Utah Grizzlies Have Shot At Next Round Of Kelly Cup Playoffs
May 2, 2022, 3:47 PM
Utah Grizzlies Could Have Shot At Kelly Cup (Photo: Tegan Stevens)
(Photo: Tegan Stevens)
SALT LAKE CITY – The Utah Grizzlies can do something they haven’t done since the 2015-16 season, advance to the second round of the Kelly Cup Playoffs.
The Grizzlies won the first game of the series and then dropped the second at home. The Kelly Cup uses the 2-3-2 playoff format, so losing a game at home essentially gives up home-ice advantage. The Grizzlies went into Tulsa needing to win at least one game to bring the series back home. The Grizzlies won games 3 and 5 in Tulsa bringing the series back to Utah up 3 games to 2.
🚨GAMEDAY🚨
🆚@tulsa_oilers
⏰7:10 PM MST
📍@Maverik_Center
📺@FloHockey
🎙️https://t.co/WToLT52Fmi
🎟️https://t.co/95wXnHzaxUThe Grizz look to close out the series at home tonight! 👀#BearWitness 🏆 pic.twitter.com/ewWDOZkzgr
— xy- Utah Grizzlies (@UtahGrizzlies) May 2, 2022
The Grizzlies stars have been producing in the playoffs. Charlie-Edouard D’Astous, who was named the league’s best defenseman, has been playing solid defense with an even plus/minus. He is also the second-leading scorer on the team in playoffs with 9 points, including scoring the only two goals in game three, which the Grizz won 2-1. Forwards Ben Tardif (2G 9A) and Trey Bradley (4G 4A) have been providing scoring and leadership as expected.
Utah Grizzlies Playoff Run
Goaltending continues to be a Grizz strong point in the playoffs. The Colorado Avalanche assigned two up-and-coming goaltenders to the Grizzlies at the beginning of the season, and minus the infamous need for a EBUG in Rapid City, the Grizzlies have had a consistency in the new format that is in the ECHL.
The Grizzlies knew they had a solid starter in Peyton Jones. The returning starter from the 2020-2021 season, the 25-year-old Jones put up good numbers all season, playing in 32 regular-season games for the Grizz and posting a 17-9-1 record with a .904 save percentage. Jones also played in the games for the AHL’s Colorado Eagles going 0-0-1 with a .917 save percentage.
🚨GRIZZLIES TAKE GAME 3🚨
Defenseman of the Year – Charle-Edouard D’Astous scores two goals to lead the Grizz to victory! 💪
The Grizz lead the series 2-1 and look to get another W tomorrow night in Tulsa. pic.twitter.com/Hky8LToyEF
— xy- Utah Grizzlies (@UtahGrizzlies) April 27, 2022
Twenty-two-year-old Trent Miner has been putting up some great numbers. Playing in 28 games for the Grizzlies, Miner set the team’s single-season shut-out record with 7 while going 16-12-0 with a .910 save percentage. Miner also went 2-3-0 with a .899 save percentage for the Colorado Eagles. Miner seems to have upped his focus in payoffs posting a .935 percent save average in the series so far.
This series has had everything fans want. It’s been physical, but it has also been fast and full of skill. Goaltending for both sides has been elite level.
“You can count on the physical game being a big part of the series,” head coach Ryan Kinasewich says, “They have some good veterans and work hard.”
The Grizzlies can finish the series tonight at the Maverik Center with a win, a loss forces game seven on Wednesday.
You can still get tickets to the game here.
