Grizzlies Gameday: Western Conference Finals Game 1 in Toledo

2022 Western Conference Finals: Utah Grizzlies at Toledo Walleye

Game 1: Friday, May 20, 2022. 5:35 pm. Arena: Huntington Center. 

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

Western Conference Finals

Game 1  Utah @ Toledo  Fri. May 20  7:35pm EST

Game 2  Utah @ Toledo  Sat. May 21  7:35pm EST

Game 3  Toledo @ Utah  Tue. May 20  7:10pm MST

Game 4  Toledo @ Utah  Fri. May 27   7:10pm MST

Game 5  Toledo @ Utah  Sat. May 28  7:10pm MST (if necessary)

Game 6  Utah @ Toledo  Mon. May 30  7:35pm EST (if necessary)

Game 7  Utah @ Toledo  Tue. May 31  7:35pm EST (if necessary)

It’s game 1 of the Western Conference Finals as the Utah Grizzlies take on the Toledo Walleye. Utah is 8-4-1 in postseason play. It’s a match-up of 2 of the best offensive teams in the league. Utah has 31 goals in their last 7 games. Toledo scored 18 goals in a 4 game sweep of the Wheeling Nailers in the Central Division Championship series.

3rd Time in the Conference Finals

It’s the 3rd time in Grizzlies franchise history where they have reached the Conference Finals. It’s the first time Utah has faced a team in the Conference Finals who doesn’t reside in Sin City.

Utah defeated the Las Vegas Thunder 4 games to 2 in 1996 on their way to winning the Turner Cup, where they swept Orlando 4-0. In 2008 the Grizzlies were swept by the Las Vegas Wranglers 4-0. Current Head Coach Ryan Kinasewich was on that 2008 team and led the Grizz with 8 playoff goals.

Unfamiliar Opposition

It’s the first meeting between the clubs since December 17, 2016 when the Walleye completed a 3 game sweep of the Grizz at Maverik Center. The last time the Grizzlies’ visited Toledo was on January 22-24, 2016.

Grizzlies Pair Rewriting Record Books

Charle-Edouard D’Astous scored 2 goals in game 6 vs Rapid City. D’Astous has 17 playoff goals and is currently tied for the league record for the most goals by a player in a single playoff year. In game 6 D’Astous scored his 10th power play goal of the playoffs, breaking a league record, which was previously held by Alaska’s Chris Minard, who had 9 in 2006. D’Astous shattered the Grizzlies single season playoff goals record, which was previously held by Andrei Vasilyev, who had 12 in the 1996 Turner Cup Championship run.

D'Astous has a goal in 10 of 13 playoff games and 2 or more goals in 6 games. He has a point in 12 of 13 playoff games. D’Astous had 5 power play goals vs Tulsa and 5 vs Rapid City.

MOST GOALS, ONE PLAYOFF YEAR

17 – Charle-Edouard D’Astous, Utah 2022 - J.F. Boutin, Peoria, 2000 – Blaine Moore, Richmond, 1995

16 – Zach O’Brien, Newfoundland, 2019 – Mark Deazeley, Toledo, 1994 – Rod Taylor, Hampton Roads, Dave Flanagan, Hampton Roads, 1991

MOST POWER-PLAY GOALS, ONE PLAYOFF YEAR

10 – Charle-Edouard D’Astous, Utah, 2022

9 - Chris Minard, Alaska, 2006

8 - Greger Hanson, Allen, 2016

- Kevin Colley, Atlantic City, 2003 – Grizzlies Head Coach from 2009-2013.

7 - Jason Cipolla, South Carolina, 1997

Chris Hynes, South Carolina, 1997

Mark Deazeley, Toledo, 1994

Sheldon Gorski, Louisville, 1992

Ben Tardif Has Been Amazing

Ben Tardif is tied with D’Astous with 26 playoff points. Tardif has the Grizzlies single season playoff records in assists (22) and points. He passed Andy Brickley, who had 13 assists and 19 points for the 1996 championship club.

MOST ASSISTS, ONE PLAYOFF YEAR

29 - Chad Costello, Allen, 2016

26 - John Spoltore, Louisiana, 2000

25 - Wayne Simpson, South Carolina, 2015

24 - David Desharnais, Cincinnati, 2008

23 - Brad Dexter, South Carolina, 1997

22 – Benjamin Tardif, Utah, 2022

Tardif has 2 or more points in 10 of 13 playoff games. Tardif had 13 points in the first round series vs Tulsa (2 goals, 11 assists) and 13 points vs Rapid City in the second round (2 goals, 11 assists). Tardif led all league rookies and the Grizzlies with 39 assists in the regular season. He also led Utah with 59 points. Tardif led Utah with 19 multiple point games in the regular season.

Second Round Playoff Series Recap

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: Utah 6 Rapid City 2 – D’Astous scored 3 goals. Nick Henry had 2 goals. Luka Burzan scored with 55 seconds left. Ben Tardif had 4 assists. Luke Martin added 2 assists. Peyton Jones saved 44 of 46 in net. Utah went 2 for 5 on the power play and was 5 for 6 on the penalty kill.

Game 4: Utah 5 Rapid City 6 (Overtime) – Ben Tardif 2 goals, 1 assist. Kyle Betts 1 goal 1 assist. D’Astous 2 assists. Mason Mannek and Dakota Raabe each scored a goal. RC’s Logan Nelson had 3 goals and 1 assist. Rapid City outshot Utah 44 to 43. Peyton Jones saved 38 of 44 for the Grizz.

Game 5: Utah 0 Rapid City 3 – Gabriel Chabot scored 2 first period goals. Alec Butcher added a second period goal. Utah outshot Rapid City 43 to 16.

Game 6: Rapid City 1 Utah 5 – Charle-Edouard D’Astous 2 goals and 1 assist. Ben Tardif had 2 assists. Trent Miner saved 32 of 33. Kyle Betts, Luke Martin and Dakota Raabe added goals.

Team Leaders in the Rapid City Series

Goals: D’Astous (8)

Assists: Tardif (11)

Points: D’Astous (14)

Shots: D’Astous (36)

Plus/Minus: Betts/D’Astous (+9).

Best points per game average of players still in the ECHL playoffs

2.00 - Benjamin Tardif, Utah

2.00 - *Charle-Edouard D’Astous, Utah

1.64 - Brandon Hawkins, Toledo

1.55 - TJ Hensick, Toledo

Great Goaltending Match-Up

Goaltender Trent Miner has been outstanding for Utah in the playoffs as he has a 6-3 record with a 2.36 goals against average and a .934 save percentage in 9 playoff games. Miner led the league with 7 shutouts, which broke a Grizzlies single season record.

Peyton Jones has appeared in 4 games for Utah and has a 2-1-1 record with a 3.57 goals against average and a .903 save percentage. Jones led Utah with 17 wins this season.

Toledo’s Billy Christopoulos has played in all of their 11 playoff games and has a 8-2-1 record with 1 shutout, a 2.12 goals against average and a .924 save percentage. It will be the first time the Grizzlies will have faced Christopoulos, who is in his 3rd season as a pro. Billy played at Air Force Academy for 4 seasons from 2016-2019.

Plus Performers of the Playoffs

Luke Martin leads the league in the playoffs with a +11 rating. Kyle Betts and Charle-Edouard D’Astous are tied for 2nd at +10. Ben Tardif is a +9. In game 6 vs Rapid City Betts and D’Astous were each a +3. D’Astous is a +7 in his last 4 games.

Strong 3rd Periods for Utah

The Grizz have outscored opponents 23 to 8 in the third periods in the playoffs.

Grizz Win Game 2 in Thrilling Fashion

Game 2 on May 7 vs Rapid City is a night Grizzlies fans will never forget. They 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.

Special Teams in the Playoffs

The Grizz have stepped up their game on the power play in the playoffs. Utah is 19 for 53 (3583 %) on the power play in the postseason, which ranks as the best in the league and they are 6th in the league on the penalty kill as they are 55 for 65 (84.6 %). Charle-Edouard D’Astous has 14 power play points (10 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 has 5 power play goals in his last 5 games. Tardif has 11 power play assists in 13 playoff games. Trey Bradley has 9 power play points in the playoffs (1 goal, 8 assists). Luke Martin has 5 power play assists and Zach Tsekos has 4.

Grizzlies Among Playoff League Leaders

Ben Tardif leads the league with 22 assists and is tied with D’Astous with 26 points. Tardif is also first with 11 power play assists. Tardif is 4th in plus/minus at +9. Charle-Edouard D’Astous leads the league with 17 goals and is tied with Tardif with 26 points. D’Astous leads all skaters with 10 power play goals, 14 power play points and 18 minor penalties. D’Astous is 2nd with 57 shots. Trey Bradley is tied for 10th with 14 points and is tied for 4th with 9 power play points. Tarun Fizer leads all rookies with 43 shots on goal. Luke Martin leads the league in plus/minus at +11. Kyle Betts is tied for the league lead with 2 shorthanded goals. Austin Crossley leads the league with 45 penalty minutes.

