Sports stats



AHL Grand Rapids Griffins

Griffins Home for Three Games this Week

January 23, 2024 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Grand Rapids Griffins News Release


Grand Rapids Griffins center Marco Kasper amidst the Rockford IceHogs
Grand Rapids Griffins center Marco Kasper amidst the Rockford IceHogs
(Grand Rapids Griffins, Credit: Nicolas Carrillo/Griffins)

This Week's Games

GRIFFINS vs. Rockford IceHogs // Wed., Jan. 24 // 7 p.m. // Van Andel Arena

Listen: WOOD 106.9 FM/1300 AM at 6:45 p.m. on Wednesday

Watch: AHLTV

Season Series: 1-2-1-0 overall, 0-1-1-0 home. Fifth of 12 meetings overall, third of six at Van Andel Arena

All-Time Series: 62-45-10-11 Overall, 38-15-6-5 Home

NHL Affiliation: Chicago Blackhawks

Noteworthy: This will be an important game for both teams, as the Griffins (3rd place) are just one point ahead of the IceHogs in the Central Division standings. Grand Rapids has been shut out twice through the first four games of the season series against Rockford, scoring an average of 1.50 goals per game.

GRIFFINS vs. Belleville Senators // Fri., Jan. 26 // 7 p.m. // Van Andel Arena

GRIFFINS vs. Belleville Senators // Sat., Jan. 27 // 7 p.m. // Van Andel Arena

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

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

Season Series: 1-1-0-0 overall, 0-0-0-0 home. Third and fourth of four meetings overall, first and second of two at Van Andel Arena

All-Time Series: 3-2-0-2 Overall, 1-0-0-2 Home

NHL Affiliation: Ottawa Senators

Noteworthy: Belleville is featured on the schedule for the first time since the 2019-20 campaign. Former Griffin Donovan Sebrango (2020-23) joined the Senators' organization this past offseason through a trade that sent him and Dominik Kubalik to Ottawa with a 2024 first and fourth round pick for Alex DeBrincat.

Just Keep Swimming: The Griffins enjoyed a season-high five-game win streak from Dec. 27-Jan. 6 and are currently on a season-best six-game road winning streak from Dec. 27-Jan. 20. Grand Rapids has secured at least a point in 10 of its last 13 contests (8-3-2-0) and sits in third place in the Central Division, one point ahead of fourth place Rockford. Since returning from the holiday break, the Griffins have outscored their opponents 36-23, scoring an average of 3.60 goals per game. Grand Rapids allowed just one goal in three consecutive games from Dec. 31-Jan. 6 and has allowed an average of 2.30 goals against since Dec. 27. Grand Rapids has points in seven of its last 11 games (6-4-1-0) inside Van Andel Arena and has points in seven of its past eight road appearances (6-1-1-0). The Griffins have been solid at home with an 8-6-2-0 mark, outscoring their opponents 46-38. Grand Rapids has started to find a rhythm on the road, earning six straight victories, and holds an 8-9-2-1 record away from home and is being outscored 71-60.

Kasper the Friendly Ghost: Rookie Marco Kasper collected five points (3-2-5) in two games last weekend at the Manitoba Moose, helping the Griffins rally from a three-goal deficit on each night. The 19-year-old scored the game-winner in overtime on Friday and secured his first two-goal game in the AHL on Saturday before assisting on the game-winner with 12 seconds remaining. For his efforts, Kasper was named the Howies Hockey Tape/AHL Player of the Week for the period ending on Jan. 21. The former eighth overall pick by Detroit in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft has accumulated 11 points (4-7-11) in his last 10 appearances. In total, the Klagenfurt, Austria, native has 18 penalty minutes and 19 points (6-13-19) in 36 games with the Griffins, which ranks fourth on the roster. Kasper made his NHL debut with the Red Wings as an 18-year-old on April 2, 2023 at the Toronto Maple Leafs.

One-Two Punch: Goaltenders Sebastian Cossa and Michael Hutchinson have combined for points in eight out of the last 10 contests (7-2-1) and have allowed an average of 2.30 goals per game during the run. Cossa allowed just one tally in consecutive starts from Jan. 5-12 and has a 4-2-1 record in his last seven outings, showing a .904 save percentage. Hutchinson collected a team-best three straight wins from Dec. 29-Jan. 6 and has points in five of his last six appearances (4-1-1) with a .918 save percentage. Through 19 games, Hutchinson shows a 9-8-2 record with one shutout to go along with a 2.78 GAA and a .900 save percentage. Cossa has suited up for 17 outings this season and has a 7-7-3 ledger with a 2.90 GAA and a .902 save percentage. Cossa ranks seventh among rookies in goals against average and tied for sixth in save percentage. Combined, the netminding duo has a 2.84 goals against average and a .901 save percentage.

On The Come Up: The Griffins' power play has been a strong unit this season, as it is tied for fifth in the AHL with an overall conversion rate of 21.0% and the road power play comes ranks first at 24.2%. Grand Rapids has scored on the power play in seven of its last 10 games (9-for-31, 29.0%). Tim Gettinger, Joel L'Esperance and Carter Mazur are all tied for the team lead with four power-play goals, while Jonatan Berggren paces the squad with seven power-play assists. After allowing a power-play goal in a season-high five straight games from Dec. 19-31 (7-for-17, 41.2%), the Griffins have allowed just two power-play tallies in their last seven outings (24-for-26, 92.3%). However, Grand Rapids still ranks 28th in the AHL with a penalty kill rate of 78.1%. At home, the Griffins' penalty kill ranks 13th in the league at 83.6%, while the road penalty kill ranks 31st on the circuit at 74.0%.

Oh, It's You Again: At the midway point of the season, the Griffins rank third in the Central Division with a 16-15-4-1 record and 37 points, one point ahead of third place Rockford. In the final 36 games of the regular season, Grand Rapids will compete against the Central Division 29 times, with its only games outside of the division coming against Belleville (2) and Cleveland (5). The Griffins have done well against their division rivals, as they are 12-9-2-0 (.565) with a plus-eight scoring margin against the Central Division. Grand Rapids is undefeated this season against Chicago (3-0-0-0) and Iowa (2-0-0-0), while it has collected just one win against Rockford (1-2-1-0) and Texas (1-4-1-0). Rockford will be the Griffins' most frequent opponent down the stretch, as there are still eight meetings between the two teams. Grand Rapids will also see a lot of Iowa (6) and Chicago (5) as the season progresses.





Images from this story

Grand Rapids Griffins center Marco Kasper amidst the Rockford IceHogs
Grand Rapids Griffins center Marco Kasper amidst the Rockford IceHogs

(Nicolas Carrillo/Griffins)
  



American Hockey League Stories from January 23, 2024


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

Other Recent Grand Rapids Griffins Stories



Sports Statistics from the Stats Crew
OurSports Central