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Aeros host Griffins on Nesting Doll Night

March 25, 2005 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Houston Aeros News Release


Five things you need to know
· The three-team race for the final two playoff spots out of the West Division is as close as they come. The fourth-place Aeros lead Grand Rapids by three points, but trail Cincinnati by just one. The Griffins are in San Antonio Saturday before a return trip to Toyota Center on Sunday. Third-place Cincinnati, which has 75 points, plays host to second-place Milwaukee tonight and tomorrow. Houston hasn't had a share of third place since 12/6, and it was last in sole possession of that spot 12/4.
· Houston is the AHL's second-best defensive team in the third period, allowing 45 goals, but four in the last three games. Hartford tops the league with 43 third-period goals allowed. In their last 13 wins, the Aeros have outscored their opponents in the third by a huge 18-1 margin. Tonight could be a good matchup for Houston, as Grand Rapids has scored a league-worst 38 third-period goals while allowing 49.
· In a disturbing trend, the Aeros have allowed the game's first goal in nine of 10 contests, including six straight. The Aeros are 12-22-4-4 when allowing the first goal, but 20-4-2-0 when scoring it. Houston has scored first just 26 times in 68 games (38.2 percent). Only one other AHL team has scored first fewer than 26 times (Springfield, 24). Tonight could be dangerous for the Aeros, as they have allowed the first goal in five of the six meetings with Grand Rapids.
· There could be a goalie's duel brewing tonight. Grand Rapids' Joey MacDonald is 3-2-0 with a 1.58 gaa versus Houston this season and 8-7-0 with a 2.01 gaa and three shutouts in his career against the Aeros. Houston counterpart Josh Harding is 3-2-0 with a 1.40 gaa against the Griffins. The duo has faced each other four times, splitting 1-0 and 3-1 decisions. MacDonald is one of four goalies with three career shutouts versus the Aeros.
· Aeros fourth-year centerman Dan Cavanaugh tied a career-high with three points (1-2=3) Wednesday to become the 22nd player in team history with 100 points. Cavanaugh has been on fire since the calendar turned to March. The Springfield, Mass., native has half of his 16 points in his last 11 games (3-5=8). Over Cavanaugh's last four games, he has five points (1-4=5), and he's a plus-three in March. The Aeros are a perfect 5-0-0-0 when Cavanaugh scores a goal, and 8-2-1-1 when he picks up a point.

Griffins at Aeros (Aeros are 23-23-7-1 overall, Aeros are 13-8-5-1 at home)
· Tonight is the 55th all-time meeting between the teams.
· The Aeros are 3-2-0-1 this season against the Griffins. The first four meetings were all decided by one goal, and the last two by two goals.
· The Aeros are 8-5-0-1 in the last 14 meetings after a 1-6-0-0 and 2-7-1-0 stretch.
· Since joining the AHL, Houston is 16-14-6-2 against Grand Rapids.
· In the last meeting, 3/7 in St. Paul, Minn., Dan Cavanaugh snapped a 28-game goal drought with his fifth career two-goal game and Josh Harding made 25 saves for his third straight win, as the Aeros defeated the Griffins 3-1.
· The Griffins have scored the first goal in five of the teams' six meetings this season. They've won four of those five games, with the lone exception being Houston's 4-3 OT win 11/5. Grand Rapids has outscored the Aeros 8-3 in the first two periods of their meetings this season, but Houston holds a 9-3 advantage in the third period plus overtime.
· The teams have combined to score on just 4-of-53 power play chances (7.5 percent) in the season series, including 1-for-22 by Grand Rapids.

Scouting the Aeros
Houston has won five of its last six home games and plays game two of a five-game homestand tonight...Pierre-Marc Bouchard (11-35=46) leads the Aeros in scoring and has 27 points (6-21=27) in his last 30 games...Veteran Ray Giroux (10-18=28) anchors a well-balanced blueline along with 20-year-old prospect Brent Burns (9-13=22)...Mike Smith is 17-15-3 with a 2.43 gaa and five shutouts, while Josh Harding is 15-16-1 with four shutouts and a 2.12 gaa to rank ninth in the AHL.

Scouting the Griffins
Grand Rapids, the AHL affiliate of the Detroit Red Wings, won 4-3 in overtime in Milwaukee on Wednesday for its third straight win and fifth in six games...The Griffins are 18-12-0-1 on the road and are one of four AHL teams that are at least six games over the .500 mark on the road...Only Manitoba (20) has more road wins...All-Star defenseman Niklas Kronwall leads the Griffins and all AHL blueliners with 47 points (11-36=47)...Veteran Kip Miller has 28 points (8-20=28) in only 36 games since joining the team at Christmas...All-Star goalie Joey MacDonald is 28-26-1 with a 2.24 gaa...MacDonald has played in 21 consecutive games and in 28 of 29...MacDonald, whose 14 straight starts are one off Mike Fountain's 2000-01 franchise record, is tied for fourth in the league in wins and is second in losses and minutes, and third in saves.

