11/21 GDT: W-B/Scranton Penguins 3 @ Grand Rapids Griffins 2 - SO

[Aussie_Wing 354]

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (9-6-0-1) @ Grand Rapids Griffins (8-4-2-1)

@

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins are in town to take on the Griffins in what looms as a crucial game. Wilkes-Barre are 3rd in their division while the Griffins are in 4th.

The Griffins are coming off their 4th regulation loss of the season, and three of the losses have come at the hands of the Milwaukee Admirals (the other being in OT). NHL veterans Darren Haydar and Landon Wilson are providing great offence as well as 2nd year forward Darren Helm. Rookie Cory Emmerton has 3 assists in his past 2 games and as a result should be in the line-up again tonight. Evan McGrath has been a healthy scratch of late which is disappointing given his form beforehand.

Probable line-up:

Leino - Helm - Haydar
Ritola - Abdelkader - Wilson
Mursak - Emmerton - McGrath
Downey - Oulahen - Pare

Ericsson - Pyett
Kindl - Galvin
Stafford - Kolosov

Larsson
Howard

Team Leaders:

Goals: Abdelkader, Wilson (8)
Assists: Helm, Leino (12)
Points: Leino (16)
Penalty Minutes: Wilson (37)

Notes:

• Jimmy Howard still seems to be struggling with consistency and letting in easy goals. He’s been good, but needs to be better.
• Darren Helm has 10 points in 8 games this month and is on a 5 game point streak.
• The offence has dried up for Abdelkader and Ritola.

[Aussie_Wing 354]

Griffins up 2-1 with 5 minutes remaining in the 2nd.

1. GR Helm, (4) , 19:44 (SH)

2. GR Helm, (5) (Leino), 12:30

The kid is on FIRE! Larsson in net, saved 14 of 15 shots.

[ruarc' 2]

Helm with two? What up kid?

[Coyote0106 2]

That game was just depressing. We should have won, and a shootout loss just doesn't sit right. We had a LOT of scoring chances and nothing to show. The ref did make some bad calls, but no goals were scored on them, so it is moot tonight.

Our D didn't play that bad. Ericsson seemed to play for most of the game, instead of taking the first 2 periods off. Kindl had a great game, making a couple nice defensive plays. I'd like to see Ericsson and Kindl switch their D pairing, just as a way to compare. Kindl is getting burned by his partner, it'd be nice to see what Ericsson could do in some situations like that.

Ritola had another good game. He back checked well, and saved a PP goal in the first. They made a nice cross ice pass, that gave them a wide open net. Ritola got his stick on it at the last second, which caused a good "rush" up the ice for us.

Helm is getting the breaks that Abdelkader got in the first month of the season. Abdelkader can't buy a goal right now, and Helm is just getting the bounces. It's good to see him get some points, because he has worked hard and had nothing to show for it.

Larsson needs work on shootouts. He doesn't challenge the shooter, and gets burned. Out of the 4 or 5 people that shot, 2 went in, and the rest hit the post. He wasn't able to stop anything. He needs alot of work on that.

[sjradio 0]

It seems like the NHL standard of officiating the Pens and Wings has filtered down to the AHL with the Pens and Griffins

11 Power plays to 6. are you kidding me?

The one that hurt was the BS call on Haydar in OT,

The non call on the boarding on Abdulkader.

[sjradio 0]

By the looks of things. We aren't going to see Landon Wilson again this season since Dallas lost Morrow for 6 months with the ACL injury.

[Aussie_Wing 354]

Our D didn't play that bad. Ericsson seemed to play for most of the game, instead of taking the first 2 periods off. Kindl had a great game, making a couple nice defensive plays. I'd like to see Ericsson and Kindl switch their D pairing, just as a way to compare. Kindl is getting burned by his partner, it'd be nice to see what Ericsson could do in some situations like that.

And I noticed he was a +2 as well, one of the first times I can remember he’s come out with that number.

Larsson needs work on shootouts. He doesn't challenge the shooter, and gets burned. Out of the 4 or 5 people that shot, 2 went in, and the rest hit the post. He wasn't able to stop anything. He needs alot of work on that.

If he makes it to the NHL and still has troubles with shootout, they could always sub him off! But not the ideal preparation for the incoming goalie in terms of stopping shots and picking up an injury… On the whole how did Larsson look though? Got the 3rd star of the game which was good.

[Coyote0106 2]

So I had a long night, any my first post had a major error in it. The baby pens did score on a PP in the 3rd. I think it was a 5-on-3, too. There were bad calls, and include the loss, and a long night...I'm bound to make atleast one mistake.

I think Larsson did really well though. He made alot of big saves..and basically FORCED them to beat him. He wasn't letting in any soft goals. Both goalies (WBS and Larsson) played really well last night. It's too bad the game ended how it did. I think Jimmy needs to start worrying about playing time if he doesn't have a helluva start soon.

[Aussie_Wing 354]

Link

CHICAGO - The Grand Rapids Griffins dropped their fourth consecutive game on Saturday, falling to the Chicago Wolves 6-3 at Allstate Arena. The Wolves went 3-for-7 with the man advantage, despite coming into the game with the league's worst power play at 5.6 percent.

The Griffins (8-5-2-2) entered the game with the AHL's fourth-best penalty kill at 89.3 percent, but gave up three power-play goals in the loss. Darren Helm recorded an assist to extend his Griffins' season-high point streak to seven games. Jimmy Howard stopped 21 shots in net for the Griffins, while Dan Turple notched 31 saves for the Wolves (12-4-1-1).

The Griffins drew first blood off the stick of Evan McGrath at the 18:24 mark of the first period. After applying pressure in the Chicago zone, Corey Emmerton forced a turnover that created a two-on-none against Turple. Emmerton controlled on the left post and fed it across to McGrath, who buried it to put the Griffins up 1-0.

Steve Martins responded with a short-handed goal one minute later. Martins ripped a slap shot from just inside the Griffins' blue line that found the top-left corner of the net to tie the game 1-1 with 36 seconds remaining in the first period. The Wolves then took the lead 4:34 into the second period when Jeff Hamilton scored a power-play goal. Chicago scored its third consecutive goal at the 12:57 mark of the second. On the power-play, Hamilton fired a pass from the right point to the left circle and Joe Motzko one-timed the puck past Howard.

Darren Haydar, who captained the Wolves to the 2007-08 Calder Cup, scored against his former team to bring the Griffins to within one with 3:16 left in the second during an odd-man rush with Helm. His first shot was saved by Turple, but he got his own rebound and his backhand try went off Turple and trickled over the line to make the score 3-2.

Brett Sterling gave the Wolves a 4-2 lead at the 5:37 mark of the third period. Sterling took the puck behind the net and then walked in front of the net and wristed a shot to the top corner of the net. Scott Lehman made it a three-goal game with his slap shot from the right point 2:04 later. Martins scored his second goal of the game on a power play 44 seconds after that, jamming the puck past Daniel Larsson, who had come on in replacement of Howard.

The Griffins made it 6-3 with a shorthanded goal from Mattias Ritola with 5:38 left in the contest. Emmerton poked a loose puck out to center ice and Ritola went five-hole on the ensuing breakaway to make it a three-goal game.

1. GR McGrath, (2) (Emmerton), 18:24

2. GR Haydar, (6) (Leino, Helm), 16:44

3. GR Ritola, (6) (Emmerton, Kolosov), 14:22 (SH)

Emmerton 2 assists, 5 points in 4 games. I don't really rate him as highly as others but that's good going. Kolosov assist and +2, impressive. Ritola, 'nuf said.