GAME NOTES: Game 4 vs Utah

2022 Kelly Cup Playoffs | GAME 4 vs Utah

Utah leads series, 3-0

5/10/22 | The Monument Ice Arena | 7:05 P.M.

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LAST TIME OUT: A Ryan Zuhlsdorf goal in the second period brought the Rush within one but Utah struck for three goals in the third period en route to a 6-2 win in Game 3, on Monday night at The Monument Ice Arena. Rapid City now trails the best-of-seven series, 3-0.

BACKS AGAINST THE WALL: Rapid City enters Tuesday night’s game needing a win to keep its season alive. The Rush have dropped the first three games of this series, 5-1, 5-4 and 6-2. Should Rapid City win on Tuesday, Game 5 would be on Wednesday night at The Monument Ice Arena. If the series continues past Game 5, the teams would return to Utah for Games 6 and 7 on May 16 and 18 respectively.

THE SEASON SERIES: Rapid City went 6-4-1-1 against Utah during the regular season. Gabe Chabot and Max Coatta finished the regular season series tied for the team lead with 13 points against Utah and Trey Bradley stung the Rush for 14 points in nine games. Lukas Parik started seven games and went 3-2-1-1 with a 2.68 GAA and .920 save percentage.

D’ASTOUS IS DANGEROUS: Utah defenseman Charle-Edouard D’Astous had a hat trick on Monday night, pushing his league-leading playoff goal total to 15. D’Astous is also second in the Kelly Cup Playoffs with 20 points, one behind his teammate Benjamin Tardif, who has 21. D’Astous was named the ECHL’s Defenseman of the Year, and during the regular season he registered 26 goals and 31 assists over 52 games played. In three games so far during the series, he has six goals and two assists. D’Astous is on an AHL contract with the Colorado Eagles, where he played six games this season and had one assist.

IN THE RUSH NET: Dillon Kelley made his first start of the postseason on Monday night and stopped 23 of the 29 shots that he faced. Lukas Parik had been in net for the first two games of the series and had faced 77 shots and made 67 saves. In the series, the pair of Rush goaltenders have a combined 5.34 goals against average and .849 save percentage.

ODDS AND ENDS: Logan Nelson assisted on the first Rapid City goal on Monday and now has points in six straight games. He has recorded five goals and three assists during that streak...for the Rush to advance to the Western Conference Finals, they will have to win four consecutive games. Rapid City won four straight twice during the regular season...the Rush put 46 shots on net on Monday, the fifth time out of eight postseason games that they have recorded 40 or more shots on goal...Utah has converted on 38.3% of its power play chances during the postseason and in this series, the Grizzlies are 6-for-15 on the power play.

UP NEXT: Should the Rush win on Tuesday night, they would force a Game 5 set to take place on Wednesday night in Rapid City. Puck drop at the Monument Ice Arena is scheduled for 7:05 p.m.