Updated 6x at 12:30 AM: I’ve given my “long take” on the Grand Rapids Griffins’ 3-0 win over the Manitoba Moose: here are the players, coach and media’s takes on the game, starting with post-game audio:
Jared Coreau pitched a 24-save shutout, and he discussed his performance and that of the players in front of him during his interview:
Griffins captain Matt Ford was measured in tone despite carrying his toddler son on his back during his post-game presser, discussing his goal and the leadership displayed by the Griffins’ core players:
Ben Street also scored for the Griffins, stepping up in a big way as he, Ford, Colin Campbell and Eric Tangradi were sometimes double-shifted, and Ford addressed the physical nature of the series in his post-game comments:
And Grand Rapids Griffins coach Todd Nelson was satisfied with the result but well aware that the Griffins have to win a winner-take-all Game 5 on Monday. The delay between games, due to concerts at Van Andel Arena, may give some Griffins time to heal from nagging injuries:
Recap-wise, here’s the Canadian Press’s “quick take“:
Jared Coreau stopped all 25 shots he faced as the Grand Rapids Griffins shut out the Manitoba Moose 3-0 on Thursday in American Hockey League playoff series.
The best-of-five series is now tied 2-2. Game 5 is on Monday in Grand Rapids, Mich.
Matthew Ford, Ben Street and Brian Lashoff supplied the offence for the Griffins.
Eric Comrie stopped 21-of-23 shots in net for the Moose, the AHL affiliate of the Winnipeg Jets.
Neither team scored on the power play. Grand Rapids was 0 for 1 and Manitoba was 0 for 4.
The Grand Rapids Press’s Peter J. Wallner filed a superb recap…
Ford took a nice cross-circle feed from Robbie Russo and ripped a shot over the left shoulder of Eric Comrie with 1:35 left in the second period.
Street added the second with 19.9 seconds remaining as he took the puck outside the blueline, found space on the left side and slide a one-timer between Comrie’s legs.
“We’re just stepping up when we can,” Street said. “We’re both veteran guys who try and lead by example and it’s nice that it fell that way.”
They were efficient goals because the Griffins had just 10 shots after two periods. They finished with 24 or half the previous game.
The third goal was an empty-netter on a rink-long shot by Brian Lashoff with just under three minutes remaining.
Street and Ford have enjoyed a great postseason so far. Street leads the team with four goals and seven points, while Ford is second with five points (2-3-5).
Wallner continues, and he posted a clip of Ford’s son stealing the show:
Coreau blanks Moose, Griffins force Game 5
Jared Coreau made 25 saves in his first start of the 2018 postseason and Grand Rapids staved off elimination with a 3-0 win over Manitoba at Van Andel Arena on Thursday night.
With the Central Division semifinals tied at 2-2, the Griffins will host the Moose in the winner-take-all Game 5 on Monday.
Game 4 was scoreless until Matthew Ford broke through with 1:35 left in the second period.
Ben Street then netted his AHL-leading fourth goal of the postseason with less than 20 seconds remaining in the frame to give the Griffins a 2-0 lead.
Brian Lashoff‘s empty-net goal capped the scoring with 2:56 remaining in the third period.
Coreau (1-1), who stopped 11 of 12 shots in relief on Wednesday night in his first appearance of these playoffs, is now 18-7 in 25 career Calder Cup Playoff outings. He stopped eight shots in the first period, nine in the second and eight more in the third for his first career postseason shutout — and his third shutout of the Moose this season.
Eric Comrie (2-2) made 21 saves in the loss.
Central Division Semifinals – Series “F” (best-of-5)
C2-Grand Rapids Griffins vs. C3-Manitoba Moose
Game 1 – Sat., Apr. 21 – MANITOBA 3, Grand Rapids 2 | Recap
Game 2 – Sun., Apr. 22 – Grand Rapids 5, MANITOBA 1 | Recap
Game 3 – Wed., Apr. 25 – Manitoba 6, GRAND RAPIDS 3 | Recap
Game 4 – Thu., Apr. 26 – GRAND RAPIDS 3, Manitoba 0
Game 5 – Mon., Apr. 30 – Manitoba at Grand Rapids, 7:00
*if necessary… All times Eastern
And the Griffins have already posted a highlight clip:
And here’s the Griffins website’s recap:
Calder Cup Playoffs – Central Division Semifinals – Game 4 – Series Tied, 2-2
Manitoba Moose 0 at GRAND RAPIDS GRIFFINS 3
April 26, 2018
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – For the third time in their four postseason meetings, the Grand Rapids Griffins and Manitoba Moose will play a winner-take-all game to determine who advances in the Calder Cup Playoffs.
