Dec 9, 2024; Buffalo, New York, USA; Detroit Red Wings goaltender Sebastian Cossa (33) looks for the puck during the second period against the Buffalo Sabres at KeyBank Center. (Timothy T. Ludwig, Imagn Images)
At his end-of-season presser, Detroit Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman proclaimed that, in the absence of an NHL playoff run, the AHL Calder Cup playoffs would serve as another important proving ground for some of the team's top prospects with the Grand Rapids Griffins. Two games into that run, the Griffins already find themselves on the brink of elimination.
The Calder Cup Playoffs rely on some unusual formatting and scheduling. For the Griffins and their first round opponent, the Texas Stars, that meant a Game 1 at Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids on Apr. 29 with an extended layoff before Game 2 Monday night (May 5). Unfortunately for the Griffins, Texas took both of those games on the road and now returns home with a chance to claim the best-of-five in Friday's Game 3.
The Stars took the series opener 4–0. From a Red Wings/Griffins perspective, the story of the night was goaltender Sebastian Cossa. Detroit's handling of Cossa down the stretch left some reason to believe the organization had some doubts about a player who is ostensibly their top goaltending prospect. In Game 1 versus Texas, those doubts became louder, with the Stars chasing Cossa (15 saves on 19 shots, 28:57 played) before the game was halfway through. Back-up Jack Campbell stopped all 11 shots he faced in relief, but the Griffins' fate was sealed.
In Game 2, Grand Rapids opted to start Campbell, not Cossa—an understandable decision based on the Game 1 result, but another reason to question Cossa's organizational standing. For the second game in a row, the Griffins fell behind 4–0. 2024 first rounder Michael Brandsegg-Nygard offered some reason for optimism with a goal and assist to make the outcome a bit prettier (a 4–2 final), but now Grand Rapids finds itself in a major hole with the playoff campaign having hardly begun.
It will be interesting to see whether GR returns to Cossa Friday night and also whether, with or without Cossa, the likes of Brandsegg-Nygard, Nate Danielson, Elmer Soderblom, and Axel Sandin-Pellikka can carry the Griffins out of their present deficit.
