Griffins Down, But Not Out Of AHL's Central Division Playoff Picture

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - The Grand Rapids Griffins have not had the ideal season thus far, 48 games into their 2021-22 regular season schedule.

Unable to find a consistent stride and battling long-term injuries from the onset, they now find themselves in a precarious and unfamiliar situation. Sitting in fifth place in the Central Division, the Griffins (21-20-7) have struggled to really eclipse the .500 mark.  Accustomed to having a clear shot at a playoff spot, this is unfamiliar territory for the Griffins with 28 games remaining in their season entering Saturday's games.

Even though the American Hockey League (AHL) has extended the playoff pool beginning with the 2022 Calder Cup Playoffs - and Grand Rapids currently owns the final playoff spot by a margin of a .01 winning percentage - the Griffins will need to buckle down in order to qualify.

Special Teams Struggles

The power play struggles have been Grand Rapids' Achilles heel this season. Looking back at the 2017 Calder Cup team for Grand Rapids, it is evident that the ability to utilize special team and man-advantage situations could be the difference between being successful or getting an early start to their summer.

It's no surprise that the Grand Rapids Griffins special teams have been a major contributing factor to their struggles this season. The lack of production on the power play, hovering around 13% efficiency, and the inability to keep pucks out of the net during the penalty kill has crippled them. Without consistent special teams production, any team will struggle to get into a playoff spot. Unable to capitalize on the man-advantage the Grand Rapids Griffins have found themselves among the bottom of the league with their special teams units.

Special teams are a crucial part of any team's regular-season success as well as playoff success. Not having chemistry or consistency in this area will be a major factor in determining the team's overall playoff performance.

Though Grand Rapids has made significant improvements and changes in the last few games, especially with the return of Joe Veleno, they still have yet to find  the magic combination of production and accuracy. When push comes to shove, the struggles in this particular area could keep them out of playoffs.

Inconsistent Roster

Injuries, as well as call ups, are commonplace in the AHL . A team's ability to adapt when these call-ups and injuries become excessive, is typically what separates them from the pack.

Grand Rapids struggled early on with a host of injuries that set them back. At one point in the season, they were only able to dress 16 skaters. Having to pull from their ECHL affiliate, the Toledo Walleye, Grand Rapids has for a time been an inconsistent and varying group . Social media had in some cases, dubbed them the "Grand Rapids Walleye."

Rookie Kirill Tyutyayev, Dennis Yan, Hayden Verbeek, Seth Barton and Riley Barber have all spent or are currently spending, a good deal of time on injury reserve.

Barber and Tyutyayev do not anticipate being back for the remainder of the season. Riley Barber has been the biggest and most noticeable loss. He was a key part of the power play top unit and a sniper for the team.

The plague of injuries not only put the team in a precarious situation and left them scrambling to find players from the ECHL able to help, it also drastically changed the dynamic in the locker room and on the ice.

Every team in the AHL faces injuries and roster moves that are unavoidable. In the case of Grand Rapids, it has been an ongoing battle that has been draining their energy all season long. None of the players or the staff are giving up on creating a cohesive group, but it is not coming easily. The energy and the camaraderie is there, but the ability to close out games has been something they've had to grapple with.

Far Cry From Over

Being that it is only February, it is far too soon to throw in the towel. The team is struggling, scoring is difficult, maintaining control for an entire 60-minutes has proven to be a challenge, but these are not insurmountable challenges.

The Griffins have shown a tremendous amount of fight and spirit this season. Despite hovering towards the bottom of the Central Division standings to this point in the season, each game they have chosen to fight and have refused to give up regardless of their situation.

There's plenty of time left in this season to make the climb back towards a playoff-clinching position. The Central Division has always been very tight, especially as the playoff push gets closer and closer. The Griffins have been able to come in clutch at the right times and in what seems to be impossible situations.

With about 2-months remaining of the regular season, the Griffins will have to make an incredible push and win the vast majority of those games if they wish to even get into the Central Divisions "play-in" round where the fourth and fifth place finishers meet for a best-of-three series to determine who advances to the Division's semifinal round.

As players get healthy and select few return from Detroit, they will be able to have a complete roster for the first time since the beginning of the season.

Many of the current Grand Rapids Griffins have, at some point, won a Calder Cup - many of them with the Griffins as recently as 2017. They know what it takes to be champions. With the leadership they have and the tenacity they've shown, there's still time to turn it around.