Griffins Begin Final Four-Game Homestand
AHL Grand Rapids Griffins

Griffins Begin Final Four-Game Homestand

Published on February 24, 2026 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Grand Rapids Griffins News Release


This Week's Games

GRIFFINS (40-7-2-1) vs. Manitoba Moose (23-18-4-1) // Wed., Feb. 25 // 7 p.m. // Van Andel Arena

Listen: WOOD 106.9 FM & 1300 AM at 6:45 p.m.

Watch: AHLTV on FloHockey

Season Series: 4-1-0-0 Overall, 3-0-0-0 Home. Sixth of eight meetings overall, fourth of four at Van Andel Arena

All-Time Series: 84-48-1-1-10 Overall, 45-21-1-1-7 Home

NHL Affiliation: Winnipeg Jets

Noteworthy: The Griffins can clinch a spot in the 2026 Calder Cup Playoffs with a win against Manitoba. The earliest clinching date in franchise history is March 6 during the 2003-04 season.

GRIFFINS vs. Iowa Wild (15-29-4-1) // Fri., Feb. 27 // 7 p.m. // Van Andel Arena

GRIFFINS vs. Iowa Wild // Sat., Feb. 28 // 7 p.m. // Van Andel Arena

Listen: 96.1 The Game at 6:45 p.m. on Friday and WOOD 106.9 FM & 1300 AM at 7 p.m. on Saturday

Watch: AHLTV on FloHockey on Friday and WXSP-TV and AHLTV on FloHockey on Saturday

Season Series: 5-0-0-0 Overall, 2-0-0-0 Home. Sixth and seventh of eight meetings overall, third and fourth of four at Van Andel Arena

All-Time Series: 59-26-6-4 Overall, 28-11-5-3 Home

NHL Affiliation: Minnesota Wild

Noteworthy: Iowa is on a two-game win streak and is 5-4-1-0 in its last 10 games. Grand Rapids is 24-11-2-2 in the last five seasons against the Wild.

Are We Talking About Playoffs?: The Griffins enter the week with a magic number of two to clinch a playoff berth and can clinch this Wednesday with a win over Manitoba. The earliest clinching date in team history for Grand Rapids was March 6 (2003-04 season). The Griffins have led the Central Division for the entire season, and are 20 points above second-place Chicago and 41 points up on a playoff spot. The Griffins also have a six-point advantage over the Providence Bruins in the race for the Macgregor Kilpatrick Trophy, awarded to the AHL's regular-season champions. Grand Rapids is 31-5-2-1 against its division rivals and has outscored them 139-77, suffering its first regulation defeat against the division on Jan. 9 against Texas. The Griffins' 31 wins are the most divisional victories since 2018-19 (31-20-5-2). Seventeen of the remaining 22 games for Grand Rapids will be against the Central Division (77.3%). The Griffins will see the most games against the Rockford IceHogs (5) followed by the Milwaukee Admirals (4).

Back in the Groove: The Griffins dropped six of 10 games from Jan. 7-30 but have since returned to form, showing an 8-1-0-0 record with a plus-16 margin (33-17) from Jan. 31-Feb. 21. Grand Rapids has scored at least four goals in six of its last nine contests and has allowed more than two goals just twice. The Griffins have continued their league-record start with a 40-7-2-1 ledger and 83 points through 50 games, surpassing the 1992-93 Binghamton Rangers (38-6-6, 82 pts.) for the best start through 50 games in the AHL's 90-year history. The team saw its franchise-record tying 15-game win streak from Nov. 22-Dec. 27 come to an end in overtime on Dec. 31, which also tied for the sixth-longest run in AHL history. In addition, the Griffins' 19-game point streak from Nov. 22-Jan. 7 (18-0-1-0) ended on Jan. 9, which tied for the longest run in franchise history. The Griffins are 19-2-1-1 on the road and 21-5-1-0 at home. The 17-game points streak on the road from Oct. 10-Jan. 23 (15-0-1-1) set a new AHL record, eclipsing the 2010-11 Milwaukee Admirals' 16-game run (10-0-4-2). Grand Rapids ranks first in the AHL in points (83), has a 20-point cushion over Chicago for first place in the Central Division, and is 41 points up on a playoff spot.

