 PPG, the most in team history. The Springfield Indians hold the AHL record for highest power play percentage in a season, finishing at 26.78% in 1993-94.

Coreau and Miller Recalled: The Detroit Red Wings on Sunday recalled goaltender Jared Coreau and forward Drew Miller from the Griffins. In his two-game conditioning stint this past weekend – his first game action since Feb. 12 – Coreau finished 1-1 with a 3.01 goals against average and a 0.913 save percentage. He stopped 39 shots in Grand Rapids’ 6-2 win versus Milwaukee on Saturday. In 19 games with the Griffins this season, the fourth-year pro sports a 12-7-0 record with one shutout while placing eighth in the AHL with a 2.27 GAA and tying teammate Eddie Pasquale for seventh with a 0.922 save percentage. Playing in the AHL for the first time since 2008-09, Miller skated in seven games with the Griffins this season, contributing three points (2-1—3) and a plus-two rating. The 32-year-old Miller has played in 35 games with the Red Wings this year, totaling six points (5-1—6) and 14 penalty minutes.

Trio from Toledo Join Griffins: The Detroit Red Wings on Sunday reassigned forward Dylan Sadowy to the Griffins from the ECHL’s Toledo Walleye and the Griffins recalled forward Mike Borkowski and goaltender Cal Heeter from Toledo. Heeter owns a 9-2-0 record in 11 games with the Griffins this season. If he met the AHL’s minutes requirement, Heeter’s 2.08 GAA would place fourth and his 0.934 save percentage would be second in the league. In his rookie campaign, the 20-year-old Sadowy has skated in 26 games with the Griffins, registering six points (4-2—6), a plus-two rating and 14 penalty minutes. Borkowski has collected three points (2-1—3) and a plus-five rating in 31 games with the Griffins while skating in his first full pro season.

Goal Output: Third in the AHL in goals per game (3.53), the Griffins have scored four or more goals in eight of 10 games since the all-star break.

Between the Pipes: With Jared Coreau on recall in Detroit, goaltenders Eddie Pasquale and Cal Heeter have stepped up their games. Pasquale has points in 16 of his 21 starts on the season, ranks seventh with a 2.26 goals against average and has three shutouts. Heeter has won nine of his 11 starts for the Griffins this season and is a combined 20-3 between the ECHL’s Toledo Walleye and Grand Rapids. If he met the 1,020 minutes requirement, Heeter’s 2.08 GAA would be fourth and his 0.934 save percentage would be second. In fact, if Heeter met the minutes benchmark, all three goalies who have played more than two games with the Griffins this season would rank inside the league’s top 10 in GAA.

The Puck Stops Here: Second in the league in goals against per game (2.42), the Griffins are on pace to allow only 183 goals total which would be the fourth-lowest amount ever in franchise history (166 in 2003-04, 177 in 2002-03, 178 in 2001-02).

Specialty Teams: In addition to having the league’s top power play unit, the Griffins are 11th in penalty killing at 82.4%. Grand Rapids’ combined power play and penalty kill percentage of 110.3 is the highest on the circuit.

Fast Starts: The Griffins are outscoring opponents 58-33 in the first period, and their plus-25 difference is the largest in the league. Grand Rapids’ 58 first-period markers are tied for most in the AHL and 33 first goals are tied for second. The Griffins are 28-3-1-1 (0.879) when striking first.

You Again: Grand Rapids has played 53 games thus far with 47 coming against Central Division foes. The Griffins post 31 divisional victories, the most among teams in the Central. Grand Rapids has held either of the top two spots in the division since Nov. 12 and been the division leaders since Jan. 7. After Tuesday’s game at Cleveland, the Griffins will play their next six against Pacific Division opponents.

Home Sweet Home: Grand Rapids has played 31 home games, the most in the league. Winners in five of their last six on home ice, the Griffins are 21-8-0-2 at Van Andel Arena this season and their 44 points are the most in the league. The Griffins own a plus-42 goal differential inside friendly confines, the highest in the AHL. Grand Rapids will not play at home again until March 17 versus Chicago.

Showing Discipline: The Griffins are the least penalized team in the league, averaging just 10.45 penalty minutes per contest. In fact, Grand Rapids is on pace to log 794 PIM, which would break the franchise record for fewest PIM in a season set by the 2014-15 team with 869. Rookie Dan Renouf leads the team with 55 PIM and is on track for 78 this season, which would make him the first team PIM leader to not break the century mark (previous low: Brennan Evans, 111 PIM in 2013-14).

