Fast Facts: Moose vs. Chicago – Feb. 27

The Moose try for a series split after a 5-1 defeat at the hands of the Chicago Wolves yesterday. David Gustafsson scored his first goal since returning to the lineup from injury. Chicago claimed its 30th win of the season. It's Cole Perfetti Bobblehead Day at Canada Life Centre. The first 3,000 fans through the doors receive a Cole Perfetti mini bobblehead. It's also the Project 11 game with a focus on mental health and some fun off-ice activities throughout the afternoon. Tickets for today's 2 p.m. matchup are available at MooseHockey.com/TICKETS. Coverage of today's game on CJOB.com/sports, AHLTV and the Manitoba Moose App gets going at 1:45 p.m.

Gus Bus Pulling Up

David Gustafsson scored the lone goal for the Moose in yesterday’s loss against the Chicago Wolves. The forward is now up to 17 points (8G, 9A) in 27 games this season and sits eighth on the team in scoring. Between time with the Winnipeg Jets and stints with injuries, Gustafsson went a fair amount of time between AHL goals. Prior to his marker yesterday, Gustafsson’s last tally with the Moose came on Dec. 10/21 against the Grand Rapids Griffins in a 4-2 Manitoba victory.

Heating Up

Forward Mikey Eyssimont has assists in three straight contests and has four points (1G, 3A) over the course of his past five games.Eyssimont is up to 20 points (8G, 12A) in 34 games for the Moose this season. With his assist yesterday, the forward is now the sixth skater to break the 20-point barrier for the Moose this season. The forward’s previous career-high came with the Ontario Reign during the 2019-20 season. He recorded 28 points  (12G, 16A) in 56 games. Eyssimont is a shooting machine and has racked up 129 shots on goal this season. That mark is first on Manitoba this season places Eyssimont in the AHL’s top-10, averaging 3.8 shots per game.

Sunday Stats

The Moose have suited up in 12 Sunday contests this season. Keep an eye on defenders Declan Chisholm (4G, 5A) and Leon Gawanke (1G, 8A) as both skaters have combined for 18 points on Sunday. The forward ranks are led by Cole Maier who has played in six Sunday games and has recorded seven points (4G, 3A) in that span. Johnathan Kovacevic loves to shoot the puck, and leads the team on Sunday with 29 shots on goals. Arvid Holm is a big fan of being between the pipes on Sunday and has a 4-1-0 record with a 2.37 goals-against average and a .902 save percentage. He also recorded his first AHL shutout on Sunday, Dec. 5 against the Belleville Senators.

Zero Rest and Back-to-Back’s

A regular AHL schedule means back-to-back contests for the Moose. Having zero days rest between games doesn’t seem to phase Leon Gawanke (3G, 7A) who has recorded 10 points with no rest. Not to be outdone, Cole Maier (4G, 6A) and Jeff Malott (6G, 4A) also co-lead the squad with 10 points of their own. Malott’s six goals is a team-high, while defenceman Ville Heinola has the most shots with 35. When the Moose are on the second game of a back-to-back series at home, the team has a record of 5-2-0-0 this year. Scoring four goals seems to be the sweet spot at Canada Life Centre for the Moose, and when the team hits that number at home the squad has a record of 5-0-0-0.

Who's Trending?

Forward Jeff Malott had three shots and finished with a plus-one rating Saturday against Chicago. Malott sits second on the team with 22 points (14G, 8A) in 38 games. Malott is in is second pro season with the Moose already tied his career high with his 14th of the year. Malott has shot the puck 95 times this season which is third on the squad.