The Grand Rapids Griffins have been the class of the AHL this season, racing out to the best 40-game start in the league’s 90-year history. But even for a juggernaut, rough patches happen - and right now, the Griffins are in one.
Despite their dominant 32-5-2-1 record and 67 points, Grand Rapids stumbled at home Wednesday night, falling 4-1 to the Cleveland Monsters at Van Andel Arena. It was their second straight loss and their fifth defeat in the last eight games - a stretch that’s raised some eyebrows for a team that’s looked nearly untouchable for much of the season.
Eduards Tralmaks continued his strong campaign with his career-high 16th goal, but it wasn’t enough to spark a comeback. Goaltender Sebastian Cossa did what he could, turning away 39 shots, but the Griffins were outplayed for long stretches.
And head coach Dan Watson didn’t sugarcoat it.
“We have to have a talk,” Watson said postgame. “We have to have a meeting.
This is the third straight game and eight periods out of nine that we haven’t been good. Obviously, that’s a trend and we have to stop that right here, right now.”
Watson’s frustration is rooted in more than just the recent results - it’s the timing. He pointed to a similar skid last season, when the Griffins held first place heading into the All-Star break, only to drop a pair of games to Colorado in what he called “a bad fashion.” The parallels are concerning, and Watson made it clear that the team needs to regroup before facing a tough Chicago squad.
Around the NHL: Palat Shines in Islanders Debut
Over in the NHL, the New York Islanders made a statement with a 5-2 win over the rival Rangers at Madison Square Garden. Ondrej Palat wasted no time making an impact in his Islanders debut, scoring the game’s opening goal and adding an assist. Simon Holmstrom chipped in with a goal and two helpers, while goaltender David Rittich only needed to make 14 saves to seal the win.
Mathew Barzal, Jean-Gabriel Pageau, and Emil Heineman also found the back of the net for the Islanders, who have now won two straight. The Rangers, meanwhile, continue to slide. They’ve now dropped four of their last five and are just 2-8-1 since their Winter Classic win on January 2.
Mika Zibanejad and Taylor Raddysh scored for the Rangers, but Spencer Martin faced a heavy workload and stopped 31 shots in the loss.
Columbus Keeps Rolling
In Columbus, the Blue Jackets extended their win streak to three games with a 5-3 victory over Philadelphia. Charlie Coyle led the way with a goal and an assist, while Kirill Marchenko, Eric Gudbranson, Sean Monahan, and Mathieu Olivier all chipped in goals.
The Blue Jackets had to overcome a monster night from Travis Konecny, who recorded a hat trick for the Flyers. But Elvis Merzlikins stood tall with 24 saves, and Zach Werenski continued his strong play at home, adding two assists to bring his total to 35 points over his last 21 home games.
Senators Hand Avalanche Another Loss
In Ottawa, the Senators cooled off the league-leading Colorado Avalanche with a 5-2 win. Tim Stutzle led the charge with a goal and an assist, while Artem Zub added two helpers of his own. The Senators got balanced scoring from Nick Cousins, Ridly Greig, Claude Giroux, and Brady Tkachuk, and James Reimer made 16 saves in net.
The Avalanche, who’ve now dropped three of their last four, got goals from Parker Kelly and Valeri Nichushkin. Mackenzie Blackwood stopped 18 shots in the loss.
Looking Ahead: Local Matchups to Watch
A busy stretch of hockey is on tap for fans across the region. Here’s a quick look at the upcoming local schedule:
Thursday
- Washington at Red Wings, 7:30 p.m.
Friday
- Michigan at Ohio State, 6:30 p.m.
- Michigan State at Penn State, 6 p.m.
- Nebraska-Omaha at Western Michigan, 7 p.m.
- Michigan Tech at St. Thomas, 8:07 p.m.
- Bemidji State at Northern Michigan, 6:07 p.m.
- Muskegon at NTDP U18, 7 p.m.
Saturday
- Colorado at Red Wings, 1 p.m.
- Michigan at Ohio State, 5 p.m.
- Michigan State at Penn State, 1 p.m.
- Nebraska-Omaha at Western Michigan, 6 p.m.
- Michigan Tech at St.
Thomas, 7:07 p.m.
- Bemidji State at Northern Michigan, 6:07 p.m.
Plenty of action ahead as teams look to solidify their standings heading into the stretch run - and for the Griffins, a chance to get back on track and remind the league why they’ve been the AHL’s gold standard this season.