2018-19 Chicago Wolves Game Notes CHICAGO AT SAN ANTONIO OCTOBER 28, 2018 3 p.m. AHLTV HEY, DON’T WE KNOW YOU? 2018-19 The Chicago Wolves won the last two Central Division titles with markedly different rosters -- in part TALE OF THE TAPE because the organization changed its NHL partner from the St. Louis Blues to the Vegas Golden Knights during the summer of 2017. REGULAR-SEASON SERIES 0-0-0-0 San Antonio | 0-0-0-0 Chicago LAST MEETING Now the San Antonio Rampage are the Blues’ NHL affiliate, which means their roster features a bunch April 22, 2018 of former Wolves who helped win those division crowns. San Antonio’s cast of ex-Wolves includes goaltenders Jordan Binnington and Ville Husso, forwards Samuel Blais, Conner Bleackley, Robby Fabbri, Mackenzie MacEachern and Adam Musil and defensemen Chris Butler and Jake Walman. Fabbri, who’s on a conditioning stint with the Rampage, is the only one of the group who wasn’t a part of at least one of the division-winning teams. 1-8-0-0 6-1-0-1 Butler served as the captain of the 2016-17 squad while Blais ranked second on the roster with 26 LEADING SCORERS goals. Binnington and Husso shared the crease with Pheonix Copley, who’s now with the Washington SAN ANTONIO CHICAGO Capitals and earned his first NHL win on Saturday night. MacEachern, Walman and Bleackley played Skater G A Pts Skater G A Pts roles on the 2016-17 and 2017-18 teams. Flynn 0 4 4 Carr 3 9 12 Musil 2 1 3 Macek 9 2 11 EARLY-SEASON SUCCESS Smith 2 1 3 Pirri 3 7 10 For the fourth time in the Wolves’ 25-year history, the team has produced at least six wins in the first LaLeggia 1 2 3 Quinney 5 3 8 eight games. Rocky Thompson’s team owns an .813 winning percentage through eight games, which equals the starts by the 1997-98 Turner Cup champions (6-1-1) and the 2015-16 team (6-1-0-1). Only the SERIES GAME-BY-GAME 2007-08 Calder Cup champs, who opened 7-0-1-0, managed a better start than this year’s crew. Date Location Time SF-SA PP PK Oct. 28 AT&T Center 3 p.m. One of the statistics that lends legitimacy to the team’s fast start is their performance during 5-on-5 Dec. 1 Allstate Arena 7 p.m. play. The Wolves have outscored their opponents 25 to 13 when both sides have been at full strength, Jan. 4 Allstate Arena 7 p.m. which happens to mirror the team’s +12 goal differential overall (35-23). Jan. 5 Allstate Arena 7 p.m. March 5 AT&T Center 10:30 a.m. The Daniel Carr-Gage Quinney-Brooks Macek line has been particularly effective at even-strength. March 16 Allstate Arena 7 p.m. Carr leads the AHL in plus-minus rating at +13 while Quinney and Macek share second place with March 23 AT&T Center 7 p.m. Rochester’s Lawrence Pilut at +11. Defensemen Nic Hague (+8) and Zac Leslie (+7) also rank among the March 26 AT&T Center 7 p.m. league’s Top 20 in plus-minus. THROWING IT BACK TO 2002 The Wolves also boast one of the league’s top shooting percentages. They’re taking just 26.38 shots The Wolves and the Rampage met for the first time per game, which ranks among the bottom five teams in the league, but they’re among the league’s top on Dec. 27, 2002, when Chicago earned a 4-2 victory five teams with 4.38 goals per game. That works out to a 16.6 shooting percentage.` on San Antonio’s ice. Here was the world as we knew it during those holidays: • The movie “Chicago” starring Renee Zellweger, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Richard Gere, was released TWO HIGH-SCORING GAMES on this date. It went on to win six Academy Awards, FRIDAY, OCT. 26 CHICAGO 4, (at) TEXAS 3 including Best Picture, and grossed more than $306 • Forward Daniel Carr’s highlight-reel goal late in the second period held up as the game-winner million worldwide. as the Wolves started a five-game road trip with a win • Enimen’s “Lose Yourself” stood atop the Billboard’s Hot 100 charts followed by “Work It” by Missy Elliott • Carr and forward Brandon Pirri posted one goal and one assist apiece while Brooks Macek and “Jenny From the Block” by Jennifer Lopez. scored his ninth of the year and defenseman contributed his first Griffin Reinhart • Two truck bombs killed 72 and wounded 200 at the • Goaltender