Grizzlies Gameday: Game 3 Utah at Rapid City

Second Round of the 2022 Kelly Cup Playoffs. 

Game 3: Monday, May 9, 2022. 7:05 pm. Utah Grizzlies at Rapid City Rush.   Arena: The Monument.

Broadcast: https://mixlr.com/utah-grizzlies-hockeyMixlr, FloHockey.TV.

Utah leads the best of 7 series 2-0.

It’s game 3 of the Mountain Division Finals as the Utah Grizzlies take on the Rapid City Rush. Utah leads the best of 7 series 2 games to 0 as they took care of home ice, winning game 1 by a 5-1 score. In game 2 the Grizzlies scored 2 goals in the final 43 seconds of regulation to come back to win 5-4. Utah is now 6-3 in postseason play. The Grizzlies have been a strong 3rd period club in the playoffs as they have outscored their opponents 16 to 7. Charle-Edouard D’Astous and Ben Tardif are tied for the league lead with 17 playoff points. D’Astous leads the league with 12 goals and Tardif leads with 15 assists.

Second Round Playoff Series

Game 1: Rapid City 1 Utah 5 – Utah was 1 for 3 on the power play and 7 for 7 on the penalty kill.

Game 2: Rapid City 4 Utah 5 – Charle-Edouard D’Astous scored the game winning goal with 7.8 seconds left.

Game 3: Monday, May 9, 7:05 p.m.: Utah at Rapid City

Game 4: Tuesday, May 10, 7:05 p.m.: Utah at Rapid City

Game 5 Wednesday, May 11, 7:05 p.m.: Utah at Rapid City

Game 6 Monday, May 16, 7:10 p.m.: Rapid City at Utah

Game 7 Tuesday, May 17, 7:10 p.m.: Rapid City at Utah

Games 5-7 are If Necessary. All Times Mountain.

Grizz Win in Thrilling Fashion

In game 2 vs Rapid City the Grizzlies overcame a 3-1 deficit heading into the third period to win 5-4. Dylan Fitze scored 2 goals in the third period. Nick Henry tied the game on a 5 on 3 power play goal with 42.8 seconds left. The incredible Charle-Edouard D’Astous scored the game winner with 7.8 seconds left. D’Astous led Utah with 7 game winning goals in the regular season. Tarun Fizer and Ben Tardif each had 2 assists. Rapid City was 4 for 6 on the power play. Utah was 3 for 7. Rapid City outshot Utah 42 to 41. Trent Miner saved 38 of 42 for Utah in the win. Rapid City’s Lukas Parik saved 36 of 41.

Was The Ice Tilted?

The end of the ice closest to the video board saw 63 shots in game 2. The other end of the ice saw only 20 as the shot count from period to period in game 2 was wild to say the least. In the first period Utah outshot Rapid City 17 to 4. In the second period Rapid City outshot Utah 26 to 4. In the third period Utah outshot Rapid City 20 to 12. At the end of the game the shots were close to even as the Rush had 42 shots while Utah had 41. In 9 playoff games the Grizzlies have 34.78 shots per game and allowed 36.89.

Trent Miner Reassigned to Colorado

Goaltender Trent Miner was reassigned to the AHL’s Colorado Eagles. Last Saturday Colorado Avalanche goaltender Darcy Kuemper took a stick to the eye late in the first period of their 7-3 win over Nashville. Miner has been outstanding for Utah in the playoffs as he has a 5-2 record with a 2.45 goals against average and a .936 save percentage in 7 playoff games. Peyton Jones is projected to start for Utah in Rapid City. Jones led Utah with 17 wins this season. In 2 playoff games Jones has a 1-1 record, 3.55 goals against average and a .891 save %.

D’Astous Comes Through When it Matters Most

Charle-Edouard D’Astous won the league’s Defenseman of the Year award and in the playoffs he has shown why. D’Astous leads all league skaters with 12 playoff goals and is tied with teammate Ben Tardif with 17 points. D’Astous leads all skaters with 7 playoff power play goals and 11 power play points. He scored 2 power play goals in game 2 vs RC. It’s not surprising that he got the game winner as he led Utah with 7 game winning goals in the regular season, with the most exciting one coming with 1.8 seconds left in regulation as Utah defeated Idaho 2-1 on January 5 at Idaho Central Arena. D’Astous has a point in all 9 playoff games and in 6 of those games he has 2 or more points.

Ben Tardif Passing Like He’s John Stockton

The last time the Salt Lake valley saw that many assists the great John Stockton was wearing the short shorts for the Utah Jazz. Ben Tardif leads the league with 15 playoff assists. Tardif led all league rookies and the Grizzlies with 39 assists in the regular season. Tardif has 7 multiple point games in the playoffs. He has a point in 7 of 9 playoff games for Utah.

