Strong 3rd Period Leads to Grizz 6-3 Game 1 Win
West Valley City, Utah – Trey Bradley had 2 goals and 2 assists, Ben Tardif had 1 goal and 3 assists and Charle-Edouard D’Astous had 1 goal and 2 assists to lead the Utah Grizzlies to a 6-3 win over the Tulsa Oilers in game 1 of the best-of-7 first round series at Maverik Center.
Dylan Fitze got Utah on the board with a power play goal 3:07 in. Tulsa tied the game 14:20 in as Alex Gilmour redirected a John Furgele shot. Tardif gave Utah a 2-1 lead with 1:01 left in the first period on an unassisted shorthanded goal. Utah led the league with 20 shorthanded goals this season. Utah led 2-1 after 1 period. They were 16-4 when leading after 1.
Tulsa tied the game 4:45 into the second period on an unassisted goal by Joe Garreffa. The Oilers took a 3-2 lead as Jackson Leef scored 9:06 in. D’Astous tied the game 14:19 in on a one-timer from the right circle. The score was tied 3-3 after 2 periods.
Zach Tsekos scored his first pro goal 9:40 into the third period to give Utah a 4-3 lead. Trey Bradley added some insurance 13:09 in. Bradley added a power play empty net goal with 2:11 left. Utah went 3 for 7 on the power play and added a shorthanded goal. The Grizz were a perfect 7 for 7 on the penalty kill.
It was Utah’s first playoff win since they defeated Idaho 7-1 on April 12, 2019 in game 1 of the first round series. Utah ended a 7 game playoff losing streak. It was Utah’s first home playoff win since April 23, 2016 vs Colorado.
Peyton Jones got the win in net as he saved 27 of 30. Tulsa’s Daniel Mannella saved 30 of 35. The Grizzlies had a crowd of 5173 for the playoff opener.
Game 2 of the series is on Saturday night at Maverik Center. Face-off is at 7:10 pm. Tickets are available at utahgrizzlies.com or by calling (801) 988-8000.
3 stars
- Trey Bradley (Utah) – 2 goals, 2 assists.
- Ben Tardif (Utah) – 1 goal, 3 assists.
- Charle-Edouard D’Astous (Utah) – 1 goal, 2 assists.
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