Bradly Nadeau and Ryan Suzuki each had a goal and an assist, while Juuso Valimaki, Skyler Brind’Amour and Evan Vierling also scored to help the Wolves extend their point streak to eight games with their second straight win.
Felix Unger Sorum and Justin Robidas each had two assists as Chicago also picked up a point in its 14th straight road game. Grand Rapids, which is off to its best start in the 90-year history of the American Hockey League, fell for the third straight season this season.
The Wolves roared out of the gate, opening a 3-0 lead after one period with just five shots on goal.
Valimaki started things off with a power play count of four minutes and 11 seconds after the puck was dropped. The veteran defenseman took a pass from Suzuki, squared the puck and then fired a wrist shot from the high slot that beat Griffins netminder Sebastian Cossa to the glove side. Suzuki and Unger Sorum recorded assists on Valimaki’s second goal of the season.
Just 18 years later, Brind’Amour pounced on a rebound from a Noel Gunler shot and blasted a shot between the rings that brought Cossa to the stick side. On Brind’Amour’s 13th game of the season, Gunler and Josiah Slavin had assists. It was the seventh game in a row that Slavin got an assist.
The Wolves continued to push the pace and increased the lead to 3-0 by scoring on their third straight shot – this one from Nadeau at 13:36. The 20-year-old forward scored his 18th goal of the season on a one-timer from the slot following a great pass from fellow 2026 AHL All-Star Robidas, who had the lone assist.
Vierling’s twelfth goal of the season midway through the second gave the Wolves a 4-0 lead. Joel Nystrom fired the puck off the end boards before Vierling tucked it between Cossa and the right post. Nystrom and Unger Sorum earned helpers.
Late in the second, the rout had officially begun when Suzuki scored his ninth goal of the season with the Wolves leading by a man. Nadeau sent a cross-ice pass that left Suzuki all alone in the right circle and the veteran dented the back of the net with a spinning one-timer as he fell to the ice. Nadeau and Robidas had assists.
Michal Postava replaced Cossa in goal to start the third for the Griffins, who got on the board early after an Eduards Tralmarks score cut the Wolves’ lead to 5-1. In the waning seconds, Grand Rapids’ Amadeus Lombardi provided the final margin.
Cayden Primeau (31 saves) earned the win in goal for the Wolves, while Cossa (13 saves) took the loss.
Chicago, which capped a five-game road trip in which it went 3-0-1-1, is 21-9-5-5 on the season, while Grand Rapids fell to 32-6-2-1.
Up next: The Wolves host the Grand Rapids Griffins on Saturday night (7 p.m.) at Allstate Arena.
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