Saturday, Jan. 6, 2018 | 7:00 P.M. | CW50 | Facebook
SOMETHINGS GOTTA GIVE
The Chicago Wolves come into Saturday’s game touting a 13-game point streak while the Grand Rapids Griffins are carrying a seven-game point streak. The Wolves own an 11-0-1-1 record dating back to Dec. 9 and the Griffins are 6-0-0-1 since Dec. 22. Grand Rapids’ last regulation loss came at the claws of the Wolves as they topped the Griffins 5-4 in a School-Day showdown on Dec. 21 at Allstate Arena.
Edge of Glory
The Chicago Wolves have the chance tonight to stretch their point streak to 14 games and match a franchise record. Twice the Wolves have reached the 14-game point mark as the feat was first accomplished from Oct. 6 to Nov. 17, 2007, when that squad went 13-0-1-0 to start the season. The most recent rendition occurred Jan. 24 to Feb. 21, 2010, when that Wolves team accrued a 12-0-0-2 record.
Territorial
Historically, the Chicago Wolves have not been great against the Grand Rapids Griffins at Allstate Arena. Over the last five seasons, Grand Rapids has ruled the roost with a 13-7—0-0 record on Chicago’s home turf. The Wolves enter tonight’s game in search of their second victory at Allstate Arena in three attempts against the Griffins.
Meet Me in St. Lous
Rookie defenseman Jake Walman was recalled from loan today by the St. Louis Blues. The 21-year-old Toronto native is in his second season with the Wolves. Walman skated in 34 of 36 games this season and ranks second in team defensemen scoring with 13 points (2G, 11A). Last season, Walman made his professional debut with Chicago on April 1, 2017, and went on to skate in 15 more games — including eight Calder Cup Playoff games. The 2014 NHL Draft pick netted his first pro goal in just his second game — April 2, 2017 — against the Charlotte Checkers.
On the Line
On Friday, 21-year-old Dmitry Osipov skated in his third game wearing a Chicago Wolves uniform. The rookie defenseman has yet to earn his first professional point, but he does own a +2 plus/minus rating and two penalty minutes. Prior to joining the Wolves, Osipov skated four seasons in the Western Hockey League and totaled 270 games and 41 points (8G, 33A).
By the Numbers:
- 1.00: Brandon Pirri continues to be the Chicago Wolves’ most consistent player. The 26-year-old averages a point per game with 15 goals and 15 assists through 30 games. The 26-year-old Toronto native is among the league’s top 15 scores. The league’s top scorers — Chris Bourque and Chris Terry — own 39 points. Pirri has been held scoreless eight times but has produced six multi-point efforts this season. He earned his second professional hat trick on Friday as he scored all three regulation Wolves goals.
- 2: When the Chicago Wolves toppled the league-leading Manitoba Moose on Friday, the victory catapulted the team into the No. 2 spot in the Central Division. The closest teams in Chicago’s rear-view mirror include the Milwaukee Admirals and Iowa Wild. Both clubs have games in hand on Chicago: Two and one, respectively. However, Chicago boasts ROW (regulation and overtime wins) better than both teams.
- 6: One of Brandon Pirri’s three goals in Friday’s game was a short-handed tally that brought the Chicago Wolves season total to six shorties. Pirri became the fourth Wolves player this season to score short-handed. However, Pirri’s shortie came in a unique manner: He collected his during a penalty-shot attempt — the Wolves’ first successful penalty shot since Ty Rattie on March 6, 2016, against Milwaukee. The tally was the just the third short-handed goal of Pirri’s professional career.
- 7: With a thrilling overtime victory against the top-ranked Manitoba Moose, the Chicago Wolves pushed their home winning streak to seven games — the best in the AHL. Previously, the Wolves and the Providence Bruins were leading the league with identical six-game winning stints on home ice. However, the Hartford Wolf Pack quelled Providence’s streak Friday night with a 3-2 victory at Dunkin’ Donuts Center. The Wolves will look to extend their streak at Allstate Arena to eight games. Their current seven is already a league season-high.
- 8: Defenseman Griffin Reinhart and forward Tobias Lindberg lead the Chicago Wolves with +8 plus/minus ratings. Since the Wolves began their point streak on Dec. 9, the 22-year-old Lindberg owns seven goals and four assists for 11 points. Prior to the Wolves’ point streak, Lindberg had collected a single assist. The Wolves are 8-0-1-1 when Lindberg gets on the scoresheet. While 23-year-old Reinhart hasn’t been quite as offensively productive as Lindberg, he does own four assists since Dec. 9.
- 21:The Wolves have participated in a league-leading 21 one-goal games. Friday’s overtime win against the top-ranked Manitoba Moose may have been Chicago’s most entertaining one-goal battle as Teemu Pulkkinen scored just 49 seconds into the overtime frame for the 4-3 win. This season, Chicago has gone to extra frames 10 times to decide a victor. The Wolves own a 3-5 record in the 3-on-3 overtime session and an 0-2 record in shootouts.
Game Review
Friday, Jan. 5 (at) Chicago 4, Manitoba 3 (OT)
- Chicago extended its point streak to 13 games with an overtime win over the league leaders.
- Forward Teemu Pulkkinen scored the game-winning goal just 49 seconds into the extra frame.
- 2018 All-Star selection Brandon Pirri nettted his second career three-goal performance.
- Manitoba’s Buddy Robinson also collected a hat trick.
- Goaltender Max Lagace made 21 saves in the victory
Wednesday, Jan. 3 (at) Chicago 5, Cleveland 3
- The Wolves pushed their point streak to a dozen games with a win over the Monsters.
- Forward Tomas Hyka collected three points (G, 2A) while Tobias Lindberg collected two (G, A).
- Cleveland rallied with three straight goals to tie the game before Chicago netted two third-period tallies for the win.
- Forwards Beau Bennett, Bryce Gervais (GWG), and T.J. Tynan also scored.
- Goaltender Max Lagace made 21 saves for his ninth win of the season.
FOLLOW. LISTEN. WATCH.
Listen on Facebook Live Watch on AHL LIVEHEAD-TO-HEAD RECORDS
2017-18 Series
3-2-0-0 Chicago
LAST MEETING
Dec. 21, 2017
All-Time
61-63-2-14-4
SERIES GAME-BY-GAME
Date | Location | Result |
---|---|---|
10/27/2017 | Van Andel Arena | L, 5-3 |
11/03/2017 | Van Andel Arena | W, 2-0 |
12/02/2017 | Allstate Arena | L, 2-5 |
12/15/2017 | Van Andel Arena | W, 6-3 |
12/21/2017 | Allstate Arena | W, 5-4 |
01/06/2018 | Allstate Arena | |
02/21/2018 | Van Andel Arena | |
03/25/2018 | Allstate Arena |