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AHL Grand Rapids Griffins

Griffins Travel to Rockford, Host Springfield for First Time

January 17, 2023 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Grand Rapids Griffins News Release


Grand Rapids Griffins defenseman Simon Edvinsson (right) vs. the Rockford IceHogs
Grand Rapids Griffins defenseman Simon Edvinsson (right) vs. the Rockford IceHogs
(Grand Rapids Griffins, Credit: Sarah Caputi/IceHogs)

This Week's Games

GRIFFINS at Rockford IceHogs // Wed., Jan. 18 // 8 p.m. EST // BMO Center

Listen: WOOD 106.9 FM/1300 AM at 7:45 p.m. EST

Watch: AHLTV

Season Series: 0-3-0-0 Overall, 0-2-0-0 Road. Fourth of eight meetings overall, third of four at the BMO Center

All-Time Series: 58-41-9-11 Overall, 22-28-4-6 Road

NHL Affiliation: Chicago Blackhawks

Noteworthy: The Griffins have just scored one goal in each of the previous three meetings against the IceHogs this season. Grand Rapids has been outscored 13-3 by Rockford this campaign.

GRIFFINS vs. Springfield Thunderbirds // Sat., Jan. 21 // 7 p.m. // Van Andel Arena

Listen: WOOD 106.9 FM/1300 AM at 7 p.m.

Watch: WXSP-TV and AHLTV

Season Series: 1-0-0-0 Overall, 0-0-0-0 Home. Second of two meetings overall, first of one at Van Andel Arena

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

NHL Affiliation: St. Louis Blues

Noteworthy: This will be the first-ever meeting in West Michigan against the Griffins and Thunderbirds. Grand Rapids won 2-1 in overtime in the first-ever game against Springfield back on Dec. 9, 2022.

Promotions: Grateful Dead Tribute Night presented by Acrisure, 18th Annual Great Skate Winterfest Game

Last Week's Results

Wed., Jan. 11 // GRIFFINS 2 vs. Iowa 5 (13-18-1-1 (28 pts., 0.424, T6th Central)

Fri., Jan. 13 // GRIFFINS 0 vs. Iowa 4 // 13-19-1-1 (28 pts., 0.412, T6th Central)

Sat., Jan. 14 // GRIFFINS 1 vs. Chicago 0 // 14-19-1-1 (30 pts., 0.429, 6th Central)

Mon., Jan. 16 // GRIFFINS 1 at Iowa 2 (SO) // 14-19-1-2 (31 pts., 0.431, 6th Central)

Last Week's Notes

Wednesday vs. Iowa (2-5 L) - The Wild put an end to the Griffins' three-game point streak with a 5-2 win at Van Andel Arena. The Griffins led the Wild in the shot column with a 34-24 advantage despite the loss. Chase Pearson knotted the game at two a piece with his first goal of the 2022-23 campaign (1-8-9). In his first game since Dec. 31, 2022, Kyle Criscuolo lit the lamp for the fifth time this season with a crafty goal in the second stanza. Criscuolo has been scratched the last three games due to the AHL's development rule. Netminder Alex Nedeljkovic bagged his fourth assist of his AHL career and first since Jan. 19, 2020 against the Toronto Marlies. Recap | Highlights

Friday vs. Iowa (0-4 L) - The Wild handed the Griffins their third shutout loss of the season in a 4-0 contest at Van Andel Arena. Chase Pearson's three-game point streak (1-2-3) was snapped, recording two penalty minutes and two shots in the contest. Jesper Wallstedt made 24 saves in his first shutout in the AHL. In the two-game series this week between Iowa and Grand Rapids, Sammy Walker had four points (2-2-4) and now has eight points in five outings (4-4-8) against the Griffins in 2022-23. Defenseman Wyatt Newpower skated in his 100th professional game. Recap | Highlights

Saturday vs. Chicago (1-0 W) - The Griffins concluded their seven-game homestand with a 1-0 shutout win over the Wolves at Van Andel Arena, courtesy of Alex Nedeljkovic's 27 saves. In six games with Grand Rapids, Nedeljkovic has a 0.920 save percentage, 2.30 goals against average and a 3-2-1 ledger. Cross Hanas tallied the game-winner in the first stanza, his first goal since returning from injury on Jan. 4. In their seven-consecutive home games, the Griffins finished with a 3-3-0-1 record. Recap | Highlights

