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AHL Grand Rapids Griffins

Griffins Ready for Contests against Chicago, Texas

November 16, 2021 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Grand Rapids Griffins News Release


This Week's Games

GRIFFINS vs. Chicago Wolves // Wed., Nov. 17 // 11 a.m. // Van Andel Arena

Listen: 96.1 The Game at 10:35 a.m.

Watch: AHLTV

Season Series: 0-2-0-0 Overall, 0-2-0-0 Home. Third of 12 meetings overall, third of six at Van Andel Arena

All-Time Series: 90-73-2-6-3 Overall, 44-34-2-4-2 Home

NHL Affiliation: Carolina Hurricanes

Noteworthy: The Griffins are winless in their past three games against Chicago, having been outscored 16-3. Despite being 11-22-0-1 against the Wolves in the past five seasons, Grand Rapids still holds a 90-73-2-6-3 overall record against Chicago.

GRIFFINS at Texas Stars // Fri., Nov. 19 // 8 p.m. EST // H-E-B Center at Cedar Park

GRIFFINS at Texas Stars // Sat., Nov. 20 // 8 p.m. EST // H-E-B Center at Cedar Park

Listen: WOOD 106.9 FM/1300 AM at 7:35 p.m. on Friday, WOOD 106.9 FM/1300 AM at 7:35 p.m. on Saturday

Watch: AHLTV

Season Series: First and second of eight meetings overall, first and second of four at H-E-B Center at Cedar Park

All-Time Series: 32-18-3-4 Overall, 14-12-2-1 Road

NHL Affiliation: Dallas Stars

Noteworthy: This game will mark the first time the two teams will meet in Texas since Feb. 29, 2020 as the two franchises did not play each other a season ago. The last time the Griffins won at the H-E-B Center at Cedar Park was on March 23, 2019, when Grand Rapids came away with a 3-2 victory.

Last Week's Results

Fri., Nov. 12 // GRIFFINS 2 vs. Manitoba Moose 0 // 5-4-0-1 (11 pts., 0.550, 3rd Central Division)

Sat., Nov. 13 // GRIFFINS 2 vs. Manitoba Moose 6 // 5-5-0-1 (11 pts., 0.500, 4th Central Division)

Last Week's Notes

Friday vs. Manitoba (2-0 W) - Calvin Pickard's first shutout of the year propelled Grand Rapids to a 2-0 victory over the Moose, marking the Griffins' third win in just as many outings and fourth victory in the past five games. Pickard's shutout was his fourth of his Griffins career, moving him into a tie for 10th place in franchise history. Jonatan Berggren (3-3-6), Riley Barber (4-4-8) and Taro Hirose (2-6-8) all extended their point streaks to five games. Patrick Curry made his season debut and Luke Witkowski skated in his 400th game as a pro. Recap | Highlights

Saturday vs. Manitoba (6-2 L) - The Griffins saw their three-game winning streak come to an end when they fell 6-2 against the Moose. Despite the loss, Riley Barber (4-5-9), Jonatan Berggren (3-4-7) and Taro Hirose (2-7-9) all extended their point streaks to six games. Turner Elson bagged a goal for the second straight contest and Kyle Criscuolo scored his second tally of the season. In his second game with the Griffins, D.J. King registered his first AHL point on an assist. Recap | Highlights

Calvin's University: Goaltender Calvin Pickard is off to a fast start, as he has allowed one goal or less in five of his seven starts and has won four straight games. Pickard recorded his first shutout of the season and fourth as a Griffin on Nov. 12 against Manitoba, moving him into a tie for 10th place in franchise history with Jani Hurme, Martin Prusek, and Eddie Pasquale. The 10-year pro currently ranks sixth in the AHL with a 1.82 goals against average while his 0.941 save percentage places third. Twelve goals allowed through his first seven starts is Pickard's best start since the 2017-18 season when he let in 14 tallies. Pickard played in just nine games in North America a season ago due to being assigned to Detroit's taxi squad for much of the year. The Moncton, New Brunswick, native also spent some time with Vienna in the ICEHL last season, logging six games and a 1.96 goals against average.

High-Flying Hirose: After leading the Griffins in assists a year ago with 23, Taro Hirose has picked off right where he left off as he has bagged 11 helpers in just as many games, which is a team high and tied for second in the league. Seven assists have come on the power play, which is good for third in the AHL. Hirose is currently enjoying a six-game point streak (2-7-9) dating back to Oct. 30. Hirose's 13 points (2-11-13) this season pace the Griffins and are tied for ninth in the league.

Return of Riley: Although it was a slow start to this year, Riley Barber is now in the midst of a six-game point streak (4-5-9). His 11 points (5-6-11) this season are second on the roster while his four power play goals are tied for first in the AHL. Barber led the Griffins in goals (20), points (34) and points per game (1.06) a season ago. His scoring pace equaled a 48-goal, 81-point clip in a regular 76-game AHL season. Barber also ranked second in the league for goals, just one shy of Cooper Marody (who played seven more games), and was named a Central Division AHL All-Star. Six game-winning goals tied a career best while his four-game goal streak from Feb. 26 through March 11 also matched a career high. The forward added seven multi-point outings out of 32, including a career-high four points (2-2-4) on May 7 against Chicago. Barber posted a nine-game point streak (8-5-13) from Feb. 5-March 11 that was the longest ever to start a player's Griffins career as well as the longest from the start of a Griffins season.

Jonny On The Spot: Rookie Jonatan Berggren is currently enjoying a six-game point streak (3-4-7), dating back to Oct. 30. The Uppsala, Sweden, native bagged his first AHL goal and two-point (1-1-2) night on Oct. 30, which began a three-game goal scoring streak for the right winger. The former second-round draft choice is tied for 15th among league rookies with three goals while his seven points (3-5-8) are tied for 12th among first-year players.

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