Magic Numbers: The Griffins are 28-3-1-1 when scoring the game’s first goal, 25-1 when leading after one period and 27-1-1-0 when leading after two periods…Grand Rapids is 34-3-0-1 when scoring three goals or more and 1-12-1-1 when scoring two or less.

All About Chances: The Griffins are averaging the most shots in the league (34.06) and the third-most goals (3.53) while surrendering the second-fewest goals against (2.42) and the 14th-fewest shots (29.66).

Spreading the Wealth: The Griffins post eight players with a double-digit goal total, which ties for fourth most in the league. Martin Frk paces Grand Rapids with 20 goals.

Rookie Production: The Griffins have played eight rookies this season, which surpasses last year’s total of seven. Those eight rookies have combined for 120 points (47-73—120), which equates to 25.1% of the team’s goals (47/187), 23.3% of the assists (73/313) and 24.1% of the points (120/498).

Milestones: With 14 goals this season, Mitch Callahan has 92 in his career to rank third all-time in franchise history…He trails only Francis Pare (102) and Michel Picard (158) in the record books…Callahan’s 179 career points (92-87—179) are tied with Jiri Hudler for seventh all-time in team history…Callahan played in his 350th game as a Griffin last Friday against Milwaukee, which ranks fourth in franchise history…With three more penalty minutes, Callahan can become the ninth player in franchise history to log 400 or more career PIM…Captain Nathan Paetsch has 119 career assists to rank sixth all-time in team history…Paetsch is 11 behind Derek King for fifth…Martin Frk needs five games played to reach 200 as a Griffin.

Every Goal Counts: Since the Monsters joined the AHL in 2007-08, the Griffins have matched up against them 81 times. Forty-one of those 81 games have been decided by just a single tally, including 24 in overtime or a shootout. The Griffins have the slight edge, winning 21 of the one-goal contests. Dating back to the start of the 2014-15 campaign, 18 of the last 31 meetings between the clubs have been decided by one goal, including five of nine encounters this season (Oct. 22: 3-2 W, Nov. 9: 5-4 SOW, Nov. 30: 2-3 SOL, Dec. 6: 2-3 OTL, Dec. 28: 3-2 W).

Rampage Stampede: Grand Rapids swept a pair of home games against San Antonio on Feb. 17-18 to snap a four-game losing streak to the Rampage. Since the start of the 2010-11 season, the Griffins are 4-6-1-1 (0.417) in games at San Antonio and have not won in regulation at the AT&T Center since Jan. 13, 2011 (5-2 W).

Seeing Stars: Since the start of the 2014-15 season, the Griffins have won nine of the last 10 regular season meetings against Texas. Grand Rapids has won five straight at Texas, with the last loss to the Stars on foreign ice coming on Jan. 24, 2014 (4-6 L).

Three in Detroit: Jared Coreau, Nick Jensen and Anthony Mantha remain on recall with the Detroit Red Wings. Coreau, the 158th Griffins alumnus to play in the NHL, shows a 5-3-3 record, a 3.27 GAA, an 0.893 save percentage and two shutouts in 13 games. Jensen, the 159th Griffins alumnus to play in the NHL, has skated in 27 games, recording eight points (3-5—8), a plus-two rating and eight PIM. Jensen scored his first NHL goal on Jan. 31 versus New Jersey. Mantha ranks third on the team with 31 points (13-18—31), a plus-13 rating and 31 PIM in 45 contests.

Walleye Report: Under first-year head coach Dan Watson, the ECHL’s Toledo Walleye are on an eight-game point streak and post the best record in the league with a 39-12-2-1 mark. Rookies Tyson Spink (31-34—65), Tylor Spink (19-40—59) and former Griffin Shane Berschbach (13-44—57) lead the team in scoring. Second-year pro Jake Paterson, Detroit’s second pick in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft, is 27-9-1 while placing third with a 2.41 goals against average and tying for seventh with a 0.911 save percentage. Griffins-contracted Cal Heeter, who is on recall in Grand Rapids, is 11-1 between the pipes and shows a 3.01 GAA and a 0.897 save percentage.

Back-to-Backs: The Griffins will play back-to-back games a total of 27 times this season. Compare the statistics for when the Griffins have played on consecutive nights:

Win Some, Lose Some: Compare the statistics for the Griffins during their 35 wins and 18 (including overtime and shootout) losses: