The Rapid City Rush are back on the road this weekend to take on the Utah Grizzlies in West Valley City, Utah.
Last Week
Last week, the Rush were on the road in Idaho facing off against the Idaho Steelheads, where they ended up getting swept in three games. The Rush lost by scores of 3-4 and 5-6 in overtime, and then 3-4 in regulation. The Utah Grizzlies were at home against the Tahoe Knight Monsters, where they lost the first game 6-7 in overtime before snapping their 14-game losing streak with a 6-3 win and then a 6-4 win.
Incoming Stats
The Rush and Grizzlies have already met twice this season, with the Rush holding a record of 0-1-0-1 against the Grizzlies. The Rapid City Rush enter this series with a road record of 3-8-3-0 and an overall record of 6-14-4-3. They are currently converting at 15.7% on the power play (23rd) and 80.3% on the penalty kill (19th). The Rush are averaging 32.67 shots per game but are also allowing an average of 33.22 shots against per game. They are averaging 2.41 goals per game while allowing an average of 3.81 goals against per game.
The Utah Grizzlies come into the series with a home record of 4-7-2-0 and an overall record of 7-16-3-0. The Grizzlies are converting at 16.7% on the power play (17th) and have a penalty kill rate of 58.5% (29th/last). They are averaging 3.00 goals per game while allowing an average of 4.69 goals against per game. Utah currently has the worst goals against average in the league. The Grizzlies are averaging 30.62 shots per game and allowing an average of 34.81 shots against per game.
Utah’s penalty kill at home is last in the league with a success rate of only 64.1%. However, Rapid City’s road power play is second to last in the league, converting at just 12.2%. This could make for some very interesting Rush power plays, as Utah’s penalty kill has not been great at home, but Rapid City has struggled to get their power play going on the road this season. This series could potentially help one of the teams turn their special teams around.
Milestone Game
Rapid City Rush defenseman Zack Hoffman could play his 100th game in a Rush jersey this weekend, as he currently sits at 98 games played with the team. He will reach the milestone if he plays both Friday and Saturday night. In his 98 games with the Rush, Hoffman has scored six goals and made 14 assists for a total of 20 points, with 93 penalty minutes and a plus/minus of -17. This season, Hoffman has played in 27 games, scoring three goals and making four assists for a total of seven points. He has 17 penalty minutes and a plus/minus of -7. Last season, Hoffman missed only one game, playing in 71 of Rapid City’s 72 games.
The Rush and Grizzlies will start their series on Friday, December 27th, and will wrap it up on Saturday, December 28th, playing a two-game series. Puck drop will be at 7:10 PM MT both nights.
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