GAME NOTES: 1/5 @ UTAH

REGULAR SEASON GAME  THIRTY-FOUR- 1/5/2020

Rapid City Rush @ Utah Grizzlies - 1:10 p.m. MDT

Maverik Center

THIS SEASON

Utah: 33gp, 18-9-4-2, 42pts (3rd Mountain)

• Last Game - 1/4 vs RC (3-2 SOL)

Rush: 33gp, 18-12-3-0, 39pts (4th Mountain)

• Last Game - 1/4 @ Utah (3-2 W/SO)

HEAD TO HEAD - 6 of 13 Games Played

Utah: 2-1-1-2, 7pts

• Power Play: 20.5% (8/39)
• Penalty Kill: 89.5% (34/38)
• Leading Scorer(s): Griffen Molino (6gp, 11 assists)

Rush: 4-2-0-0, 8pts

• Power Play: 10.5% (4/38)
• Penalty Kill: 79.5% (31/39)
• Leading Scorer(s): Peter Quenneville (6gp, 2g-2ast-4pts)

NOTES

SHOOTOUT PERFECTION: Entering last night’s game, the Rush were a perfect 2-0 in shootouts on the season, and thanks to Tyler Coulter and Peter Quenneville capitalizing on their shots, and Alex Sakellaropoulos shutting the door on both shooters faced, the Rush improved that perfection to a 3-0 count. The last time the Rush played in a game decided in a shootout was at home on November 8th against Idaho, where Coulter ended the contest in the top of the 7th round. Additionally, the Rush have two of their three shootout wins on the year against Utah. Rush goaltenders have also only allowed one goal in the breakaway sessions, going a combined 15 of 16 between Tyler Parks and Sakellaropoulos.

SPELL “SAKELLAROPOULOS” WITH A W: For the first time since he was acquired in a trade in early December, Rush net-minder Alex Sakellaropoulos finally got rewarded with his first win with the team that he deserves. Saekllaropoulos denied 42 of 44 shots in regulation plus overtime, including a 14-shot first period, and, as mentioned above, went a perfect 2/2 in the shootout round to help the Rush claim the second point that was up for grabs. Saekllaropoulos has already had a 42-save performance, which came against Allen on December 20th in a 5-2 loss. With the Rush this season, he is 1-3-0-0 in four appearances.

SHORT FUSE: For the first time since he connected with Brennan Saulnier on November 30th in Idaho, Tyler Coulter slammed home the first shorthanded goal of the season in the second period just 15 seconds into Utah’s second power play of the night. Coulter gives the Rush the team’s fourth shorthanded goal of the year, with he and Saulnier accounting for three of them. By the way, that was the first shorthanded goal that Utah allowed all season long through 33 games.

POWER PLAY WOES: Since December 7th, the Rush have only managed to score one power play goal in 46 opportunities, not only going 2.2% on the power play in that stretch, but also watching their team average go down exactly 4.7 percentage points to 15.9% on the season. The Rush are on a six-game streak without a power play goal.

STILL SUCCESSFUL: Against the Grizzlies, the Rush have had great success, regardless of their finish in the standings over the last two-plus seasons. Rush Head Coach Daniel Tetraullt holds a career record of 22-9-0-1 against Utah since being named the Head Coach in the 2017-18 season.