The Lombardi Trophy: Amadeus Lombardi posted five points (3-2-5) in two games last weekend, which included an overtime-winner in both contests. He became just the third player in Griffins history to score an overtime goal in consecutive games, joining Turner Elson and Filip Hronek. Lombardi's three OT goals this campaign tie the Griffins' single-season record, and his four-career OT-winners are tied for fourth in franchise history. He enjoyed a three-game point streak (1-2-3) from Feb. 7-15 and now has 12 points (6-6-12) in his last 10 outings. The third-year pro was sidelined for 20 straight games from Nov. 22-Jan. 9 due to rehabbing an injury. Since his return on Jan. 13, Lombardi has 14 points (6-8-14) in 17 games. Last season, the Aurora, Ontario, native, logged a career-high 40 points (19-21-40) in 44 games with the Griffins. With Grand Rapids since the spring of 2023, Lombardi has 95 points (33-62-95) in 146 outings. He was the 113th overall pick by the Detroit Red Wings in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft.

Record Setters: Below is a list of team and league records that the Griffins have either set or tied this season.

- Best record in AHL history through 25 games (23-1-0-1, 47 pts.), 30 games (27-1-1-1, 56 pts.), 40 games (32-5-2-1, 67 pts.) and 50 games (40-7-2-1, 83 pts.), while tying for the best start through 35 games (29-3-2-1, 61 pts.)

- Tied second-best record in AHL history through 45 games (35-7-2-1, 73 pts.)

- Reached the 60-point mark in just 32 games, three games faster than any team in AHL history

- AHL record 17-game road points streak from Oct. 10-Jan. 23 (15-0-1-1)

- Tied franchise-record 15-game winning streak from Nov. 22-Dec. 27, which also tied for sixth-longest in AHL history

- Tied franchise-record 19-game points streak from Nov. 22-Jan. 7 (18-0-1-0)

- Franchise-record start with an 8-0 record and was the league's last undefeated team for first time since 2000-01 IHL season

- Started 6-0 at home for first time since 2009-10 (8-0)

- Franchise record for largest margin of victory (9) on Nov. 25 at Texas (10-1 W)

- Franchise record for fewest shots in a game (10) on Jan. 17 versus Milwaukee

Untouchables: Below are statistical categories in which the Griffins are undefeated in regulation.

- 29-0 when scoring the game's first goal

- 18-0 when leading after the first period

- 28-0 when leading after the second period

- 7-0 in games decided by four or more goals

- 16-0 when allowing one goal or less

- 33-0-1-1 when scoring at least three goals

- 23-0-0-1 when scoring a power-play goal

- 6-0-1-0 when scoring a shorthanded goal

- 1-0-0-1 when allowing a shorthanded goal

- 1-0 when recording 10-19 shots

- 3-0 when allowing 10-19 shots

What's The Password?: The Griffins' defense remains the best in the AHL, as it ranks first with 1.92 goals allowed per contest. Grand Rapids posted its eighth shutout of the season on Feb. 15 against Texas, which are the most since 2016-17 (8). The Griffins shut out their opponent in two straight games from Jan. 17-21 in addition to posting consecutive shutouts from Dec. 21-27. Prior to this season, the last time Grand Rapids logged two straight shutouts was Feb. 15-17, 2018. The Griffins have allowed more than two goals just 13 times all season (26.0%) and have averaged 1.60 goals allowed in their last five outings. In addition, the team's penalty kill is first in the AHL at 86.5%. In net, Sebastian Cossa sports a 1.95 GAA with a .928 save percentage and five shutouts, while rookie netminder Michal Postava possesses a 1.70 GAA, a .939 save percentage and two shutouts. The Griffins have four defensemen who have played at least 100 games in the NHL in Erik Gustafsson (517) (currently with Detroit), Justin Holl (396), Ian Mitchell (110), and William Lagesson (107), totaling 1,130 appearances.

Check out the Grand Rapids Griffins Statistics

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American Hockey League Stories from February 24, 2026


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