Preview: Moose at Grand Rapids – Jan. 10

Moose at Grand Rapids – Van Andel Arena – 6 p.m. CT
Broadcast: TSN 1290, moosehockey.com/listenlive, AHLTV FREEVIEW

The Moose cross into the second half of the season with a matchup against another divisional rival tonight in Grand Rapids. Following a 4-1 loss to the Rockford IceHogs on Wednesday, Manitoba seeks a bounce back game against the Griffins.

After a solid first period, despite being without Seth Griffith and C.J. Suess for much of the frame, the Moose looked primed to push ahead in the second period against Rockford. The IceHogs had other plans and scored the lone goal of the period. A late major penalty assessed to Andrei Chibisov gave Rockford the opportunity to stretch the lead, Jacob Nilsson did just that. Brandon Hagel's goals in the first and second proved to be all the offence the 'Hogs needed though as the Moose generated just 21 shots on goal in the game, 12 in the final 40 minutes of the 4-1 defeat.

The loss resulted in Rockford jumping past the Moose into the coveted fourth spot in the division. It also allowed Grand Rapids to pull within a pair of points by virtue of a 3-2 win in Milwaukee. The Central Division was a tight race to the end in 2018-19. It might be even closer in 2019-20. Currently the Chicago Wolves sit in third place with 38 points. The Griffins hold the eighth spot, but are just four points back of the Wolves at 34. Obviously this weekend's games are crucial for the Moose if they want to hold off the Griffins.

Wednesday's game also saw the Moose reach the halfway point of the regular season. Manitoba recorded an 18-10-0-0 record through the opening 38 games. The team’s 18 wins on the campaign are the second-most the team has posted in the first half since returning to Winnipeg in 2015-16. The Moose rank fifth in the Central Division, one point out of a playoff spot. The team also the league’s fifth-ranked power play (21.6%). Forward Cole Maier feels there were plenty of lessons learned in the first half.

"I think we've made a lot of progress from where we started. Which is one of the things we've been focusing on - trying to not repeat mistakes we've made in the past," Maier said following the team's practice on Thursday. "So I think just keeping that momentum going forward will be really big for us in the second half."

The Moose roster is going through some this week. The Winnipeg Jets have reassigned forward Logan Shaw after he cleared waivers earlier today. The plan is for Shaw to be in the lineup tonight. Shaw led Manitoba with five points (3G, 2A) in eight games at the time of his call-up. The Glace Bay, N.S. product posted two goals and an assist in 25 games in the NHL. The Jets also announced yesterday the club has reassigned 19-year-old centre David Gustafsson to the Moose following his turn at the World Junior Championships. Gustafsson claimed a bronze medal at the tournament and was named one of Sweden's top three players while leading the tournament in faceoff percentage (71%). Gustafsson will join the Moose next week when the team returns to Winnipeg.

Coverage of tonight's game begins at 5 p.m. CT on moosehockeycom/listenlive with Moose Weekly hosted by Austin Siragusa. The pre-game show starts at 5:45 on TSN 1290 and moosehockey.com, with puck drop slated for 6 p.m.

Tune in to the game on AHLTV for FREE with the mid-season AHLTV Freeview.