The Rapid City Rush start their final road trip of the season as they head to Tulsa, Oklahoma, to take on the Tulsa Oilers.
Last Week
Last week, Rapid City was at home taking on the Wichita Thunder. Rapid City dropped the first game 4-3 and then gave up a late third-period goal and an empty-netter in the second game, falling to the Thunder 5-3. Rapid City was able to avoid being swept on Sunday as they were able to pull off a 5-2 win.
The Oilers were at home against the Tahoe Knight Monsters last week. The Oilers dropped the first game 5-2. Then in the second game, they were able to hold off some of the Knight Monsters offense, but ended up being swept after losing in a low offense game by a score of 2-1.
Incoming Stats
The Rush and Oilers have met five times this season, where the Oilers have the upper hand, going 3-2-0-0. Rapid City is currently sixth in the Mountain Division, while the Oilers sit 11 points ahead of them in fourth.
The Rapid City Rush enters this series with a road record of 11-15-4-0 and an overall record of 28-26-6-3. They are converting at 19.0% on the power play (18th) and 77.8% on the penalty kill (26th). The Rush are averaging 32.21 shots per game but are also allowing an average of 33.86 shots against per game. They are averaging 3.11 goals per game while allowing an average of 3.56 goals against per game. Rapid City currently leads the league with ten shorthanded goals.
The Tulsa Oilers come into the series with a home record of 15-11-3-2 and an overall record of 34-21-5-3. The Oilers are converting at 20.9% on the power play (8th) and have a penalty kill rate of 81.8% (13th). They are averaging 3.17 goals per game while allowing an average of 2.95 goals against per game. The Oilers currently lead the league in shots per game, averaging 36.54 shots per game, and are allowing an average of 30.06 shots against per game.
Players to Watch
The player to watch for Tulsa is forward Michael Farren. This season, Farren has 19 goals and 19 assists for 38 points, leading the Oilers in goals and points. Farren just recently returned to the Oilers from an AHL callup to the San Diego Gulls and had a goal in his first game back.
The player to watch for Rapid City is defenseman Billy Constantinou. Constantinou had two goals and two assists for four points last week with 15 shots on net. This season, he has 13 goals and 22 assists for 35 points with 134 shots on net.
The Rush and Oilers will start their series in Tulsa on Thursday, March 27. The two teams will get a day off before continuing their series on Saturday, March 29, and then wrap up on Sunday, March 30. Puck drop will be at 6:05 pm MT on Friday and Saturday and 2:05 pm MT on Sunday.
Discover more from Inside The Rink
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
