Coming off a 4-0 loss to the Iowa Wild, the Rockford IceHogs get set to take on their rival Chicago Wolves in a home-and-home weekend series beginning on Friday night in Rockford. This season in the Illinois Lottery Cup Rivalry, the IceHogs lead the series 3-2-0 through the first five meetings. Rockford currently sits in 6th place on points in the Central Division (15-11-6, 36 pts) while the Wolves lead the division heading into the weekend (18-9-4, 40 pts).
Rockford IceHogs Take On Rival Wolves In Weekend Series
After having a five-game point-streak snapped on Wednesday night against the Iowa Wild on the road, the IceHogs look to bounce back into the win column against the AHL Central Division leaders in the Chicago Wolves.
In a battle between two teams on the opposite sides on the goal-scored category in the league (Chicago 122, 1st / Rockford 75, 30th), the five previous games between the rivals have been split 3-2 in favor of the IceHogs, despite the Wolves holding a +7 goal-difference in the series. Another odd stat in the 2018-19 edition of the rivalry is that all five games have been won by the road team.
Rockford enters the weekend with a 6-3-1 record over their last 10 games, while Chicago has been on a hot-streak with an 8-1-1 record over their last 10 games. Chicago also rides a nine-game point-streak at 8-0-1.
On special teams, the Wolves again hold the season advantage over the IceHogs with the 6th ranked powerplay in the AHL (21.9%) while the IceHogs rank 23rd in the league (16.1%). On the penalty-kill, the IceHogs continue to hold one of the top units, ranking 5th in the AHL (85.9%), while the Wolves hold the 22nd ranked penalty-kill in the league (78.9%). In the five matchups this season, the IceHogs have held the Wolves to 3-for-22 on the powerplay (86.3% PK). Meanwhile, the Rockford powerplay has had a 5-for-19 (26.3%) success rate through the first five games against Chicago.
Brandon Pirri leads the Wolves and the AHL in scoring this season with 41 points (17 G, 24 A) but will not be in the lineup for the weekend after being recalled to the Vegas Golden Knights on Wednesday the 26th. Behind Pirri on the Wolves attack is Daniel Carr with 39 points (17 G, 22 A) in 25 games and is second in the AHL in scoring behind his Wolves teammate. For the IceHogs, a much different story as the leading point-scorers are tied with 19 points each. Anthony Louis (8 G, 11 A) and Darren Raddysh (7 G, 12 A) lead the IceHogs in scoring, followed by Jordan Schroeder with 16 points (6 G, 10 A) in 23 games.
Puck drop on Friday night is scheduled for 7pm CT in Rockford at the BMO Harris Bank Center. Following Friday’s contest, the two-game series moves to the Allstate Arena in Rosemont on Saturday night. Puck drop for Saturday is also set for 7pm CT.