The Rapid City Rush are welcoming the Tulsa Oilers to Rapid this weekend on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. This season, the Rush are 7-3-1-0 against the Oilers. Both teams are currently outside playoff spots and could make or break both teams. Both teams have a win percentage of under 0.500, with the Rush at 0.465 and the Oilers at 0.411. The Rush have played 57 games, with 15 games remaining, and have a record of 26-30-1-0. They sit in sixth place with 53 points, six points out of a playoff spot. The Oilers have played 56 games, with 16 games remaining, and have a record of 19-29-7-1. They sit in seventh place with 46 points, seven points behind the Rush and 11 points out of a playoff spot.
Player Streaks
There are no streaks within the skaters that are more than one game. But the goalies have a few streaks. Rush goaltender Adam Carlson had won four of his last five appearances, while Daniil Chechelev has lost his last five with the Rush. On the Oilers end, goaltender Daniel Mannella has lost five of his last six appearances, and Riley Morris has lost his previous two appearances.
Pregame Stats
The Rush come into this series having been outscored by their opponents 216-189, but they have outshot their opponents 707-657 in the second and 645-563 in the third. The Rush have been outshot 643-642 in the first. They come into this weekend on a two-game win streak and a record of 16-11-0-0 at home, but they are 4-6-0-0 in their last ten games. It is no secret that special teams have been a problem this season, and could continue to be a problem this weekend. The Rush’s powerplay this season is 25th in the league with 15.9%, but their home powerplay is 20th at 19.2%. The penalty kill is last in the league at 73.9%, and their home penalty kill is last in the league at 73.2%. The Rush are tied for 11th, with the Greenville Swamp Rabbits for goals scored for per game with an average of 3.32, but they are 24th for goals scored against per game with an average of 3.79. On a high note, the Rush are 19-10-1-0 when scoring first.
The Oilers are coming into this weekend, having been outscored by their opponent 214-167. Like the Rush, they have outshot their opponents 630-566 in the first, 682-628 in the second, and 635-542 in the third. The Oilers come into this weekend on a four-game losing streak with a record of 3-7-0-0 in their last ten. They are 5-15-4-0 on the road and 11-9-2-1 when scoring first. The Oilers powerplay is 22nd in the league at 17.2%, while their road powerplay is 14th at 20.4%. Their penalty kill is also 22nd in the league at 76.9%, while their road penalty kill is 26th at 71.0%. On the scoring side, the Oilers are 23rd in the league, with an average of 2.98 goals per game. They are 25th in the league with an average of 3.82 goals against per game.
Last Time in Tulsa
The Rush took two of the three games in Tulsa February 24-26. Through the three games, the Rush outscored the Oilers 15-12, winning 7-3 and 6-4, then losing 2-5. The Rush struggled with special teams against the Oilers, going 1/11 on the powerplay through three games. The Oilers went 3/12 on the powerplay, scoring one powerplay goal in each game. Daniel Mannella was in net all three games and went 1-2 on the weekend. While Adam Carlson was 2-0, and Nicholas Latinovich was 0-1 in the three games. While winning two of the three games, the Rush were outshot 115-96 over the weekend, being outshot in all three games. They were outshot 41-34 in the first game, 35-29 in the second, and 39-33 in the third and final game.
Rush Milestones
There are a few milestones that Rush players could hit this weekend. One of the milestones that the team probably does not want to be hit is Alex Aleardi hitting 100 ECHL penalty minutes. Aleardi has played four ECHL seasons and has played in 157 games. This season, Aleardi has played in all 57 games the Rush has played and has 30 penalty minutes. Aleardi currently sits at 98 penalty minutes.
Tyson Helgesen could also hit 100 ECHL penalty minutes as well and 100 penalty minutes with the Rush. This is Helgesen’s second season in the ECHL and second with the Rush. He has played in 66 games with the Rush, and 51 games have been played this season. Helgesen has 84 penalty minutes this season, averaging 1.6 penalty minutes per game. Tyson Helgesen currently sits at 97 penalty minutes.
Zach Court is in his second ECHL season and second with the Rush, playing in 87 games. Court has played 46 games this season and could set a single-season career high in assists. Last season, Court had eight assists through 41 games. Court currently sits at seven assists this season.
The most significant milestone that could be hit is from Matt Marcinew. This weekend, Marcinew could hit 200 ECHL points. Marcinew is in his fifth ECHL season, having played in 237 games. He has 85 goals and 113 assists for 198 points. This season, Marcinew has played in 53 games with 21 goals and 36 assists for 57 points, averaging 1.08 points per game.
