The Grand Rapids Griffins are on the brink after dropping the first two games of their best-of-five AHL division finals series to the Chicago Wolves. The defending division champions have struggled to hold leads in the postseason after a dominant regular season.
The Griffins finished the regular season with a 51-16-4-1 record, the second-best in the league. They advanced past Manitoba in the division semifinals but have now lost both games at home to Chicago, including a 4-3 overtime defeat in Game 2 on Saturday after leading 2-0 early. Chicago captain Josiah Slavin and Felix Unger Sörum scored key goals for the Wolves.