Moose wrap up road trip in Chicago

The Manitoba Moose (23-27-4-4) wrap up a four-game road trip this afternoon when they take on the Chicago Wolves (34-17-4-3) at 3 p.m. CT inside Allstate Arena.

Last Game
Manitoba looks to rebound following a tough 3-2 overtime loss to the Admirals last night. Kyle Connor scored in the first period and his goal was the only marker until he gave Manitoba a 2-0 lead in the third. Milwaukee struck back with two goals in quick succession to tie the game late in the third. Mike Ribeiro scored just eight seconds into overtime to finish the Admirals' win.

Flash Back
The Moose enter today’s test versus the Wolves with a 2-1-0-0 record against their Central Division rivals. Manitoba’s most recent victory against Chicago came back on Jan. 15 at MTS Centre when the Moose scored four straight goals to grab a 4-1 win. Delta, BC product Ryan Olsen scored two of his four goals this season against Chicago.

Streakin'
Not to be overshadowed by #41, three Moose players are on point streaks of their own. Dan DeSalvo has points in five straight with six points (2G, 4A) over that stretch. It's DeSalvo's longest streak of the season, his career high was eight games last season. Brian Strait has quietly put together a four- game run with four points (1G, 3A). The streak is the longest of Strait's AHL career. JC Lipon rounds out the group with four points (1G, 3A) over his last three games. Lipon had a four game streak earlier this season. Looking at the bigger picture, he has at least 20 points in each of his four AHL seasons.

Productive Swings
Today's game closes out Manitoba's second road swing involving Chicago, Milwaukee and Rockford. The last time the Moose played all three teams, Manitoba rattled off three wins in three games. Three games into their current swing, the Moose have gathered five of a possible six points against their Central Division rivals.

Chicago’s Story
After a slow start to the season, the Wolves sit second in the Central Division and are 8-1-1-0 in their last ten contests. A big reason for Chicago’s success is goal scoring. The St. Louis Blues’ affiliate is second in goals for with 200. Their powerplay has been effective too, ranking eighth in the league at 20.4 per cent. So where does all their goal scoring coming from? Two of the top 10 scorers in the league play for Chicago. Kenny Agostino leads the league with 66 points (20G, 46A). In fourth place is Wade Megan who has 50 points (26G, 24A). 

What’s Next?
The Moose head back to Winnipeg after today’s contest and begin a season-long eight-game home stand. Manitoba kicks things off on Thursday (Mar. 9) as they open a two-game back-to-back series against the Charlotte Checkers. The puck drops at 7 p.m. CT. For tickets to all Manitoba Moose home games, be sure to visit moosehockey.com/tickets.