Grizzlies Gameday: Snowy Saturday in Rapid City

Utah Grizzlies (32-19-2-1, 67 points, .620 Win %) at Rapid City Rush (27-20-4-4, 62 points, .564 Win %)

Saturday, March 5, 2022. The Monument. 7:05 pm. Broadcast: Mixlr/FloSports 

It’s the 2nd game of a 3 game weekend set at The Monument and it’s the 5th of a 6 game road trip for Utah. Utah is 5-2 vs Rapid City this season. Luka Burzan has been hot lately as he has 5 goals and 1 assist in his last 7 games. Last night in Rapid City was another 1 goal win for Utah. The Grizz are 12-3-2-1 in one-goal games. It's a big game for both teams. Utah maintains a lead in first place in the Mountain Division with a .620 points percentage. For Rapid City they are just .001 percentage points behind Idaho for 2nd place in the Mountain Division.

Last Night: Goaltenders Showcase at the Monument 

Utah goaltender Peyton Jones saved 49 of 50 and all 7 shots he saw in the shootout as Utah won 2-1 in the series opener. Charle-Edouard D’Astous scored the game winner in the 7th round of the shootout. While last night’s goal is not officially listed as a game winning goal in the league’s stats it’s just another example of how clutch D’Astous has been all year. He leads all league defenseman and the Grizzlies with 6 game winning goals. Luka Burzan delivered Utah’s lone goal in regulation as he scored 6:22 into the contest on a rebound from a Tyler Penner shot. 

Both teams went 0 for 1 on the Power Play. Rapid City outshot Utah 50 to 30. 

Peyton Jones Continues to Dominate 

In his last 9 games (8 starts) Peyton Jones is 6-2 with a .939 save percentage and a 2.16 goals against average. Peyton leads the club with 14 wins on the season. In 43 career games with Utah the 2nd year pro out of Penn State has a 22-12-4 record with a .899 save percentage and a 3.13 goals against average. 

Luka Burzan Returns With Authority 

Luka Burzan scored Utah’s lone goal in regulation last night in Rapid City. Luka has 5 goals and 1 assist in his last 7 games since returning from an injury. In 23 games this season he has 9 goals and 11 assists. Burzan was a 6th round pick (171st overall) of the Colorado Avalanche in the 2019 NHL Draft. Luka has appeared in 24 games with the AHL’s Colorado Eagles over the last 2 seasons and had 3 goals and 1 assist. This season he has played in 10 games with Colorado (AHL). 

Grizzlies Current 6 Game Road Trip 

Last Week’s Games in Kansas City

February 25, 2022 – Utah 4 Kansas City 2 - D’Astous 1 goal, 2 assists. Nick Henry 1 goal, 1 assist. Peyton Jones saved 31 of 33. 

February 26, 2022 – Utah 4 Kansas City 5 – Luka Burzan 1 goal, 2 assists. Charle-E. D’Astous, Miles Gendron and Mason Mannek added goals. Nate Clurman was a +3. 

February 27, 2022 – Utah 0 Kansas City 2 – KC’s Matt Greenfield 39 save shutout. Utah outshot KC 39 to 28.

This Week’s Games at Rapid City

Friday, March 4, 2022 – Utah 2 Rapid City 1 - Luka Burzan scored his 9th goal of the year. Charle-E. D’Astous Shootout Game Winner. Peyton Jones saved 49 of 50. 

Saturday, March 5, 2022 – Utah at Rapid City. 7:05 pm. 

Sunday, March 6, 2022 – Utah at Rapid City. 4:05 pm. 

All times Mountain. Every game can be seen on FloHockey and heard on Mixlr. 

Season Series vs Rapid City 

Utah is 5-2 vs Rapid City this season. Utah is 20-4-2-1 in their last 27 meetings with Rapid City. Saturday night is the 8th of 12 meetings between the division rivals. 

Recent Transactions: Boucher and Metcalf Return to Club 

Forward Matthew Boucher returns to the Grizz after a 6 week stint with the AHL’s Colorado Eagles. Boucher was called up to Colorado on January 23, 2022 and played in 5 games with the Eagles, where he had 8 shots on goal and had 7 penalty minutes and a -2 rating. 