On the strength of Jared Coreau’s 25-save shutout – his third in his last three starts against the Moose – the Griffins staved off elimination in Game 4 of the Central Division Semifinals on Thursday at Van Andel Arena and tied the best-of-five series at two games apiece, improving to 7-1 when facing elimination on home ice since 2013.
The Griffins, who lost a Game 7 in Winnipeg in 2007 and won a Game 7 against the Moose in Grand Rapids in 2006, will host the decisive Game 5 of this series on Monday at 7 p.m. Grand Rapids has won its last three winner-take-all games, all at home, including Game 5 wins against Toronto in 2015 and Houston in 2013.
Making his first start of the series after having entered Game 3 in relief, Coreau has now allowed just one goal in his last 232:29 against the Moose (0.26 GAA), including his back-to-back shutouts at Manitoba on Feb. 15 and 17.
A low-octane first period witnessed 11 combined shots and only three by the Griffins, who expended their share of energy in their own zone by successfully killing off three Manitoba power plays. Grand Rapids nearly scored just before the horn, though, as Joe Hicketts’ shot from the left boards pinballed off and between legs in the crease as the period expired.
The Moose momentarily appeared to have scored 4:56 into the second, but the goal was immediately waved off by referee Corey Syvret, who ruled that the puck was batted into the net by C.J. Suess.
The Griffins scored twice in the final 1:35 of the period by taking advantage of Moose miscues. After Sami Niku, the AHL’s outstanding defenseman for 2017-18, lazily bounced the puck off the boards to center ice, Robbie Russo snared the gift and entered the Manitoba zone with speed, threading a pass across to Matthew Ford for a snap shot from the right circle that blew past Eric Comrie’s glove at 18:25.
Soon after, the Moose again surrendered the puck at center ice to Matt Puempel, who quickly hit Ben Street along the boards. Street sped alone down the left side and launched a slap shot from the circle that slipped through Comrie’s five-hole and inside the far post with just 20 seconds remaining.
Two-time Calder Cup champ Brian Lashoff put the Moose away by scoring from nearly the farthest point possible with 2:56 remaining in the game. With Comrie on the bench for an extra attacker, Lashoff knocked the puck loose from a Moose player below the goal line and immediately flung it the length of the ice into the vacated net.
Comrie stopped 21 of 23 while seeing his lifetime record at Van Andel Arena drop to 1-6.
Notes: Grand Rapids never faced elimination on its way to the 2017 Calder Cup…The shutout was the Griffins’ first in the postseason since June 2, 2013 (Petr Mrazek at OKC)…The Griffins are 4-4 all time in winner-take-all games, including 2-2 in Game 5s and 4-2 at home…Tonight’s crowd of 7,357 was the third-largest of the 2018 Calder Cup Playoffs to date, with Wednesday’s 7,448 standing as No. 2.
Three Stars: 1. GR Coreau, (W, 25 saves, SO); 2. GR Ford (game-winning goal); 3. GR Street (goal)
The Griffins also posted a 42-image photo gallery;
Update #3: The Moose went minimalist on us in terms of their post-game videos, just posting a set of comments from Mike Sgarbossa and coach Pascal Vincent, and their recap is quite brief.
Here’s their highlight clip:
Matthew Ford and Ben Street scored second-period goals 75 seconds apart to help the Griffins stave off elimination with a 3-0 victory over the Manitoba Moose Thursday at Van Andel Arena in their AHL Central Division playoff series.
Grand Rapids, the reigning Calder Cup champions, evened the series at 2-all and forced a do-or-die Game 5 on Monday at home. Faceoff is at 7 p.m.
After being held to three shots in a scoreless first period, Ford broke through 1:35 left in the second off a feed from Robbie Russo before Street struck with 20 seconds remaining to give the Griffins a 2-0 lead it wouldn’t relinquish.
Brian Lashoff provided the finishing touches with an empty-net goal with roughly three minutes left in the third period, while Jared Coreau made 25 saves to record the shutout.
Update #5: Here’s WZZM 13’s highlight clip:
