WINNIPEG, Manitoba -- A day after ending Game 1 of the Central Division Semifinals on the wrong end of a shutout, the Grand Rapids Griffins and goaltender Michal Postava responded in kind on Sunday by blanking the Manitoba Moose 2-0 to even the best-of-five series at one win apiece.

Michael Brandsegg-Nygård provided the spark for the Griffins’ offense, scoring the game’s first goal in the opening period before assisting on William Wallinder’s insurance tally late in the third, as the Griffins found a solution to Moose netminder Domenic DiVincentiis.

The series will now shift to Van Andel Arena for the duration, with the Griffins hosting Games 3 and 4 this Wednesday and Friday. If necessary, Game 5 would take place on Saturday.

The goalie duel from Game 1 carried over into this contest, starting when Postava stymied Mason Shaw’s bid for a shorthanded goal nearly seven minutes in. DiVincentiis benefited six minutes later when a Carter Mazur backhand from close range found the iron, then he darted across his crease to rob Wojciech Stachowiak with a left toe save during a Grand Rapids power play with just over four minutes left in the period.

That power play unit, scoreless in its first four tries in the series, finally broke through during that same advantage to put the visitors on the board with 2:56 remaining. John Leonard’s pass from the right half-wall found Sheldon Dries at the right post, and Dries quickly sent a no-look feed into the left circle for Brandsegg-Nygård, who slammed the puck past a helpless DiVincentiis.

That goal, on Grand Rapids’ 11th shot of the game and 50th of the series, snapped DiVincentiis’ shutout streak against the Griffins at 77:04 and ended a postseason scoring drought of 131:26 that stretched back to the second period of Grand Rapids’ double-overtime Game 3 elimination at Texas last spring. 

Postava kept it a 1-0 game seven minutes into the second period, sliding to his right to deny David Gustafsson’s attempt to finish off an odd-man rush. In the waning seconds of the frame, a great backcheck by Stachowiak ensured the Griffins would take that advantage into the second intermission. With the Moose heading up ice on a 3-on-2 break, Stachowiak began sprinting in pursuit from his own goal line and eventually caught up to Brad Lambert at the left hash marks 160 feet away, getting his stick on a centering pass to impede a prime scoring opportunity.

Four minutes into the third, DiVincentiis denied an Eduards Tralmaks one-timer from the slot to maintain Manitoba’s one-goal deficit, before Postava turned aside a wide-open Phillip Di Giuseppe on the doorstep two minutes later.

Wallinder staked the Griffins to the first two-goal lead of this series with 5:12 remaining. Off a breakout pass from Brandsegg-Nygård, Wallinder led the charge up the left side and across the Manitoba line before snapping a shot past DiVincentiis’ glove from the top of the circle.

The Moose pulled their netminder for an extra attacker with more than three minutes left but could not muster another shot on Postava, who improved to 1-1 in the postseason with a 0.50 goals-against average and a .981 save percentage, having stopped 52 of 53 shots.

For his part, DiVincentiis shows a 1.02 GAA and .968 save percentage during these playoffs, after losing for the first time in four starts.

Notes

• Postava’s shutout was the first by a Griffin in the playoffs since Jared Coreau made 25 saves in a 3-0 win over the Moose in Game 4 of the division semifinals in 2018. Only one other Grand Rapids rookie has ever earned a playoff shutout: Petr Mrazek, who blanked four opponents during the Griffins’ run to the 2013 Calder Cup.
• The Griffins are 2-4 all time in best-of-five series that were tied after two games.
• Grand Rapids broke streaks of five consecutive playoff losses overall and four straight playoff losses on the road, each of which stretched to its division finals series versus Milwaukee in 2024.

Box Score

Grand Rapids 1 0 1 - 2

Manitoba 0 0 0 - 0

1st Period-1, Grand Rapids, Brandsegg-Nygård 1 (Dries, Leonard), 17:04 (PP). Penalties-Shine Gr (roughing), 3:10; Sautner Mb (high-sticking), 6:07; Duehr Mb (tripping), 15:14; Shaw Mb (roughing), 20:00.

2nd Period- No Scoring.Penalties-Brandsegg-Nygård Gr (interference), 1:14.

3rd Period-2, Grand Rapids, Wallinder 1 (Brandsegg-Nygård), 14:48. Penalties-Lagesson Gr (roughing, misconduct - continuing altercation), 19:54; Di Giuseppe Mb (misconduct - continuing altercation), 19:54; Ford Mb (interference), 19:54.

Shots on Goal-Grand Rapids 12-11-11-34. Manitoba 14-8-8-30.

Power Play Opportunities-Grand Rapids 1 / 3; Manitoba 0 / 2.

Goalies-Grand Rapids, Postava 1-1 (30 shots-30 saves). Manitoba, DiVincentiis 3-1 (34 shots-32 saves).

A-5,487

Three Stars

1. GR Postava (W, SO, 30 saves); 2. MB DiVincentiis (L, 32 saves); 3. GR Brandsegg-Nygård (game-winning goal, assist)

Record/Next Game

Grand Rapids: 1-1 / Central Division Semifinals Game 3 / Wed., May 6 vs. Manitoba 7 p.m.

Manitoba: 3-2 / Central Division Semifinals Game 3 / Wed., May 6 at Grand Rapids 6 p.m. CDT

Photo by Manitoba Moose