Grand Rapids Eliminates Manitoba from Calder Cup Playoffs (05/08/2026)

The Manitoba Moose were eliminated from the 2026 AHL Calder Cup Playoffs following a 5-2 loss to the Grand Rapids Griffins.

The Moose ran into a juggernaut Griffins squad that limited their chances offensively and relied on a red-hot Michal Postava.

Manitoba took game one in the lowest-scoring affair of the series in a 1-0 win to gain their first series lead of the playoffs. The Griffins responded with a 2-0 win in game two to send the series back to Grand Rapids at one game apiece.

Grand Rapids followed up with a 4-2 win in game three, and they put the Moose on the ropes heading into game four.

The Moose needed to win game four to force a do-or-die game five, but Grand Rapids proved to be too much as they locked the game down and took the series in four games.

Manitoba didn’t go down without a fight in game four as Grand Rapids got ahead in the first period, but Dylan Anhorn tied it up early in the second.

The game got away from Manitoba once the Griffins made it a 4-1 game, but a goal from Phil Di Giuseppe to make it 4-2 gave the Moose some life when they needed it most.

With the net empty, Manitoba battled, but an empty net goal sent Grand Rapids to the Central Division finals to face the Chicago Wolves.

“It’s not easy losing,” Moose defender Ashton Sautner said when asked about the team’s performance in the playoffs.

“Very proud of this group, we’ve been through a lot this year, didn’t matter if we were going through highs or lows. This group of guys was special and made it a lot of fun coming to the rink,” Sautner continued.

With a lengthy offseason ahead for the Manitoba Moose, they’ll look to regroup and make another push for next year’s Calder Cup Playoffs.