Ten Reasons Why Griffins’ Strong Start Matters to Red Wings (+)

Nate Danielson was a one-year-old, Ondrej Becher was 20 months old and Amadeus Lombardi was four months beyond his second birthday the only other time the Grand Rapids Griffins showed a start this good.

The Griffins’ 12-4-1 record (25 points) represents the second-best start in franchise history, just behind the team mark of 13-3-0-1 (27 points) set in 2005-06. Grand Rapids’ chief strength in the early going has been its stingy defensive play and goaltending.

Coach Dan Watson’s squad leads the AHL with a 2.18 goals-against average . The team has played air-tight defense at home, giving up 1.64 goals per game at Van Andel Arena.