Monday at Iowa (1-2 SOL) - Victor Brattstrom and Zane McIntyre combined for 65 saves in the Wild's 2-1 shootout win over the Griffins on Martin Luther King Jr. Day at Wells Fargo Arena. Brattstrom drew the start between the pipes for the first time since Dec. 30, making 28 saves on 29 shots. The Swede's 0.966 save percentage is a season best outside of his eight saves on eight shots performance in just 9:22 of ice time on Oct. 23. Austin Czarnik scored the lone goal for Grand Rapids, claiming second place in goals scored by a Griffin this season with 10. The Griffins moved to 8-0-1-2 (0.864) in games decided by one goal this season. Recap | Highlights

Alexander The Great: Netminder Alex Nedeljkovic has been a welcomed addition to the Griffins roster, as the goaltender was assigned on a conditioning loan by Detroit on Jan. 4. After clearing waivers on Jan. 16, the netminder was assigned to Grand Rapids on a regular loan. Through six outings, Nedeljkovic has a 3-2-1 record along with a 2.30 goals against average and a 0.920 save percentage. Last Saturday, Nedeljkovic posted a 27-save shutout against the Chicago Wolves, his first in the AHL since Feb. 7, 2020 against Hartford (17 saves). On Jan. 11, Nedeljkovic recorded his fourth assist and fifth point of his AHL career, which was his first AHL point since Jan. 19, 2020. The only other season in Grand Rapids history during which two NHL goalies (Nedeljkovic and Magnus Hellberg) played for the Griffins on conditioning stints was 2005-06, when both Chris Osgood (3 GP, 2-1, 3.34 GAA, 0.882%) and Manny Legace (1 GP, 1-0, 2.00 GAA, 0.909%) donned the Griffins' wings instead of Detroit's.

Few and Far Between: The Griffins have struggled to find the back of the net in recent games, as the team has scored a combined two goals in their previous three outings. Grand Rapids has not scored more than two goals since Jan. 6 when it scored four in a 4-2 victory over Texas. Since then, the Griffins have tallied a combined six goals in five contests (1.20 goals per game). Grand Rapids is tied for 29th out of 32 teams with 96 goals scored this campaign (2.67 goals per game).

Finding His Stride: Rookie Cross Hanas is off to a positive start to his professional career with 15 points (8-7-15) in 24 games. The 21-year-old posted 12 points (7-5-12) during his first 15 appearances, which included a three-point outing on Nov. 11 against the Toronto Marlies. Hanas suffered an upper-body injury in late November that kept him sidelined until Jan. 4, missing 12 games. After failing to find the scoresheet in his first three games back, Hanas now has three points (1-2-3) in his last four contests, including the game-winner in a 1-0 decision against Chicago on Jan. 14.

On the Road Again: Last week, the Griffins wrapped up their season-high seven-game homestand that spanned from Dec. 31-Jan. 14. Grand Rapids finished with a 3-3-0-1 mark and are now 8-9-1-1 in West Michigan this season. The Griffins will now play seven out of their next eight games on the road, which began with a 1-2 shootout defeat at the Iowa Wild on Jan. 16. Grand Rapids holds a 6-10-0-1 ledger on foreign ice.

Just Keep it Close: The Griffins have had an up-and-down start to the season, but they have excelled at winning close games. In fact, Grand Rapids is 8-0-1-2 (0.864) in games decided by one goal and 4-0-1-0 (0.900) in overtime contests. In comparison, the Griffins are just 6-19-0-0 (0.240) in games decided by two or more tallies. In the 2021-22 season, the Griffins finished with a 13-7-6-2 (0.607) mark in games decided by one goal.

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Images from this story

Grand Rapids Griffins defenseman Simon Edvinsson (right) vs. the Rockford IceHogs
Grand Rapids Griffins defenseman Simon Edvinsson (right) vs. the Rockford IceHogs
(Sarah Caputi/IceHogs)		   



American Hockey League Stories from January 17, 2023


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