CHICAGO WOLVES (27-16-5-1) AT MANITOBA MOOSE (23-21-3-2)
Friday, Feb. 15 | 7 p.m. | Facebook Watch | AHLTV | Facebook Live
give it another go in manitoba
Despite the setback to Manitoba on Wednesday, the Chicago Wolves are still leading the Central Division in road contests and are just three points behind the Grand Rapids Griffins for the overall lead in the Central. While the Wolves do well on the road, Manitoba won its seventh straight home game with the 4-2 victory on Wednesday.
The Wolves are outscoring teams 61-37 in the first period and have won 31 of the 49 games in which they have scored first. But when the Moose opened the scoring on Wednesday night, the statistics turned against the Wolves. Chicago has come back just twice when trailing after the first period and have only made a third-period comeback to win or force overtime five times this season.
The Wolves’ work on the power play also has been a big reason for their winning, going 18-9-3-1 when scoring on the man-advantage, but Manitoba’s penalty kill kept the Wolves power play at bay until the third period of Wednesday’s contest. The Moose penalty kill averages a 79.7 percent rate this season but, against the Wolves, Manitoba kills penalties at an 88.8 percent clip (24 for 27).
SOME streaks REMAIN ALIVE
Forward Daniel Carr extended his goal streak on Wednesday with his third-period tally, notching a goal in his fifth straight game for the Wolves. The last Wolves player to enjoy a five-game goal streak was Jordan Caron, who tallied in five straight appearances from Dec. 15, 2015, to Jan. 3, 2016 — with a 10-day stint with the NHL’s St. Louis Blues nestled in the middle of that run. Carr’s 61 points are still seven points ahead of Syracuse’s Carter Verhaeghe and his +29 plus/minus rating tops the league as well. Carr averages 1.42 points per game, the best by any active player that has played more than one game.
While Carr’s streak lives on at least one more game, center T.J. Tynan saw his 11-game road point streak come to an end in the Wolves loss. Tynan was the third assist on forward Curtis McKenzie’s goal, sending a pass from out of the corner up to the point, but unfortunately does not receive a point for his efforts. Tynan recorded four goals and 11 assists for 15 points across the Wolves’ last 11 road games, dating back to the Wolves’ overtime win in Iowa on Dec. 5.
FACEBOOK WATCH
The AHL and Facebook have teamed up to provide a free Facebook Game of the Week on Friday nights all season long — and tonight marks the Wolves’ debut on Facebook Watch. To enjoy tonight’s game, simply visit this link. When you click “Get Reminder” on that page, you’ll receive a notification when the game goes live.
BY THE NUMBERS
.660: The Wolves boast a 16-8-1-0 record in road games, a .660 winning percentage that ranks third in the league. That percentage also ranks third in Wolves history. The franchise record is owned by John Anderson’s 2006-07 squad, which finished the season with a road mark of 27-8-2-3, good for a .738 percentage.
3: The Wolves’ prowess during even-strength play shows up in the league’s plus/minus ratings as Chicago owns the top three spots. Veteran forward Daniel Carr continues to lead the AHL with his +29 rating while linemate Gage Quinney owns second place at +28. Rookie defenseman Zach Whitecloud ranks third with a +27.
10: The Wolves’ power play and penalty kills are both ranked among the top 10 in the league — standing ninth and 10th, respectively. Iowa, Syracuse and Texas are the other AHL teams ranked in the top 10 of both categories. The Wolves are converting at a 21.2 percent rate on the power play while killing off penalties at an 82.4 percent clip. Manitoba ranks 23rd with a 79.7 percent penalty kill average and 28th with a 15.9 percent mark on the man-advantage.
29: The Wolves have scored 172 goals this season, tied for the second-best mark in the league. Chicago is outscoring its opponents by a 29-goal margin (172-143), which ranks as the fourth-best differential in the AHL. The Wolves are particularly impressive during the first period (+24) and on the road (+24). The Charlotte Checkers are the only team with a superior goal differential on the road (+27).
49: The Wolves boast three players who have appeared in all 49 games this season: Forwards Keegan Kolesar, Brooks Macek and Curtis McKenzie. That’s well above average among Central Division teams. Milwaukee shares the lead with three players who have played in all 52 of the Admirals’ contests. Texas also has three. Grand Rapids and Rockford have two, Iowa and San Antonio one and Manitoba hasn’t had anybody play in all 49 of its games.
99: AHL All-Star left wing Daniel Carr enters tonight’s action with a five-game goal streak and with 21 points (9G, 12A) in the Wolves’ last 13 games. If he maintains his 1.42 points-per-game pace the rest of the year, he’ll finish with 99 points this season. He would become the AHL’s biggest point producer since 2009-10, when Hershey’s Keith Aucoin scored 106 points and teammate Alexandre Giroux added 103.
356: If you’ve suited up for the Wolves, chances are better than 50/50 that you’ve also played in the National Hockey League. When recent Wolves forward Mackenzie MacEachern made his NHL debut on Jan. 10 for the St. Louis Blues, he became the 356th player (out of 619 Wolves all-time) who have competed for the Wolves and in the NHL. That 57.5 percent overall success rate is even higher among goaltenders. Of the 55 players who’ve tended the net for the Wolves over the years — starting with original goaltenders Ray LeBlanc and Wendell Young and continuing through current Wolves Max Lagace and Oscar Dansk — 38 boast NHL experience (69.1 percent).
