Grizzlies Preview: Sunday Showdown at Maverik Center

Allen Americans(39-22-3-1, 82 points, .631 win %) @ Utah Grizzlies (32-22-5-6, 75 points, .577 Win%)

Maverik Center. May 23, 2021. 1:10 pm MST. Mixlr/FloSports.

It’s the final of the 4 game series between the Western Conference rivals. Utah has won 2 in a row after Allen won the series opener. It’s the 18th and final regular season meeting between the clubs. Utah finds themselves in 4th place in the Western Conference with a .577 winning percentage, .054 percentage points ahead of Rapid City, who’s in 5th with a win rate of .523. Utah has won 9 of their last 10 games and it’s the best 10 game stretch for Utah this season. Utah is 7-6-1-3 vs Allen this season.

Cedric Pare Wins Game in Overtime

Pare scored the game winner 57 seconds into overtime on the power play as Utah won 2-1 on May 22 at Maverik Center. Pare scored both of Utah’s goals, with the first one coming 8:28 into the third period. Utah outshot Allen 26 to 14. Parker Gahagen saved 13 of 14, while Allen’s Jake Paterson saved 24 of 26. Despite the loss, Allen clinched a playoff spot because of Indy’s 3-2 win over Rapid City. Utah went 1 for 5 on the power play, while Allen went 0 for 4. Utah’s penalty kill is 18 for 18 over the last 5 games.

Friday Night: Lewis, White and Company Leads Utah to 4-1 Win

Ty Lewis had 2 goals and 1 assist, AJ White had 1 goal and 1 assist and Trey Bradley had 3 assists to lead the Grizzlies to a 4-1 win on Friday night. Parker Gahagen was outstanding in net, saving 33 of 34 for his 7th win of the season. Ryan Lowney scored a power play goal 4:07 into the 3rd period.

Sasha Mutala Joins Grizzlies for Sunday’s Game

Mutala has been added to the Grizzlies roster and will make his Utah debut on Sunday afternoon vs Allen. Mutala played in 6 games with the AHL’s Colorado Eagles to begin his pro career. Mutala played with the WHL’s Tri-City Americans from 2017-2021, scoring 65 goals and 89 assists. Sasha was drafted by the Colorado Avalanche in the 5th round (140th overall) in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft. Mutala was born on May 6, 2021. He’s the 4th player in Grizzlies history to who was born after the turn of the century.

AJ White’s Been White Hot

AJ White has 5 multiple point games in the last 8 played. White had 2 points last Friday night (1 goal, 1 assist). In the last 10 games, White has 13 points (5 goals, 8 assists). In the last 9 games White has a +8 rating.

Trey Bradley’s Racking Up the Assists

Bradley has 2 goals and 12 assists in his last 10 games. He currently leads the club with 32 assists on the season. Bradley has 5 multiple point games in his last 10. On the season Bradley has 11 multiple point games, just 1 behind Matthew Boucher for the team lead.

Miles Gendron Rejoined Team Yesterday

Gendron has 7 goals and 8 assists in 39 games with Utah this season. He appeared in 15 games with the Colorado Eagles this year, scoring 2 goals, 1 assists and had a +4 rating. Gendron was drafted in the 3rd round, 70th overall by the Ottawa Senators in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft.

Penalty Kill Has Been Strong

Utah is 18 for 18 on the penalty kill over the last 5 games.

Lowney’s Dangerous on the Power Play

Ryan Lowney scored a power play goal in the 3rd period of Friday’s 4-1 win. Last night Lowney got an assist on the game winner on the power play 57 seconds into overtime. This season, Lowney leads the club with 17 power play points (6 goals, 11 assists).

Mason Mannek Made Professional Debut on Wednesday

Mannek, 21, made his pro debut with the Grizzlies on May 19 vs Allen. Mannek was born and raised in Herriman, Utah. He played with the WHL’s Portland Winterhawks from 2018-2021 and scored 43 goals and 51 assists. He had a +27 rating in 4 seasons with Portland. Mannek had an assist in his pro debut, wearing number 28. Mannek is the 3rd player in team history who was born in this century, joining defenseman Wyatt McLeod, who scored 2 goals on Wednesday night, and Hunter Skinner, who is now with the AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack and next year will begin a 3 year entry level deal with the NHL’s New York Rangers. Mannek has 1 assist and 8 shots on goal in his first 3 games with the Grizz.

Parker Gahagen Wins Goaltender of the Week for 2nd Straight Time

Gahagen wins the award for the 3rd time in his career and for the 2nd straight week. He saved 29 of 30 and 2 of 3 in the shootout to lead Utah to a 2-1 shootout win at Tulsa on May 15. The next afternoon he saved 47 of 50 in the Grizz 6-3 win at Tulsa. In 13 games this season Gahagen has a 8-2-1-1 record with a .933 save percentage and a 1.96 goals against average. It’s the 3rd time this season that a Grizzlies goaltender has won the award. Garrett Metcalf also won the award from April 19-25.

2020-2021 Regular Season Totals (league rankings)

Overall record: 32-22-5-6

Home record: 19-7-3-3. Utah has outscored opponents 109 to 90 at home.

Road record: 13-15-2-3

Win percentage: .577 (4th in Western Conference).

Streak: Won 2. Utah has won 9 of their last 10.

Standings Points: 75

Last 10: 9-1

Goals per game: 2.89 (11th). Goals for: 188

Goals against per game: 3.02 (9th). Goals against: 196

Shots per game: 32.88 (3rd).

Shots against per game: 29.51 (4th).

Power Play: 17.2 % - 44 for 256 (7th).

