The puck will come down tonight in the Central Division finals as Grand Rapids and Chicago take on Van Andel Arena (7 p.m. ET, 
).
This will be the seventh playoff meeting between the two teams – including Chicago’s win in the 2000 Turner Cup final when both were members of the International Hockey League – and the first since the 2019 Calder Cup divisional semifinals, which the Wolves won 3-2.
The Griffins are the only division champion team competing for the Calder Cup after defeating Manitoba three games to one in the previous round. Providence, Laval and Ontario were all eliminated, making it the first time since 2014 that the three top-ranked teams failed to win at least a playoff series.
Grand Rapids started with a 29-1-1 record and led the second-place Wolves by 24 points by early January. But the second half of the season was even more intense. Starting Jan. 9, the Griffins (.588) have the third-best record in the conference behind Texas (.641) and Chicago (.607).
‘They’re a dangerous team,’ Grand Rapids head coach Dan Watson said of Wolves. “They can score goals, they skate really well, they’re in good shape… They’re able to beat a really good Texas team. I’m looking forward to another tough battle.”
Michal Postava In six regular-season games (five starts) against Chicago, he had a goals-against average of 1.11 and a save percentage of 0.956. In the series against Manitoba, he allowed five goals on 91 shots (3-1, 1.25, .945). Wolves’ Kayden Primo (3-2, 2.27, .918) has a 1.48 GAA and .948 save percentage against the Griffins in 2025-26.
The North Finals kick off tonight at Rocket Arena (7 p.m. ET, ) Cleveland and Toronto both had frustrating series wins.
The Marris defeated the No. 1 Laval Rocket in Game 5 at Bell Plaza, while the Monsters advanced to No. 2 Syracuse on the road with two overtime wins — including a clutch triple-OT victory.
The two teams met eight times during the regular season, although three of Cleveland’s four wins came via shootouts. Toronto Logan Shaw He leads all scorers in the season series with 12 points (4-8-12).
‘Cleveland is a great team,’ Marlies forward says Rhys Johnson. “We had some great games against them in the regular season. We want to stick to our game plan and do the things we do successfully.”
Vinny Lettieri (5-4-9), who scored the game-winning goal in Saturday’s Game 5 against Laval, is the Marlies’ leading scorer in the playoffs so far. William Villeneuve (1-7-8) leads all AHL defensemen in points this postseason.
Cleveland, on the other hand, scored 10 goals in its series with Syracuse, with nine different skaters contributing, Luca del Bel Beluz (0-4-4) recorded four assists.
Tonight, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton hosts Springfield in Game 2 of the Atlantic Division finals (7:05 ET, ) In Tuesday’s opener, the Penguins took an early advantage in the series with a score of 2-0.
Bill ZonnonPittsburgh’s first-round pick (22nd overall) in the 2025 NHL Draft made his professional debut on Tuesday and scored the game-winning goal. Zonnon, 19, joined the Penguins last week after completing his junior season with Blainville-Boisbriand of the QMJHL, where he scored 46 points in 35 games this season.
“It’s been a lot of fun. I honestly can’t remember the last time I had this much fun,” Zonon said. “I just want to do whatever I can to help the team. I don’t want to just go through the motions.”
Sergei Murashov Made 24 saves in Game 1, his first shutout in the postseason. Murashov (4-1, 1.59, .947) has allowed eight goals in his five playoff starts.
“Sergey is great,” head coach Kirk McDonald explain. “He made the saves he needed. We defended well and stuck to our game plan. Overall, I liked our game.”
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton quelled Springfield’s momentum heading into the series after an emotional win over Providence in the conference semifinals.
“They’ve obviously been on this streak for a while, not just in the playoffs,” McDonald said. “We want to strike first in any playoff series. You want to start off the right way and feel good about yourself, and the guys did a great job of that.”
Georgi Romanov (5-2, 1.50, .950) made his seventh consecutive start for the Thunderbirds and missed 23 shots in Game 1. In the playoffs this season, he has allowed 2 or fewer goals in every game.
Springfield fell behind early in the series after losing 8-1 to Charlotte in the first round, then won two in a row over the Checkers and took three of four from the Bruins in the final round. So this is not completely unfamiliar territory for a head coach. Steve Ott and his club.
“Whether you lose 8-1 or 2-0, it’s a loss,” Ott said. “We’re going to make some adjustments and be ready. We’ve bounced back strong and I expect the same thing to happen.”