Oscar Dansk posted 30 saves, including 14 in the third period, to earn the win Chechen government headquarters in Chechnya, Russia. • “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation,” “Friends,” “Joe WEDNESDAY, OCT. 24 (at) CHICAGO 6, CLEVELAND 2 Millionaire” and “ER” were the top four primetime TV • Center Gage Quinney scored 34 seconds into the morning game and linemate Brooks Macek series during the 2002-03 season. added a goal exactly three minutes later to set the tone for this School-Day Game victory . • Quinney produced his first AHL hat trick, Macek contributed a season-high 4 points (2G, 2A) along ALL-TIME RECORD BREAKDOWN with a +4 plus/minus rating and center T.J. Tynan added one goal and one assist. Seasons Home Road Overall • Goaltender Max Lagace notched 24 saves to earn the win 2002-2018 33-14-1-1-1 27-18-3-0-2 60-32-4-1-3 2018-19 Chicago Wolves Game Notes 2018-19 HOME-ROAD CONTRASTS BY THE NUMBERS Regular Season Home Away Difference Head coach Rocky Thompson has been rotating his goalies this year, so it figures that Goals For 5.00 3.75 1.25 Max Lagace should be in net for the Wolves today. When Lagace plays, it’s fair to expect Goals Against 3.00 2.75 0.25 4 the Wolves to win by four goals. In Lagace’s first game this season on Oct. 6, the Wolves defeated Colorado 5-1. In the 25-year-old’s second game on Oct. 13, the Wolves defeated Grand Rapids 5-1. On Wednesday, Lagace and the Wolves knocked off Cleveland 6-2. The only game that didn’t fit RECORD BY DIVISION this pattern was the Wolves’ 5-3 loss at Grand Rapids last Friday. Record Win % Central 3-1-0-1 .700 Among AHL goalies who’ve appeared in more than one game this season, Max Lagace North 1-0-0-0 1.000 ranks fifth in goals-against average with a 2.03 mark (8 goals in 236 minutes). He ranks Pacific 2-0-0-0 1.000 fourth with his .931 save percentage and shares ninth in the league with his 3 wins. 5 RECORD BY MONTH The Wolves have won their last seven games on San Antonio’s home ice by a combined score of 28-13. The streak began on Dec. 9, 2014, with current Rampage goaltender Jordan Record Win % October 6-1-0-1 .813 7 Binnington earning 28 saves in a 6-2 victory for the Wolves. Actually, Binnington owns three November 0-0-0-0 .000 of the seven wins during this streak and Ville Husso owns another. The Rampage haven’t topped the December 0-0-0-0 .000 Wolves at AT&T Center since Dec. 7, 2014. January 0-0-0-0 .000 February 0-0-0-0 .000 Wolves right wing Brooks Macek scored a goal during the first period of Friday’s 4-3 win at March 0-0-0-0 .000 Texas, which pushed him into a tie with Utica’s Reid Boucher for the most goals in the AHL April 0-0-0-0 .000 9 with 9. Not only does Macek own a four-game goal streak and six goals in those four games, he has scored in the first period in each of the last three games. IN OVERTIME (2-0) Though Brooks Macek shares the league lead in goals, he doesn’t rank among the Goaltender Saves-Shots SV% AHL’s top 100 in shots. In fact, the 26-year-old from Winnipeg has taken just 13 shots Oscar Dansk (2-0) 7-7 1.000 69 this season. That means he owns an absurd 69.2 shooting percentage this year, which took over the league lead on Saturday as Iowa’s Mike Liambas (3 goals on 5 shots) dropped behind him. Of the nine AHL players who’ve amassed at least six goals, Milwaukee defenseman Matt Donovan is the only one close to Macek in shooting percentage (6 of 13; 46.2 percent). IN THE SHOOTOUT (0-1) Forward Brandon Pirri scored his 100th AHL goal on Friday night with a one- Shooter Goals-Chances SH% timer from the right circle in the second period of the Wolves’ 4-3 win at Texas. T.J. Tynan 1-1 1.000 Pirri owns 262 points in his 303 AHL games. Bridgeport’s Chris Bourque is the Erik Brännström 0-1 .000 100 Daniel Carr 0-1 .000 AHL’s active leader in goals (237) and points (695) in 729 games. Pirri also has notched 60 goals and Reid Duke 0-1 .000 41 assists in 228 NHL appearances. Brooks Macek 0-1 .000 Stefan Matteau 0-1 .000 If you’ve suited up for the Wolves, chances are better than 50/50 that you’ve Brandon Pirri 0-1 .000 also played in the National Hockey League.