What an Addition Dylan Fitze Has Been

With all the excitement of the 2 goals in the final 43 seconds of game 2, don’t forget about the contribution Dylan Fitze made to the comeback. Fitze scored 3:47 into the third period to cut into the Rapid City lead 3-2. With the score 4-2 Fitze came off the bench to replace Mason Mannek, who had his helmet fall off, and Fitze got a pass on the right side and scored 13:48 into the third. Fitze scored the only 2 even strength goals for Utah in game 2. In 9 playoff games Fitze has 4 goals and 2 assists. Fitze leads Utah with 38 shots on goal.

The Captain Delivers the Goods

In 9 playoff games Trey Bradley has 5 goals and 6 assists and a 23.8 shooting % (5 for 21). Bradley was named captain of the Grizzlies on October 21, 2021. Trey was outstanding this season for the Grizz as he averaged 1.21 points per game (46 points in 38 games, 18 goals, 28 assists). Bradley was +16 for Utah this season.

Recent Additions Coming Up Big

A handful of players who showed up over the last 2 months have really stepped up and made a great contribution to the Grizz playoff run. In 9 playoff games Zach Tsekos has 8 points (1 goal, 7 assists). Tsekos played this season at Clarkson University and had 31 points (15 goals, 16 assists) in 35 games.

Tarun Fizer has 9 points (3 goals, 6 assists) in 9 playoff games. Fizer was signed before game 1 of the first-round playoff series vs Tulsa. Fizer had 51 points (17 goals, 34 assists) in 35 games this season for the WHL’s Victoria Royals. Tarun had 2 assists in game 2 vs Rapid City.

Kyle Betts played this season at Cornell University, where he scored 17 goals and 31 assists in 125 games over a 4-year stretch. Betts was the number 1 star of game 7 vs Tulsa when he scored 1 goal and 1 assist on May 4. Betts followed that up with another 1 goal and 1 assist performance vs Rapid City in game 1 on May 6. In 9 playoff games Betts has 3 goals and 4 assists with a +3 rating. Betts has been terrific for Utah in winning face-offs in the playoffs. This season at Cornell University he won 55 % of the face-offs he took.

Dylan Fitze was acquired in a trade with the Orlando Solar Bears for Brian Bowen on March 24, 2022. Fitze scored a power play goal in the 3rd period vs Rapid City in game 1. In game 2 Fitze scored 2 goals in the third period. Fitze has 4 goals and 2 assists in 9 playoff games.  

Forward Nick Henry was reassigned to Utah prior to game 7 vs Tulsa on May 4. Henry played in 28 games with Colorado (AHL) and had 2 goals and 4 assists. Henry has played in 87 AHL games over the past 4 seasons, scoring 8 goals and 11 assists. In 15 career games with Utah, Nick has 6 goals and 6 assists. Henry scored the game tying goal 19:17 into the third period. Nick was a 4th round pick by the Avalanche (94th overall) in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft.

Special Teams in the Playoffs

In game 2 Rapid City went 4 for 6 on the power play, while Utah went 3 for 7. The Grizz have stepped up their game on the power play in the playoffs. Utah is 16 for 42 (38.1 %) on the power play in the postseason, which ranks as the best in the league, and they are 4th in the league on the penalty kill as they are 41 for 47 (87.2 %). Charle-Edouard D’Astous has 11 power play points (7 goals, 4 assists) and that’s not a surprise considering that D’Astous led Utah in power play goals (9), assists (14) and points (23). D’Astous had 3 power play points in game 2 vs RC with 2 goals and 1 assist. Ben Tardif has 9 power play assists in 9 playoff games. Trey Bradley has 7 power play points in the playoffs (1 goal, 6 assists). Zach Tsekos and Luke Martin each have 4 power play assists. 

In the regular season Utah went 4 for 32 on the power play vs Rapid City (12.5 %). Rapid City’s power play was 13 for 35 vs Utah (37.1 %). Rapid City was tied for the best penalty kill in the regular season at 85.1 percent and they were 10th on the power play at 19.6 %. 

Playoff League Leaders

Ben Tardif leads the league with 15 assists and is tied with D’Astous with 17 points. Tardif is also first with 9 power play assists. Charle-Edouard D’Astous leads the league with 12 goals and is tied with Tardif with 17 points. D’Astous leads all skaters with 7 power play goals, 11 power play points and 15 minor penalties. D’Astous leads all defenseman with 32 shots. Trey Bradley is tied for 7th with 11 points and is 4th with 7 power play points. Tarun Fizer leads all rookies with 33 shots on goal.