Goaltender Garrett Metcalf returned to Utah after a 2 month loan with the AHL’s Lehigh Valley Phantoms. Metcalf appeared in 4 games for the Phantoms and had a 2-1-1 record with a 3.48 GAA and a .882 save percentage. In 14 career games with Utah, the Salt Lake City native has a 6-6-1 record with a .922 save percentage and a 2.15 goals against average. 

March 3, 2022 – Matthew Boucher reassigned to Utah from Colorado (AHL). 

March 1, 2022 – Garrett Metcalf returns from load with AHL’s Lehigh Valley Phantoms. Cole Kehler and Gehrett Sargis were released. 

Charle-Edouard D’Astous Scored Last Night's Game Winner

Defenseman Charle-Edouard D’Astous leads all league defenseman with 19 goals and is 2nd with 42 points. He leads the team in power play goals (6), power play points (16) and shots among defenseman (140). Charle has a point in 14 of his last 22 games. He has a point in 27 different games this season, which leads the club. D’Astous also leads all league defenseman with 6 game winning goals and that doesn’t include the shootout game winner on March 4 at Rapid City. .  

Gotta Get to 3 

When Utah scores 3 or more goals in a game they are 30-6-3-1. When they score less than 3 goals this season they are just 2-13. Utah is 19-1 when allowing less than 3 goals. March 4 in Rapid City was just the 2nd time this season where the Grizzlies won a game where they scored less than 3 goals. 

Next Homestand 

Wednesday, March 9, 2022 Kansas City at Utah. 7:10 pm. Bud Light College Night. Singles Night. Friday, March 11, 2022 Kansas City at Utah. 7:10 pm. AFCU Friday. Beer Fest. 

Saturday, March 12, 2022 Kansas City at Utah. 7:10 pm. Military Night Presented by Darren Bideaux RV.

Family Fun Zone is on the concourse for every Grizzlies home game. 

All times Mountain. Every game can be seen on FloHockey and heard on Mixlr. 

Grizzlies Among League Leaders 

Trent Miner leads the league with 4 shutouts. Charle-Edouard D’Astous leads all league defenseman with 19 goals and is 2nd with 42 points. D’Astous leads all defencemen with 6 game winning goals. D’Astous and Luke Martin are both tied for 2nd among defenseman in plus/minus at +26. Brian Bowen is tied for 5th with 179 shots. Ben Tardif leads all league rookies with 7 shorthanded points. Tardif is 2nd among rookies with 28 assists. Mason Mannek is tied for 4thin points among rookies with 40. 

Grizzlies Roster 

Forwards: Matthew Boucher, Brian Bowen, Trey Bradley, Luka Burzan, Taylor Crunk, Nick Henry, Mason Mannek, Tyler Penner, Zac Robbins, Quinn Ryan, Christian Simone, Benjamin Tardif. 

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

Goaltenders: Peyton Jones, Garrett Metcalf, Trent Miner. 

2021-2022 Utah Grizzlies Regular Season Totals (league rankings) 

Overall record: 32-19-2-1 

Home record: 16-9. Utah has outscored opponents 88 to 73 at home. 

Road record: 16-10-2-1 

Win percentage: .620. Best win % in Mountain Division. 

Streak: Won 1. 

Standings Points: 67. 

Last 10: 6-4. 

Goals per game: 3.37 (9th) Goals for: 182. 

Goals against per game: 3.11 (10th) Goals Against: 168. 

Shots per game: 32.48 (9th) 

Shots against per game: 31.56 (15th) 

Power Play: 30 for 169 – 17.8 % (20th) 

Penalty Kill: 165 for 218- 75.7 % (24th) 

Penalty Minutes: 751. 13.91 per game. 

Shorthanded Goals: 18 (Tied for 1st). 

Shorthanded Goals Allowed: 7. 

Record When Scoring First: 14-8-0-1. Utah has scored first in 23 of 54 games this season. Utah is 18-11-2 when the opposition scores first. 

Record in One Goal Games: 12-3-2-1. 18 of the 53 games have been decided by 1. 14 games have been decided by 2. Utah is 8-6 in 2 goal games. 

