Wolves fall to Iowa in shootout
The Chicago Wolves earned a point for the 24th time in their last 25 home games, but the Iowa Wild claimed a 4-3 shootout victory Sunday at Allstate Arena in Rosemont.
Center Pat Cannone scored 2 goals and Alexandre Bolduc notched the other for the Wolves (40-20-5-5), while goaltender Matt Climie stopped 29 shots in regulation and overtime and rejected 5 of 6 in the shootout. Iowa's Dylan Labbe provided the shootout's only goal in the sixth round.
The Wolves, who wrapped up a playoff berth Saturday night, pulled within 6 points of Midwest Division-leading Grand Rapids and hold two games in hand with six to play.
"We scored 1 goal in the first period and then went to sleep every shift after that and let them in the game," said Wolves coach John Anderson. "If we want to push on to the playoffs and play better than that, then we've got to be smarter than that."
The Wolves jumped on top 18 seconds into the game when defenseman Brett Ponich sent the puck up the ice from the Wolves zone. Bolduc chased it down and fired it past Iowa goaltender Cody Reichard from the left faceoff dot.
The Wild (27-33-6-4) seized a 2-1 lead with a pair of goals in a 53-second span of the first period. Forward Tyler Graovac scored at 6:28 as he slipped free in the slot past a Wolves defenseman, accepted Marc Hagel's pass from the top of the right circle and sneaked the puck past Climie (9-9-2) from close range.
Left wing Kris Foucault made it 2-1 at 7:21 as he pounced on a loose rebound just outside the crease and squeezed it home before Climie could jam his left skate against the post.
Cannone and Michael Davies teamed up to pull the Wolves into a 2-2 tie at 7:01 of the second period. After a faceoff in the Iowa zone, Davies claimed the puck, carried it behind the net and sent a nifty backhand pass to Cannone just in front of the crease. Cannone chipped the puck into the top left corner of the net for his 14th goal of the year.
Cannone added his second goal at 2:00 of the third to give the Wolves a 3-2 edge as Taylor Chorney's shot from the point deflected off Cannone in the slot and past Reichard.
Foucault answered Cannone with his second goal at 8:37 to pull Iowa even and force overtime. Warren Peters flung a shot from the right point that Foucault secured in the crease and nudged past Climie with a backhand while falling to the ice.
Reichard (1-0-0) registered 42 saves in regulation and overtime and rejected all 6 shots he faced in the shootout to earn the win in his first AHL start of the season.
The Wolves hit the road Friday at Iowa and Saturday at Milwaukee for an Amtrak Rivalry game. The Wolves return to Allstate Arena at 3 p.m. Sunday for an Illinois Lottery Cup showdown with Rockford.