2018-19 Chicago Wolves Game Notes ROCKFORD AT CHICAGO DECEMBER 29, 2018 7 p.m. CW50 WILL THIS ONE GO TO 11? 2018-19 The Chicago Wolves extended the American Hockey League’s longest current point streak to 10 games TALE OF THE TAPE with a 4-2 victory Friday night at Rockford. Considering the IceHogs and Wolves meet for another REGULAR-SEASON SERIES Illinois Lottery Cup clash tonight at Allstate Arena, that would seem to provide some nice momentum 3-3-0-0 Rockford | 3-2-1-0 Chicago for Rocky Thompson’s crew in the bid to push the point streak to 11. But here’s the catch: In each of the first six games between these teams this season, the visitors have come away the winner. Rockford has won its three by one goal each time while the Wolves have won by 5, 4 and 2 goals, but margin of victory doesn’t matter when it’s the Illinois Lottery Cup. The Wolves are in the early stages of a grueling stretch that features seven games in 11 days, but the 15-12-2-4 19-9-3-1 team has found a way to bring its “A” game every time for the last four weeks. After suffering a 7-4 home loss to the Texas Stars on Dec. 2, Chicago stood 8 points out of first place in the Central Division. LEADING SCORERS IN SERIES But here are the Central Division standings since the calendar flipped to Dec. 3: ROCKFORD CHICAGO Skater G A Pts Skater G A Pts TEAM RECORD PTS PCT Schroeder 1 5 6 x Pirri 4 4 8 Chicago 9-0-1-0 19 .950 Raddysh 3 2 5 Whitecloud 1 7 8 Louis 1 4 5 Tynan 0 7 7 Texas 6-1-2-0 14 .778 Carlsson 3 1 4 McKenzie 4 2 6 Rockford 5-3-1-0 11 .579 Grand Rapids 4-4-3-0 11 .500 San Antonio 5-3-0-0 10 .625 SERIES GAME-BY-GAME Iowa 3-4-1-1 8 .444 Date Location Result SF-SA PP PK Milwaukee 2-4-2-1 7 .389 Nov. 10 Allstate Arena L, 3-4 40-23 1-6 5-7 Manitoba 1-5-1-0 3 .214 Nov. 23 Rockford MetroCentre W, 7-2 38-35 1-6 3-4 Nov. 25 Allstate Arena L, 2-3 31-22 0-4 4-5 Dec. 8 Rockford MetroCentre W, 4-0 39-32 1-4 0-1 ALL EXPENSES-PAID TRIP TO SPRINGY? Dec. 21 Allstate Arena OTL, 4-5 23-25 0-2 1-1 The 2019 AHL All-Star Classic takes place Jan. 27-28 in Springfield, Massachusetts, and the popular Dec. 28 Rockford MetroCentre W, 4-2 37-23 2-6 4-4 four-division, 3-on-3 round-robin format still in effect. Each division needs a head coach -- and the Dec. 29 Allstate Arena 7 p.m. honor goes to the coach with the best points percentage in each division at the end of play Dec. 31. If Jan. 19 Allstate Arena 7 p.m. the Wolves (42 points in 32 games) win tonight, then the Iowa Wild (39 points in 31 games) must win in Feb. 1 Rockford MetroCentre 7 p.m. regulation tonight and against the Wolves on Monday to deny Rocky Thompson the honor. Feb. 26 Allstate Arena 7 p.m. March 20 Rockford MetroCentre 7 p.m. DANSK GIVING IT 60 MINUTES March 31 Rockford MetroCentre 4 p.m. In his first 12 starts this year, Oscar Dansk played exactly 60 minutes just one time as either he was pulled for an extra attacker late in games or pulled when the Wolves drew a delayed penalty. But THROWING IT BACK TO 2011 during his current six-game winning streak that began with a 32-save shutout on Dec. 8 at Rockford, Seven years ago today, more than 11,000 fans piled Dansk has played exactly 60 minutes in all six games. He owns a 1.17 goals-against average and a .959 into Allstate Arena to enjoy a 5-3 Wolves win over save percentage during this run. Rockford. Wolves captain Nolan Baumgartner scored his first goal for the squad while future NHL vets Andrew Shaw and Kevin Connauton scrapped. What EARLIER THIS WEEK else was happening in the world on this date? FRIDAY, DEC. 28 CHICAGO 4, (at) ROCKFORD 2 • The small country of Samoa prepared to skip Dec. • The Wolves scored three consecutive goals during the second period to transform a one-goal 30, 2011, entirely in order to move to the other side deficit into a 4-2 lead that held the rest of the way in Illinois Lottery Cup play of the international dateline to improve trade. • Forward Curtis McKenzie earned his first two-goal game with the Wolves while forward .Keegan • Wolves intermission favorite “We Found Love” by Kolesar and defenseman