Penalty Kill: 84.2 % - 203 for 241 (5th). – 18 for 18 in the last 5 games.

Penalty Minutes: 886 (13.63 per game).

Shorthanded Goals: 10 (Tied for 3rd)

Shorthanded Goals Allowed: 8 (10th)

Players Used: 51. Mason Mannek played in his first game on Wednesday night.  

Record When Scoring First: 20-8-2-1

Team Leaders (2020-21 season)

Goals: Matthew Boucher (23)

Assists: Trey Bradley (32) – Bradley has 12 assists in 11 games in May.

Points: Boucher (49)

Plus/Minus: Jack Jenkins (+8)

PIM: Teigan Zahn (86) Cole Fraser leads the league with 142 PIM with 53 of those coming with Utah.

Games Played: Cedric Pare (60)

Power Play Points: Ryan Lowney (17) AJ White leads team with 8 power play goals.

Shots on Goal: Matthew Boucher (201)

Shooting Percentage: AJ White (14.4 %) – Minimum 40 shots.

Game Winning Goals: White (4)

Wins: Parker Gahagen (8)

Save %: Gahagen (.933) – Minimum 7 games

Goals Against Average: Gahagen (1.96). – Minimum 7 games

Roster

Forwards: Matthew Boucher, Trey Bradley, Pat Cannone, Charlie Gerard, Hayden Hodgson, Matt Hoover, Jack Jenkins, Ty Lewis, Mason Mannek, Mitch Maxwell, Cedric Pare, Jared Pike, Joe Wegwerth. AJ White.

Defenseman: Luke Bafia, Brandon Fehd, Cole Fraser, Miles Gendron, Garrett Johnston, Alex Lepkowski, Ryan Lowney, Wyatt McLeod, Teigan Zahn.

Goaltenders: Parker Gahagen, Peyton Jones, Garrett Metcalf.

Last Week’s Games

Friday, May 14, 2021 – Utah 3 Tulsa 2 (Overtime) – AJ White scored 2 goals, highlighted by the game winning goal 18 seconds into overtime. Charlie Gerard added a goal. Alex Lepkowski had 2 assists. Peyton Jones saved 28 of 30.

Saturday, May 15, 2021 – Utah 2 Tulsa 1 (Shootout) – Hayden Hodgson scored a 2nd period goal. Trey Bradley got the game winner in the shootout. Parker Gahagen saved 29 of 30 and 2 of 3 in the shootout for his 5th win of the season.

Sunday, May 16, 2021 – Utah 6 Tulsa 3. AJ White had 1 goal and 2 assists and Matt Hoover and Matthew Boucher each had 1 goal and 1 assist. Parker Gahagen was the number 1 star of the game after saving 47 of 50.

This Week’s Games

Wednesday, May 19, 2021 – Allen 5 Utah 3 – Charlie Gerard scored his 15th goal of the season, which ranks 2nd on the club. Wyatt McLeod scored his first 2 professional goals. Allen scored 5 unanswered goals. Collin Shirley scored 2 goals 31 seconds apart to turn a 3-1 Utah lead into a 3-3 tie.

Friday, May 21, 2021 – Allen 1 Utah 4 – Ty Lewis had 2 goals and 1 assist. AJ White had 1 goal and 1 assist. Trey Bradley had 3 assists. Ryan Lowney scored a power play goal in the 3rd period. Parker Gahagen saved 33 of 34.  

Saturday, May 22, 2021 – Allen 1 Utah 2 - Utah is now 13-2-0-1 in the 3rd game of a series. Cedric Pare scored 2 goals, including the game winner on the power play 57 seconds into overtime. Utah outshot Allen 26 to 14. Utah went 1 for 5 on the power play, while Allen went 0 for 4.

Sunday, May 23, 2021 – Allen at Utah. 1:10 pm.

Next Week’s Games

Thursday, May 27, 2021 – Utah at Kansas City. 6:05 pm

Friday, May 28, 2021 – Utah at Kansas City. 6:05 pm

Saturday, May 29, 2021 – Utah at Kansas City. 6:05 pm.

All times Mountain

Active Streaks

Goal Streaks: Cedric Pare (1)

Assist Streaks: Trey Bradley (4) AJ White (2), Charlie Gerard, Ryan Lowney (1)

Point Streaks of 2 or more: Lowney, Bradley (4) White (2)

Multiple Point games

12 - Matthew Boucher

11 – Trey Bradley

8 – AJ White

6- Charlie Gerard, Ryan Lowney, Ty Lewis, Cedric Pare.

5 - Riley Woods,  Matt Hoover.

4- Pat Cannone, Hunter Skinner.   

3 - Miles Gendron, Travis Barron.

2 - Diego Cuglietta, Nick Henry, Joe Wegwerth, Mitch Maxwell, Hayden Hodgson, Alex Lepkowski.

1 - Jack Jenkins,  Braylon Shmyr, Ian Scheid, Matt Abt, Ryker Killins, Josh Dickinson, Brayden Gelsinger, Brandon Fehd, Wyatt McLeod.

Grizzlies Record is Outstanding When Leading After 1st and 2nd

Utah is 12-4-0-1 when leading after 1 period and 19-4-1-1 when leading after 2.

Grizzlies Like Home Cooking

Utah has outscored opponents 109 to 90 at home this season. The Grizz are 19-7-3-3 at Maverik Center, earning 44 standings points in 32 games. There are 4 home games left in the regular season. Utah ends the regular season by hosting Fort Wayne on June 2, 4-5.  

Many 1 Goal Games

33 of the 65 games Utah has played this season have been 1 goal contests. This season the Grizzlies have played in 18 games past regulation. 8 of the 17 games vs Allen have been decided by 1.