The Manitoba Moose and Grand Rapids Griffins clash for Game 2 of their best-of-five Central Division Semifinals series this afternoon at Canada Life Centre. The Moose jumped out to a 1-0 series lead with a 1-0 win yesterday. Manitoba has wins in three straight games while scoring a combined five goals in that span. The Moose have won five of the past six home games going back to the regular season.
Tickets are available for tonight’s game at moosehockey.com/tickets. Coverage of today’s matchup gets going at 1 p.m. CT on CJOB.com, the Winnipeg Jets App and AHLTV on FloHockey. Puck drop is slated for 2 p.m. CT.
Captain Hero
Moose captain Mason Shaw donned his mask and cape in Game 1 of the Central Division Semifinals on Saturday afternoon, scoring the game winner with 2:26 left on the clock. The Wainwright, Alta. native’s marker was his first of the 2026 post-season, and the second Calder Cup Playoffs goal of his career. It also marked Shaw’s first AHL post-season game-winning tally. He has nine shots on goal in his four games thus far this playoff campaign. Shaw paced the Moose with 44 points (15G, 29A) during the regular season, scoring a pair of game winners along the way.
DiVo Says “No!”
Domenic DiVincentiis has been rock solid for the Moose since taking over the net in Game 2 of the First Round against the Milwaukee Admirals. In three starts, the Bolton, Ont. native has posted three victories with an other-worldly .978 save percentage and .67 goals against average. DiVincentiis recorded a 39-save shutout in yesterday’s Game 1 win over the Griffins, the first Calder Cup Playoffs shutout of his young career. The clean sheet is the 10th in franchise playoff history. The previous shutout came from Michael Hutchinson on June 3/14 during the franchise’s time as the St. John’s IceCaps.
Welcome to the League
Defenceman Garrett Brown got his first taste of professional hockey yesterday, slotting into the lineup for Game 1. Brown is the first Moose player since Skyler McKenzie in 2018 to make their professional debut in the Calder Cup Playoffs. The San Jose, Calif. product is no stranger to high-leverage situations after winning the NCAA National Championship with the University of Denver on April 11. Brown assisted on both Denver goals in the 2-1 win. Overall, the defender tallied 14 points (2G, 12A) in 34 games with Denver this season. Brown was Winnipeg’s fourth round pick (99th overall) in the 2022 NHL Draft.
Copy/Paste?
The Moose have a penchant for late-game dramatics so far in the post-season. Yesterday’s game-winning tally came on a power play goal from Mason Shaw with just 2:26 remaining in regulation. Manitoba grabbed its first win of the Calder Cup Playoffs in similar fashion, taking the lead over Milwaukee with 43 seconds left on a David Gustafsson power play goal. The déjà vu doesn’t stop there. If we roll the calendar back to April 21/18, the Moose captured Game 1 of their 2018 Central Division Semifinals series against the Griffins on the strength of a Michael Spacek power play goal with 1:09 remaining.
Who’s Trending?
Walker Duehr has points in three consecutive games, helping the Moose along to three straight wins. The run matches Duehr’s career high for a playoff point streak. The Sioux Falls, S.D. product’s three points place him in a tie for the Moose points lead in the post-season. Duehr posted 34 points (17G, 17A) in 62 regular season contests.