Dylan Coghlan also contributed goals Rihanna featuring Calvin Harris continued to own • Goaltender Oscar Dansk delivered 21 saves for his sixth win in a row the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Top 100. • Moviegoers’ top choices included “Sherlock Holmes: WEDNESDAY, DEC. 26 CHICAGO 4, (at) MILWAUKEE 1 A Game of Shadows” and “We Bought A Zoo.” • The Wolves secured sole posession of first place with their victory in Milwaukee, led by two goals and a pair of assists from forward Daniel Carr. ALL-TIME RECORD BREAKDOWN • Carr’s linemates and each scored goals for the Wolves as the three Brooks Macek Gage Quinney Seasons Home Road Overall combined for 10 of the 12 points on the night. 2007-2018 41-18-3-3 24-32-5-4 65-50-8-7 • Goaltender Oscar Dansk saved 24 shots in his fifth straight win. 2018-19 Chicago Wolves Game Notes 2018-19 HOME-ROAD CONTRASTS BY THE NUMBERS Regular Season Home Away Difference Goals For 3.94 3.94 0.00 The Wolves’ 4-2 win at Rockford on Friday night means Chicago has scored at least two Goals Against 3.56 2.56 1.00 goals in all 32 games this year - a feat no other AHL team can match. While this streak owns 2 the franchise record for opening a season with 2+ goals, it ranks second on the overall list. John Anderson’s 2006-07 team set the franchise mark by scoring 2+ in 36 consecutive games from RECORD BY DIVISION Oct. 15, 2006 to Jan. 6, 2007. Of course, it helped to have league MVP Darren Haydar on the roster. Record Win % Haydar set the AHL point streak record by recording at least one point in each of the Wolves’ first 39 Central 14-9-3-1 .593 games that year. North 1-0-0-0 1.000 Pacific 4-0-0-0 1.000 The Wolves have earned at least one point in the last 10 games, going 9-0-1-0 for the longest active point streak in the league. Not only is Chicago within three games of the RECORD BY MONTH AHL’s longest streak this year (Syracuse from Nov. 2 to Dec. 7), it’s within four games 10 Record Win % of tying the franchise record set by the 2007-08 Calder Cup champions and equaled by the 2009-10 October 6-2-0-1 .722 West Division champs and the 2017-18 Central Division titlists. November 4-5-2-0 .455 December 9-2-1-0 .792 Speaking of nice point streaks, Wolves alternate captain T.J. Tynan has been enjoying the January 0-0-0-0 .000 longest streak of his professional career. The Orland Park, Illinois, native handed out one February 0-0-0-0 .000 March 0-0-0-0 .000 11 assists Friday to push his streak to 11 games (2G, 11A) and to take the AHL’s assists lead away April 0-0-0-0 .000 from usual linemate Brandon Pirri. Tynan owns 25 assists in 32 games. The Wolves are outscoring opponents 48-26 in the first period this season, a 22-goal IN OVERTIME (3-3) differential that is the largest among AHL teams in the opening frame. Bridgeport is Goaltender Saves-Shots SV% 22 the only AHL team in the same universe with a +12 margin during the first. The Wolves Oscar Dansk (2-1) 7-8 .875 own a 15-4-3-0 record in the league-leading 22 games in which they have scored first and a 15-1-2-1 Max Lagace (1-2) 3-5 .600 record when leading after the first period. The Wolves sit at the top of the Central Division and Western Conference with 40 IN THE SHOOTOUT (0-1) points. Through 32 games, the Wolves (19-9-3-1) are off to the franchise’s best start 42 since John Anderson’s 2007-08 squad that started 23-8-1-0 on its way to the Calder Shooter Goals-Chances SH% Cup championship. T.J. Tynan 1-1 1.000 Erik Brännström 0-1 .000 Daniel Carr 0-1 .000 Chicago leads the AHL with 126 goals -- nine more than Lehigh Valley and Reid Duke 0-1 .000 Syracuse -- so it makes sense that the Wolves boast four of the league’s top 10 Brooks Macek 0-1 .000 126 scorers: League leader Brandon Pirri (17A, 24A), No. 2 Daniel Carr (17G, 22A), No. Stefan Matteau 0-1 .000 8 Brooks Macek (16G, 16A) and No. 10 T.J. Tynan (6G, 25A). Brandon Pirri 0-1 .000 Goaltender Saves-Shots SV% If you’ve suited up for the Wolves, chances are better than 50/50 that you’ve Oscar Dansk 5-7 .714 also played in the National Hockey League.