Moose kick off road trip vs. Griffins

Following a quick two-game home stand, the Manitoba Moose (18-22-3-2) head out on the road where they’ll begin a six-game swing tonight against the Grand Rapids Griffins (29-13-1-2) at 6 p.m. CT.

Last Game
Manitoba is coming off an exciting game on Saturday night (Feb. 4) against the San Jose Barracuda. The Moose got the scoring started in the first when Peter Stoykewych wired home a powerplay point shot for his fourth of the season. San Jose stormed back to score four straight – but Manitoba didn’t let up. Kyle Connor netted two to bring Manitoba within one in the dying minutes of the third. Both teams would add one more as the Barracuda picked up a narrow 5-4 win.

Flash Back
This is the first time the Moose and Griffins have crossed paths this season. Looking back to last season, Manitoba finished 1-3-0-0 against Grand Rapids. Manitoba’s lone win was a 2-1 victory on Jan. 5. Chase De Leo and Patrice Cormier had the Moose markers while Eric Comrie stood tall making 37 saves.

Key Contributor
Dan DeSalvo has been an important factor in Moose victories since joining the club in November. When the Bowling Green State alum scores a goal, Manitoba holds a record of 6-2-1-0. DeSalvo leads the Moose with 12 goals on the campaign and has three multi-goal games this season.

Grand Rapids’ Story
The Griffins come into tonight’s game after falling 5-4 to Milwaukee on Saturday. Despite the loss the Detroit Red Wings affiliate stills sits first in the Central Division and are 6-4-0-0 in their last 10 games. Grand Rapids has no problem scoring goals, sitting fifth in the league with 150. Ben Street is their top producer with 36 points (15G, 21A) in 40 games. Goaltending and defense have been a theme, only allowing 2.37 goals per game. The Griffins are a disciplined bunch too, taking the second least amount of PIMs in the league (448).

After being sent down on a conditioning stint, the Moose are slated to face Jimmy Howard in the Griffins’ net. This isn’t the first time Manitoba has battled an NHL netminder on a rehab assignment – Eddie Lack was between the pipes for two games when Manitoba played Charlotte in January. Howard started on Saturday in Grand Rapids’ loss to Milwaukee.

What’s Next?
The Moose move on to Cleveland for a weekend set with the Monsters beginning on Friday at 6 p.m. CT. You can listen to all Manitoba Moose road games at mooshockey.com/listenlive. Make sure to tune in 15 minutes before puck drop to hear the pre-game show with Mitch Peacock for all the latest Moose news.