If the playoffs were to begin today, how far do you see the Griffins going? Photo/Grand Rapids Griffins
[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he Grand Rapids Griffins (41-19-2-4) sit atop the Midwest Division with 88 points and are third overall in the AHL heading into tonight’s game against divisional foe, Rockford Ice Hogs. The Griffins will play the Ice Hogs again on Saturday and Milwaukee on Sunday, giving them a chance to clinch a playoff berth.
The Griffins are down just two points from clinching a playoff spot for the first time in March since the 2009 season, and qualifying for the playoffs for the first time in consecutive seasons since 2006 and 2007. In 2013, the Griffins won the Calder Cup.
But where does Grand Rapids stack up against other teams in the Western Conference, and if the playoffs were to begin tomorrow, what would their path back to the Calder Cup finals look like?
Team Records
At the moment, the only team in the AHL to clinch a playoff berth are the Texas Stars, who lead the West Division of the Western Conference by 16 points with 93. The Stars lead the AHL and the conference, with the Griffins just 5 points behind them.
The Texas Stars lead the AHL with 93 points, five ahead of Grand Rapids who sits at third. Photo/Grand Rapids Griffins
Grand Rapids has had Texas’ number all season, going 3-1 overall. Their first two games were 11/29 and 11/30, where Grand Rapids narrowly won in the first (5-4) and dominated the second (5-1). Grand Rapids lost their third meeting of the season, 4-6, on 1/24 but won the next night 4-1.
Texas’ Travis Morin is the top scorer in the AHL with a total of 78 points this season with 31 goals and 47 assists. Colton Sceviour is the sixth leading scorer, and also a Star. Additionally, Texas has four players in the top 20 of the AHL while Grand Rapids only has one.
These two teams would likely meet in the in the second or third round of the playoffs, and with a seven-game series, it is safe to assume the Griffins may have the edge over the Stars, despite the latter’s superior record.
On the opposite side of the coin, Grand Rapids may meet the Toronto Marlies, who sit at third in the Western Conference.
Toronto celebrates their sweep of Grand Rapids after defeating the Griffins in game four, 4-1. Photo/Grand Rapids Griffins
The Marlies have bested the Griffins in all four games the teams have played this season. Despite falling 4-3 in their first two games of the year, including a shootout loss during the Hockeytown Winter Festival at Comerica Park in December, the Griffins were trampled in the final two games, scoring just one goal in each while the Marlies tallied seven between the two.
Toronto’s Spencer Abbott is the second top attacker in the AHL, tallying 17 goals and 52 assists this season.
With the exception of the Iowa Wild, if the playoffs started tomorrow, the four remaining Midwest Division teams would be in the postseason (Chicago, Rockford, Milwaukee and Grand Rapids).
Impact Griffins
Star goalie Tom McCollum said in an interview with The Pit earlier this year that many of the young guys on the team have stepped up to fill holes left by guys getting called up by the Detroit Red Wings.
At the moment, (C) Riley Sheahan, (RW) Luke Glendenning and (RW) Tomas Jurco are with the Red Wings.
Sheahan has skated with the Griffins for 31 appearances this season, tallying 18 points with 8 goals and 10 assists while Glendenning has only appeared in 18 games with a tally of 12 points (5 goals, 7 assists).
Jurco may have had the most impact of player of those in the NHL for the Griffins. In 32 appearances, he scored 13 goals with 19 assists. Jurco skated with the Slovakian hockey team during the Socchi Winter Olympics as an active Griffin, but after the Olympic break, the Wings called him up to the NHL.
Injuries are also plaguing numerous Griffins skaters, dwindling their numbers even more with about three weeks left in the regular season.
But despite the losses of some key figures on the ice, Grand Rapids has not had much of a lull in production.
Grand Rapids is a favorite to make a run at the championship again this year. Photo/Grand Rapids Griffins
Teemu Pulkkinen leads the Griffins with a total of 52 points, tallying 25 goals and 27 assists in 61 appearances this season. Perhaps the most effective attacker on the ice for Grand Rapids, Pulkkinen has had 180 shots on goal this season.
Additionally, Grand Rapids has a pair of goalies that have played phenomenally this season in Petr Mrazek and McCollum.
McCollum (22-11-3-2) has allowed an average of 2.28 goals per game with a save percentage of 0.922. The goalie is talked about as being one of the best in Griffins history, and when he talked with The Pit earlier this year, he mentioned that his successes last season and this season can be credited to him just having fun on the ice.
Mrazek (19-6-1-3) has similar numbers, allowing an average of 2.12 goals per game. Mrazek hasn’t seen as much ice time as McCollum but has stepped up at key moments to give the Griffins the season they have had.
Predictions for the Playoffs
Given the dynamic of the Midwest Division and the Western Conference as a whole, it is safe to assume that the Grand Rapids Griffins will be a favorite to make a run at the Calder Cup again this season.
Their toughest challenges, as previously mentioned, will be Toronto and Texas if the cards fall that way. And while there are a number of Griffins out either with the Red Wings or due to injury, Grand Rapids will likely need their young skaters to step up as they have all season.
Anything can happen during the postseason, an with that said, if Grand Rapids happens to not meet Toronto in the postseason, there is no reason to think they won’t be in the Calder Cup Finals again this year. However, if the Griffins and Marlies meet, the series could go either way but the edge is given to Toronto following their season sweep of Grand Rapids.
