After facing each other last week, the Rapid City Rush and Idaho Steelheads will be facing off again this weekend. But this time, they will be in Rapid City, South Dakota.
Last Week
Last week, the Rush traveled to Boise, Idaho, to take on the Steelheads. They got their first shutout of the season, and for the first time ever, the Rush were able to sweep the Steelheads in Boise. The Rush won the first game 5-2, then 4-3 in overtime, and 1-0 for the sweep.
Incoming Stats
Last season, the Rush had a record of 1-12-1-0 against the Steelheads, while the Steelheads had a record of 13-1-0-0 against the Rush. This season, the Rush are 3-0-0-0 against the Steelheads, and the Steelheads have a record of 0-2-1-0 against the Rush.
The Rapid City Rush are coming into this series having earned points in their last five games and a four-game win streak, with a record of 4-6-1-2. They are currently converting at 20.5% on the power play (10th) and are at 88.6% on the penalty kill (2nd). Rapid City currently has the best home power play, converting at 38.9% when at home. The Rush are averaging 31.69 shots per game, but they are also allowing an average of 35.62 shots against per game. After struggling to get a goal per game early in the season, the Rush are now averaging 2.31 goals per game, but they are allowing an average of 3.23 goals against per game.
The Idaho Steelheads are coming into the series on a three-game losing streak. The Steelheads are converting at 18.2% on the power play and 83.9% on the penalty kill. The Steelheads are averaging 3.46 goals per game and 31.62 shots per game. They are allowing an average of three goals against per game and just under 34 shots against per game.
The Steelheads come into this series with a road record of 3-3-0-0, while the Rush are 1-2-0-2 at home.
Both teams currently have players who are leading in stat areas already this season. Rush forward Chaz Smedsrud comes into this weekend tied for third in powerplay points among rookies with his five, consisting of two goals and three assists. Through nine games with the Rush this season, Smedsrud has four goals and five assists for nine points.
Rush forward Deni Goure comes into the series, tied for fourth in shots among rookies with his 36 shots. Goure has played in 13 games with the Rush this season where he has three goals and seven assists for ten points with six penalty minutes and a plus/minus of +3.
Tied with Goure for fourth in shots is Idaho Steelheads forward Connor MacEachern, who also has 36 shots thus far. In 13 games with the Steelheads, MacEachern has five goals and seven assists for 12 points with 14 penalty minutes and a plus/minus of +1.
Steelheads forward Ty Pelton-Byce is currently tied for second in the league in powerplay goals with his four. Pelton-Byce has played 13 games with the Steelheads this season, where he has six goals and nine assists for 15 points, ten penalty minutes, and a plus/minus of +7. Rush defenseman Billy Constantinou currently leads all defensemen in game-winning goals with his two. This season, Constantinou has played in 13 games, registering two goals and three assists for five points with two penalty minutes and a plus/minus of -6.
Hot Streaks
After a slow and tough start to the season, Rapid City has started to heat up, and so has one of Rapid City’s players. Rush forward Brett Davis comes in this weekend on a four-game point streak. During his streak, Davis has four goals and three assists for seven points, including his first career hat trick last Wednesday against the Steelheads. Davis has played in 11 games with the Rush where he has five goals and four assists for nine points with two penalty minutes and a plus/minus of -4.
Players to Watch
Rapid City has a few players to keep an eye on this weekend. One player to watch is Rush forward Deni Goure. Last week Goure had two goals and two assists for four points in three games against the Steelheads. Goure also had seven shots in the three games against the Steelheads.
After notching his first career hat trick and being named Player of the Week, Brett Davis will be coming into the weekend looking to stay hot.
Rush defenseman Joni Jurmo will also be looking to stay hot after registering three assists in the three games against the Steelheads. Jurmo has played in six games with the Rush where he has one goal and four assists for five points.
Rush goaltenders Matt Radomsky and Connor Murphy will enter the series, having both won their last outing and appearing to have found their game. No matter which goaltender starts this weekend, they will be looking to continue building on the momentum they have started to build to help the team stay hot.
A player to watch who has not played a game yet but is a familiar face is forward Ilya Nikolaev, who was just assigned to the Rush from the Calgary Wranglers. Nikolaev has spent time with Rapid City before and seems to play well under Coach Burt. In six games with the Rush last season, Nikolaev had two goals and six assists for eight points with 14 penalty minutes and a plus/minus of +2.
The Rush and Steelheads will begin their series on Friday, November 22, and will wrap it up on Saturday, November 23. Puck drop will be at 7:05 pm MT both nights.
