As the games get bigger, the prospects who stand out are strengthening their auditions in front of Detroit Red Wings management.
The Grand Rapids Griffins take a 2-1 series lead into Friday’s Game 4 against the San Jose Barracuda in the Calder Cup Western Conference final. The Griffins scored twice in the last four minutes Wednesday to pull away with a a 4-2 victory in the AHL Western Conference final.
Wings goaltending prospect Jared Coreau continued a strong playoff run with a 31-save performance; Coreau is 9-2 with a .917 save percentage and 2.48 goals-against average. Other Wings prospects who did well included forward Martin Frk, who set up a game-tying power play goal (scored by Matt Lorito) early in the third period, and forward Tomas Nosek, who sealed the victory with an empty-net goal in the last minute.