Best points per game average of players still in the ECHL playoffs (Stat Courtesy ECHL Stats on Twitter)

2.00 - Benjamin Tardif, Utah

2.00 - Charle-Edouard D’Astous, Utah

1.64 - Brandon Hawkins, Toledo

1.55 - TJ Hensick, Toledo

1.46 - Tyler Boland, Newfoundland and Ben Finkelstein, Newfoundland

Grizzlies Playoffs Player Trends

Charle-Edouard D’Astous has a point in 12 of 13 playoff games, including 9 multiple point games. D’Astous has a power play goal in 7 of 13 playoff games. He has 6 games with 2 goals or more. D’Astous averages 4.38 shots per game and 1.30 goals per game. D’Astous has a 29.8 shooting % in the playoffs. Charle also leads the club with 3 game winning goals, including the dramatic game 2 winner with 7.8 seconds left vs RC.

Ben Tardif has 10 multiple point games in the playoffs. Tardif has a point in 10 of 13 playoff games. Tardif has 2 or more assists in 9 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 11 power play assists. In the regular season Tardif had 10 games with 2 or more assists. Tardif is 4th in the playoffs with a +9 rating.

Tarun Fizer has a point in 8 of 13 playoff games. Fizer had 5 points in 6 games vs RC (1 goal, 4 assists). Fizer has 10 points in 13 playoff games. Fizer has 3 or more shots in 9 playoff games.

Trey Bradley has a point in 9 of 13 playoff games (5 goals, 9 assists). 9 of his 14 points have been on the power play (1 goal, 8 assists). Bradley is 2nd on the team with a 18.5 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 11 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 3 different playoff games. Betts has a 16.7 shooting percentage in the playoffs (5 for 30). Betts has a point in 8 of 13 playoff games. Betts is a +10 in the playoffs and was a +9 in the RC series. Betts has a goal in 2 of his last 3 games.

Mason Mannek has a point in 5 of his last 9 games (3 goals, 2 assists). Mannek is averaging 2.15 shots per game.

Dylan Fitze has 3 goals in his last 6 games. All 3 of those goals have come in the third period. Fitze is averaging 3.69 shots per game.

Nick Henry has 25 shots in 6 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. Henry is a +6 in his last 5 games. Nick has 4 or more shots in 4 different playoff games.

Luke Martin has 9 points in his last 8 games (1 goal, 7 assists).  Martin missed game 1 vs RC on May 6. Martin leads the league in plus/minus (+11). Luke has 5 power play assists. Martin is a +2 or better in 6 different games.

Miles Gendron had an assist in each of the first 2 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 was a +3 in the RC series.

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 (17) – D’Astous is tied for the league record for playoff goals in 1 season.

Assists: Ben Tardif (22) – Tardif led Utah with 39 regular season assists.

Points: D’Astous/Tardif (26) – Tardif led Utah with 59 regular season points.

Plus/Minus: Luke Martin (+11) – Leads League.

Penalty Minutes: Austin Crossley (45). – Leads League.

Power Play Points: D’Astous (14) – Leads League.

Power Play Goals: D’Astous (10) – Broke a league record for power play goals in 1 playoff season.

Power Play Assists: Tardif (11) – Leads League.

Shots on Goal: D’Astous (57) – Leads All League Defenseman.

Shooting Percentage: D’Astous (29.8 %) 17 for 57.

Goaltending Wins: Trent Miner (6)

Save %: Miner (.934)

Goals Against Average: Miner (2.36)

Team Stats (2022 Kelly Cup Playoffs)

Goals For: 52 (4.00 per game)

Goals Against: 37 (2.85 per game)

Goal Differential: +15.

Shots on Goal: 460. 35.38 per game.

Shots Against: 471. 36.23 per game.

Power Play: 19 for 53. 35.8 %.

Penalty Kill: 55 for 65. 84.6 %.

Penalty Minutes: 186. 14.31 per game.

Scoring First: Utah has scored first in 7 of the 13 games in the playoffs. Utah is 5-2 when scoring first and 3-3 when the opposition scored first.