Grand Rapids is still the one team Manitoba hasn’t solved this season.
The Griffins edged the Moose 4-3 in a Central Division matchup, handing Manitoba its second loss of the year and doing it in a game that had plenty riding on special teams and a little extra sting because of how tight the season has been for the Moose. Coming in, Manitoba had already stacked up three wins over Chicago and two against Texas, and it was trying to earn a split of its season set with Grand Rapids after the Griffins dealt it its lone defeat two weeks ago in Grand Rapids.
Manitoba entered the night at 5-1-0 and near the top of the AHL in several key categories, including goals scored, power play and penalty kill. Grand Rapids, though, was ready for the challenge.
There was some movement in the Moose lineup before puck drop. Walker Duehr had cleared waivers on Tuesday and was assigned to Manitoba, but he was not in the lineup.
Instead, Jets prospect Fabian Wagner drew in to replace Brayden Yager between Lucas Wahlin and Nikita Chibrikov. On the back end, Dysin Mayo came out and Lucas Gustafsson went back in.
Ashton Sautner was paired with Isaak Phillips, leaving Elias Salomonsson and Alfons Freij together as the two Swedes on defense.
The lines looked like this:
Wahlin - Wagner - Chibrikov
Gregor - Zhilkin - Ford
He - Julien - Barlow
Empey - Yoder - Burnside
Sautner - Phillips
Freij - Salomonsson
Gustafsson - Thrun
DiVincentiis
There was also a notable face on the Grand Rapids bench. Jamie Phillips, a former Jets prospect and former Moose goalie, was backing up for the Griffins.
Phillips played 27 games for Manitoba over two seasons and hadn’t played pro since the 2019-20 season. He signed a PTO on Tuesday.
Manitoba did get an early boost from a fortunate bounce. With the Moose down a goal, Elias Salomonsson delivered a solid hit along the boards, and shortly after that Danny Zhilkin cashed in on a redirection by a Griffins player into his own net to tie it up. That gave Zhilkin his third goal of the season.
The Moose then grabbed a 2-1 lead when Chase Yoder finished off the rebound off an Isaak Phillips shot, with Davis Burnside picking up an assist. Manitoba’s fourth line kept the pressure on and contributed the kind of secondary scoring teams love to see.
Grand Rapids answered before the first period ended, scoring on the power play to pull even at 2-2.
The middle period didn’t produce any goals, but there was still plenty happening. Isaak Phillips jumped into the play when he saw space and created a good Moose chance as Manitoba looked for the go-ahead goal. On the other end, Domenic DiVincentiis kept the game level with a series of big saves, including one highlight-reel stop that drew attention all by itself.
The Griffins finally broke through in the third, scoring twice in a row to take control. Manitoba did claw one back while shorthanded, when Henry Thrun ripped home a shot to make it a one-goal game again. But that was as close as the Moose would get.
It was a meeting of the AHL’s best power play against the AHL’s best penalty kill, and Grand Rapids came out on top in that matchup. The Griffins managed to score on one of their power plays, while also surrendering a shorthanded goal, but they did enough in the key moments to leave with the win.
Final: Grand Rapids 4, Manitoba 3.
The Moose are now 5-2-0, with both losses coming against the Griffins.
Next up, Manitoba heads to Iowa for a pair of games against the Wild.
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