Grizzlies Playoffs Player Trends

Charle-Edouard D’Astous has a point in all 9 playoff games, including 5 multiple point games. D’Astous has a power play goal in 5 of 9 playoff games. D’Astous has a goal in 8 of 9 playoff games, including 4 games with 2 goals. D’Astous averages 3.55 shots per game and 1.33 goals per game. D’Astous has a 37.5 shooting % in the playoffs.

Ben Tardif has 7 multiple point games in the playoffs. Tardif has a point in 7 of 9 playoff games. Tardif has 2 or more assists in 7 playoff games. In the regular season Tardif led Utah in assists (39), points (59) and multiple point games with 19. Tardif leads the playoffs with 9 power play assists. In the regular season Tardif had 10 games with 2 or more assists.

Tarun Fizer has a point in 7 of 9 playoff games. Fizer has 4 points in 2 games vs RC (1 goal, 3 assists). Fizer has 9 points in 9 playoff games.

Trey Bradley has a point in 7 of 9 playoff games (5 goals, 6 assists). 7 of his 11 points have been on the power play (1 goal, 6 assists). Bradley is 2nd on the team with a 23.8 shooting %. Bradley has 2 game winning goals in the playoffs. 4 of his 5 playoff goals have come in the 3rd period.

Zach Tsekos has a point in 5 of 9 playoff games. Tsekos had 2 assists in game 7 vs Tulsa and another 2 helpers in game 1 vs RC. He has 4 power play assists. At Clarkson University this season Tsekos had a point in 21 of his 35 games (15 goals, 16 assists). Zach had 8 multiple point games for Clarkson in his senior season (2021-22).

Kyle Betts had 1 goal and 1 assist in both game 7 vs Tulsa and game 1 vs RC. Betts has a 18.8 shooting percentage in the playoffs (3 for 16). Betts has a point in 5 of 9 playoff games.

Mason Mannek has a point in 4 of his last 5 games (2 goals, 2 assists). Mannek is averaging 2.00 shots per game.

Dylan Fitze has 3 goals in his last 2 games. All 3 of those goals have come in the third period. Fitze is averaging 4.22 shots per game.

Nick Henry has 3 points (1 goal, 2 assists) in his last 2 games. Henry has 12 shots in 3 playoff games. Henry was reassigned to Utah from Colorado (AHL) on May 4 prior to game 7 vs Tulsa. Henry had 2 goals and 2 assists in 7 regular season games for Utah. Henry appeared in 28 games for Colorado and had 2 goals and 4 assists.

Luke Martin has a point in 4 straight games (5 assists). Martin missed game 1 vs RC on May 6.

Miles Gendron has an assist in both of the games in the Rapid City series. Gendron missed the Tulsa series with an injury and he was also out for the final 4 games of the regular season. Miles is a +2 in the series.

Connor McDonald is a +3 in his last 2 games.

Grizzlies Roster

Forwards: Kyle Betts,Trey Bradley, Luka Burzan, Dylan Fitze, Tarun Fizer, Nick Henry, Mason Mannek, Tyler Penner, Dakota Raabe, Benjamin Tardif, Zach Tsekos, Johnny Walker.

Defenseman: Nate Clurman,Joey Colatarci, Austin Crossley, Charle-Edouard D’Astous, Miles Gendron, Luke Martin, Connor McDonald, Kyle Pouncy, James Shearer.

Goaltenders: Peyton Jones,Trent Miner, Thomas Sigouin.

Team Leaders (2022 Kelly Cup Playoffs)

Goals: Charle-Edouard D’Astous (12) – D’Astous led Utah with 26 regular season goals.

Assists: Ben Tardif (15) – Tardif led Utah with 39 regular season assists.

Points: D’Astous/Tardif (17) – Tardif led Utah with 59 regular season points.

Plus/Minus: Luke Martin (+5)   

Penalty Minutes: D’Astous (30).

Power Play Points: D’Astous (11)

Power Play Goals: D’Astous (7)

Power Play Assists: Tardif (9)

Shots on Goal: Dylan Fitze (38)

Shooting Percentage: D’Astous (37.5 %) 12 for 32.

Goaltending Wins: Trent Miner (5)

Save %: Miner (.936)

Goals Against Average: Miner (2.45)

Team Stats (2022 Kelly Cup Playoffs)

Goals For: 36 (4.00 per game)

Goals Against: 25 (2.78 per game)

Goal Differential: +11.

Shots on Goal: 313. 34.78 per game

Shots Against: 332. 36.89 per game.

Power Play: 16 for 42. 38.1 %.

Penalty Kill: 41 for 47. 87.2 %.

Penalty Minutes: 122. 13.56 per game.

Scoring First: Utah has scored first in 5 of the 9 games in the playoffs. Utah is 3-2 when scoring first and 3-1 when the opposition scored first.