Behind Michal Postava’s stellar goaltending and Carter Mazur’s offensive spark, Grand Rapids brings a suffocating defense to Manitoba, aiming to stifle the Moose and clinch the divisional semifinals.
The Grand Rapids Griffins are one win away from moving on to the next round of the Calder Cup Playoffs. Holding a 2-1 series lead over the Manitoba Moose in their best-of-five divisional semifinal, Grand Rapids will look to close things out on Friday night when the two clubs meet for Game 4 on the road in Manitoba.
The story of the series so far has been the Griffins' defense as Grand Rapids allowed the fewest goals in the AHL during the regular season, and that dominance has carried over into the playoffs. The Moose have managed just three goals across the first three games with the big storyline being who has been in net for the Griffins.
Rather than Red Wings blue-chip goaltending prospects Sebastian Cossa or Trey Augustine, it has been Michal Postava, a free agent signing out of Czechia, who emerged as Grand Rapids' most reliable netminder this season and has been stellar through the opening three games of the series.
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Manitoba has made things difficult for themselves as despite featuring several Winnipeg Jets prospects who have seen NHL action, the Moose ranked third-worst in the entire league in goals scored during the regular season. The Griffins have been the perfect opponent to expose that weakness, and so far the matchup has played out exactly as the numbers suggested it would.
Up front, Red Wings prospect Carter Mazur has led the charge for Grand Rapids with a pair of goals through three games and has consistently generated pressure with ten shots on net, making him a constant presence that the Moose defense has struggled to contain.
Excelling at both ends of the ice, the Griffins head into Friday night's game with all the momentum. A win would end the series early and send Grand Rapids on to the next round.
Fans can catch the game live at AHLTV on FloHockey or can listen live on WOOD 106.9 FM & 1300 AM. There is also a watch party being held for Griffins fans at a Grand Rapids area Grill & Pizzeria Sports Lounge called Peppinos Downtown.
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