2004-05 meetings (Seventh of 8 meetings, Aeros are 3-2-0-1 overall, Aeros are 2-0-0-1 at home)
November 5: Houston 4 at Grand Rapids 3 (OT)
November 6: Houston 1 at Grand Rapids 0
November 12: Houston 0 at Grand Rapids 1
January 23: Grand Rapids 4 at Houston 3 (SO)
February 9: Houston 1 at Grand Rapids 3
March 7: Grand Rapids 1 vs. Houston 3 (at St. Paul, Minn.)
Tonight: Grand Rapids at Houston
Sunday: Grand Rapids at Houston

Last Game
Dan Cavanaugh tied his career high in points with a goal and two assists, and he became the 22nd player in team history with 100 points, as the Houston Aeros rallied from a very early deficit for a 5-2 victory over the Utah Grizzlies at Toyota Center. Pierre-Marc Bouchard, Rickard Wallin and Kirby Law each notched a goal and an assist for Houston. Mike Smith made 22 saves against his former team and Jeremy Reich and Mikko Koivu each added two assists.

Quick Hits
· In its 32 wins, Houston has allowed just 11 third-period goals, but in the remainder of its 36 games, it has yielded 34, including four over the last two games. The Aeros are 2-14-2-1 in their last 19 games when allowing a third-period goal.
· The Aeros have scored three goals in their last six losses (0-5-0-1), but 18 in their last three wins.
· Aeros center/winger Mikko Koivu enters tonight's game with 99 points (34-65=99) in 208 professional games. Koivu, an All-Star in his first season in North America, is Houston's second leading scorer with 41 points (17-24=41).
· Over the last three seasons, Houston is 13-5-1-1 at home in the month of March.
· Newly acquired winger Jeremy Reich posted nine points (4-5=9) in 50 games with Syracuse, but he has three (1-2=3) already in six games with Houston. Reich played junior hockey for Aeros head coach Todd McLellan.
· Wednesday, Aeros captain Kirby Law scored his team-best 20th goal. This is his third straight 20-goal season, and his sixth in seven pro campaigns.
· The Griffins' overtime and shootout efficiency is one of the reasons they are on the Aeros' heels. Grand Rapids is 11-3 post-regulation, while Houston is 7-10.
· Grand Rapids has a league-high 12 one-goal victories on the road. The Griffins are an impressive 12-2-0-1 in such situations. Houston is just 5-5-1-1 at home in one-goal games.
· In their last five games, the Griffins have been shorthanded 35 times while going on just 19 power plays.

Harding back in a big way
· Aeros 20-year-old rookie goalie Josh Harding missed 17 games due to a concussion, but he has returned strong, going 10-9-0.
· Harding, the second youngest goalie in the AHL behind WBS' Marc-Andre Fleury, has four shutouts. No other Aeros rookie goalie had more than one shutout.
· Harding is 15-13-1 with a 2.08 since an 0-3-0 start to his pro campaign.
· Harding is ninth in the league in gaa (2.12), and second among rookies. Lowell's Cam Ward is at 1.94.
· Harding has allowed 28 goals in the first period, but only 19 in the second and 17 in the third.
· Harding is 8-3-0 with a 1.85 gaa at home, but 7-13-1 with a 2.25 gaa on the road.

Smith establishes franchise mark
· Aeros goalie Mike Smith appeared in 19 straight games - 17 of the appearances starts - from 11/26-1/25. Smith's 19-game run was a new franchise record, eclipsing Frederic Chabot's old mark of 15, set 12/8/99-1/21/00.
· Smith joins Frederic Chabot (seven) and Ryan Bach (five) as the lone Aeros netminders with five shutouts in a season, and his five overall trail only Chabot (18) and Derek Gustafson (six) for the most in team history.
· The 6-foot-3, 210-pounder is 7-4-2 with a 2.60 gaa on the road but 10-11-1 with a better 2.32 gaa at Toyota Center. Each of Smith's five shutouts have come at home.
· Smith is quietly putting together quite the run. In three starts since dropping a 5-0 decision in Milwaukee 3/10, Smith is 2-0-1 with a 1.30 gaa. In his last three home appearances, including on in relief, Smith is 2-0-0 with a miniscule 0.75 gaa.

PP unit eighth
· The Aeros are eighth in the league on the power play at 17.3 percent.
· Houston is 1-for-17 on the man advantage over its last four games after scoring six times over a three-game stretch. Overall in their last 11 games, the Aeros are 7-for-53 (13.2 percent).
· In their last 51 games, the Aeros have outscored their opponents 47-28 on the power play.
· Overall, the Aeros have outscored their opponents 58-38 on the power play.
· Houston is 22-12-5-1 when scoring a PPG and 10-14-1-3 when not scoring a PPG.
· Grand Rapids ranks 12th in the league on the penalty kill at 85.0 percent, but tied for sixth on the road at 85.9 percent.
· The Griffins have killed off 32-of-35 (91.4 percent) of their shorthanded chances in the last five games.

Houston fifth on PK
· Houston is fifth in the league on the penalty kill at 87.4 percent. The Aeros have yielded 38 PPG, two off the league lead.
· Following a 46-of-48 kill streak 2/4-2/23, the Aeros have allowed 14 goals on 72 chances (80.6 percent kill rate) over their last 16 games.
· Houston is 22-13-2-3 when not allowing a PPG and 10-13-4-1 when allowing a PPG.
· Grand Rapids is tied for 24th in the league on the power play at 13.7 percent, but a much improved ninth at 15.6 percent on the road.
· The Griffins are 2-for-19 (10.5 percent) with the man advantage over their last five games.

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