Team Leaders (2021-22 season) 

Goals: Brian Bowen/Charle-Edouard D’Astous (19). 

Assists: Ben Tardif (28) 

Points: Charle-Edouard D’Astous (42) 

Plus/Minus: Luke Martin (+26) 

PIM: Andrew Nielsen (114) Taylor Crunk leads active Grizzlies with 85. 

Power Play Points: D’Astous (16) 

Power Play Goals: D’Astous (6) 

Power Play Assists: D’Astous (10). 

Shorthanded Goals: Trey Bradley/Matthew Boucher (4) 

Shots on Goal: Brian Bowen (179) 

Shooting Percentage: Quinn Ryan (12 for 64). 18.8 %. – Minimum 60 shots. 

Game Winning Goals: D’Astous (6). - D’Astous has Utah’s only shootout game winner this season. Wins: Peyton Jones (14). 

Save %: Garrett Metcalf (.932). 

Goals Against Average: Garrett Metcalf (1.84)

Bear Bites: Grizzlies Team Stats 

Utah is tied for the league lead with 18 shorthanded goals. The Grizz are 12-4 when scoring a shorthanded goal. Utah is outscoring opponents 72 to 50 in the 2nd periods. Utah is 21-1 when leading after 2 periods. Grizz are 19-7-0-1 when outshooting opponents. Utah is 18-11-2 when the opposition scores first. Utah is 30-6-2-1 when scoring 3 or more goals. Utah has outscored opponents 88 to 73 at home. Their 67 standings points are 3rd in the league. The Grizz are 14-8-2-1 when they play with 0 days rest between games. Utah is 25-10-1-1 vs Mountain Division opponents. Utah is 19-1 when allowing less than 3 goals. The Grizz are 12-3-2-1 in one goal games. Utah is 8-11-2 when trailing after 1 period. The 8 wins when trailing after 1 is the most in the league. 

Active Streaks (2021-2022 Season) 

Goal Streaks: Luka Burzan (1) 

Assist Streaks: Tyler Penner (1). 

Point Streaks of 2 or more: Bradley (4). 

Grizzlies Player Trends 

Brian Bowen: 22 of his 33 points have been at Maverik Center. 12 of his 19 goals have been at home. 10 of his 14 assists have been at home. Bowen has a point in 8 of his last 14 games. Bowen leads the team with 179 shots on goal. Brian has taken 5 or more shots in 18 different games. Bowen averages 3.58 shots per game. 

Charle-Edouard D’Astous has a point in 27 different games this season. D’Astous is a +5 in his last 8 games. He leads all league defenseman in goals (19) and game winning goals (6). He is 2nd among all league defenseman in points (42), shots (142) and is among league leaders in plus/minus (+25). 

Ben Tardif has a point in 7 of his last 11 games (4 goals, 7 assists). Tardif has 51 shots in his last 11 games. Tardif has 8 games of 2 or more assists. Ben has 19 games of 4 or more shots on goal. Tardif has scored a point in 22 of 36 games this season. Tardif leads the team with 13 multiple point games. 

Luke Martin is a +14 in his last 18 games. Luke has taken 61 shots over his last 18 games. Martin returned to the lineup on March 4 after missing 6 straight games 

Luka Burzan has 5 goals and 1 assist in his last 7 games. 

Miles Gendron has a goal in 3 of his last 5 games. 

Zac Robbins has 4 goals in his last 8 games. 

Nate Clurman has an assist in 8 of his last 11 games. 

Shane Kuzmeski has an assist in 3 of his last 6 games. 

Peyton Jones has won 6 of his last 8 starts. Peyton has a .939 save percentage and a 2.16 Goals Against Average in his last 9 games (8 starts). Jones leads the club with 14 wins.

Darren Bideaux RV Puck Shoot: For the March 12 game vs Kansas City, The Grizzlies are picking two lucky contestants to compete in a puck shoot game on the ice during the first intermission on Military Night.  Contestants that make the first shot (from the blue line with an open net) will win a free 2 day RV rental.  If they can hit the second shot (from center ice with a restricted opening) will win a Bakcou EBike (retail $3,800) courtesy of Darren Bideaux RV.

Here is the link to enter - https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/8MS3FSG