GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. -- Behind Carter Mazur’s game-winning goal in the second period and empty-netter in the final minute, the Grand Rapids Griffins bested the Manitoba Moose 4-2 at Van Andel Arena on Wednesday in Game 3 of the Central Division Semifinals to claim a 2-1 lead in the best-of-five series. 

Michal Postava notched 15 saves, continuing his streak of not allowing more than three goals in any game during the 2025-26 campaign. Over his three postseason appearances, he has stopped 67 of 70 shots for a 1.01 goals-against average and a .957 save percentage. Erik Gustafsson recorded his first goal and assist of the playoffs, while Jakub Rychlovsky tallied the opening goal for his first of the postseason. 

The Griffins will attempt to eliminate the Moose on Friday when they host Game 4 at 7 p.m. at Van Andel Arena. Manitoba is already 2-0 when facing elimination during these playoffs, as it rallied from 0-1 down to Milwaukee to earn consecutive wins and advance out of the first round. 

Grand Rapids lit the lamp in the first period on a delayed penalty, with Postava on the bench for an extra attacker. Gustafsson tapped the puck to Antti Tuomisto at the top of the zone, and he fired a one-timer toward the net front that Domenic DiVincentiis stopped, but Rychlovsky punched home the rebound with 8:03 remaining. 

Postava remained poised in the net, turning away the six shots he faced over the first 20 minutes. During a flurry of Moose opportunities with two minutes to play, Brad Lambert fired a point-blank attempt from the slot, but the netminder denied the chance to keep the score 1-0. 

At 4:41 of the second period, Gustafsson gave the Griffins a two-goal advantage, snapping a shot from the left point that slipped through DiVincentiis and trickled across the goal line. Mazur increased the cushion at the 17-minute mark when he knocked down a deflected puck in the high slot and sniped it over DiVincentiis’ glove for a 3-0 lead.

In the frame’s final minute, the Moose broke Postava’s shutout streak at 101:48, solving him for the first time since late in Game 1. Mason Shaw set up on the doorstep to deflect Dylan Anhorn’s slapshot past Postava with 38 seconds to spare. 

Less than six minutes into the final frame, Amadeus Lombardi carried the puck out from behind the goal line and tried to backhand it past DiVincentiis, but the netminder shut the door to maintain the two-goal margin. The Moose had their own near-miss with seven minutes to play when Postava ventured behind his net, but Isaak Phillips’ feed out front from below the goal line found only a flock of Griffins defenders.

DiVincentiis headed to the bench for an extra attacker at 16:39 while at 4-on-4, and Samuel Fagemo ripped a one-timer over Postava’s right shoulder nine seconds later to inch Manitoba within one. The Moose goalie went back to the bench with 2:26 remaining in hopes of his team getting the equalizer, but Mazur had the last word with an empty-netter with 46 ticks remaining. 

Notes

• The Griffins are 4-2 all time when leading a best-of-five series 2-1.
• By holding Manitoba to only 17 shots, Grand Rapids challenged its record for fewest shots allowed in a playoff game (15, April 24, 2009 vs. Hamilton).
• Tonight was the Griffins’ first home game in 25 days, dating to April 11, as May 6 marked their latest home playoff debut ever (previously May 1, in 2024 and 2013).
• The attendance of 7,581 marked the largest crowd for a Griffins home playoff debut since 2017 (7,690), the second-largest since 2016 (7,915), and the third-largest since 1998 (8,751). 

Box Score

Manitoba 0 1 1 - 2

Grand Rapids 1 2 1 - 4

1st Period-1, Grand Rapids, Rychlovský 1 (Tuomisto, Gustafsson), 11:57. Penalties-No Penalties

2nd Period-2, Grand Rapids, Gustafsson 1 (Leonard, Shine), 4:41. 3, Grand Rapids, Mazur 1   17:00. 4, Manitoba, Shaw 2 (Anhorn, Gustafsson), 19:22. Penalties-Stachowiak Gr (tripping), 10:11; Tralmaks Gr (high-sticking), 13:15.

3rd Period-5, Manitoba, Fagemo 2 (Clague, Yager), 16:48. 6, Grand Rapids, Mazur 2 (Dries), 19:14 (EN). Penalties-Di Giuseppe Mb (roughing), 16:40; Tuomisto Gr (roughing), 16:40.

Shots on Goal-Manitoba 6-4-7-17. Grand Rapids 11-8-13-32.

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

Goalies-Manitoba, DiVincentiis 3-2 (31 shots-28 saves). Grand Rapids, Postava 2-1 (17 shots-15 saves).

A-7,581

Three Stars

1. GR Mazur (two goals); 2. GR Gustafsson (goal, assist); 3. MB Fagemo (goal)

Record/Next Game

Grand Rapids: 2-1 / Central Division Semifinals Game 4 / Fri., May 8 vs. Manitoba 7 p.m.

Manitoba: 3-3 / Central Division Semifinals Game 4 / Fri., May 8 at Grand Rapids 6 p.m. CDT

Photo by Nicolas Carrillo/Griffins