GAMEDAY PREVIEW: FEB. 3 VS UTAH GRIZZLIES

GAMEDAY PREVIEW: 

TULSA, Okla. – The Tulsa Oilers host the Utah Grizzlies for the second-of-three meetings this weekend at the BOK Center, winning 3-2 in overtime against the Grizzlies on Friday night. 

DATE: Saturday, Feb. 3

LOCATION: BOK Center (200 S. Denver Ave, Tulsa, Oklahoma) 

TIME: 7:05 p.m. CT  

OPPONENT: Utah Grizzlies

WATCH: Flo Hockey

COX YURVIEW (CHANNEL 3 FOR OKLAHOMA COX CUSTOMERS) 

PROMOTIONS: BEANIE NIGHT 

• First 1000 fans will receive a free Oilers beanie 

TULSA AT A GLANCE

OILERS RECORD: 21-17-3-0 (45 points, Third in Mountain Division) 

OILERS OVER THE LAST 10 GAMES: 7-3-0-0

OILERS HOME RECORD: 14-8-2-0

OILERS STREAK: 3-0-0-0

LAST GAME: Feb. 2 vs UTA (3-2 OTW) 

OILERS STATISTICAL LEADERS: 

Points: Kyle Crnkovic – 34 

Goals: Eddie Matsushima – 16

Assists: Kyle Crnkovic – 25

+/-: Mike McKee - + 14

PIM: Mike McKee - 46 

WINS: Julian Junca -  11 

Save Percentage: Calle Clang - .931 

UTAH AT A GLANCE

GRIZZLIES RECORD: 18-23-1-0 (37 points, Sixth in Mountain Division) 

GRIZZLIES OVER THE LAST 10 GAMES: 6-3-1-0

GRIZZLIES ROAD RECORD: 4-17-1-0

GRIZZLIES STREAK: 0-1-1-0

GRIZZLIES LAST GAME: Feb. 2 Tulsa (3-2 OTL) 

GRIZZLIES STATISTICAL LEADERS: 

Points: Brett Stapley – 35

Goals: Brandon Cutler – 17

Assists: Brett Stapley – 25

+/-: Bryan Yoon - +11

PIM: Cutler - 59 

Wins: Dante Gianuzzi - 8

Save Percentage: Trent Miner - .917 

SEASON SERIES

OILERS RECORD AGAINST GRIZZLIES: 3-5-0-0

OILERS RECORD AT HOME AGAINST GRIZZLIES: 3-0-0-0

MOST RECENT MEETING: Feb. 2, 2024  (3-2 Tulsa Win)

MOST RECENT MEETING AT BOK CENTER: Feb. 2, 2024  (3-2 Tulsa Win) 

OILERS RECORD AGAINST UTAH OVER LAST FIVE SEASONS: 15-21-2-2

OILERS STATISTICAL LEADERS (SERIES): 

GOALS: Alec Butcher (3); Dante Sheriff (2); Jaxsen Wiebe (2) 

ASSISTS: Kyle Crnkovic (6); Anthony Costantini (6); Karl Boudrias (4) 

POINTS: Kyle Crnkovic (6); Anthony Costantini (6); Karl Boudrias (5)   

WINS: Julian Junca (2) 

GRIZZLIES STATISTICAL LEADERS (SERIES) 

GOALS: Brandon Cutler (3); Nathan Burke (3); Cole Gallant (2) 

ASSISTS: Brett Stapley (6); Kyle Mayhew (5); Cole Gallant (4) 

POINTS: Brett Stapley (9); Cole Gallant (6); Kyle Mayhew (6) 

WINS: Dante Gianuzzi (2) 

STORYLINES

KEEP ROLLIN, ROLLIN, ROLLIN: The Oilers come into tonight’s game having won six of their last seven contests, beating five separate opponents during the stretch. The Oilers have also defeated four division opponents over the span and have won every series outside of a .500 split with Central Division Iowa.   

A HEROIC RALLY: The Oilers ripped off three unanswered goals, including the overtime game-winning goal, last night after going down 2-0. Neither team scored in the opening period, with the Oilers collecting 16 shots in the frame. Early in the second, Nathan Burke broke the deadlock, putting the Grizzlies up 1-0 before Brett Stapley extended the Grizz lead to two. Jarod Hilderman unleashed a power-play goal to cut the lead down to one heading into the third period. Carson Focht scored the lone goal of the third frame, and Eddie Matsushima tipped home an Anthony Costantini shot to give the Oilers the second point. The game was only the third time that this season that Utah lost when leading after two periods. The Oilers have come from behind four times when trailing after two periods, trailing only Worcester and Kansas City.   

GALVENIZED GOALIES: Gage Alexander has earned wins in back-to-back starts for the Oilers, posting above a .900 save percentage in both games. In addition to his stellar numbers, Alexander has made key saves early on in contests, setting a tone and keeping the game squared at 0-0. Julian Junca has wins in five of his last six starts and earned his first professional shutout in North America on Jan. 19 in a 3-0 win against the Wichita Thunder. Junca is being granted a temporary leave from the team to compete with his home nation, France, at the International Ice Hockey Federation’s World Championship qualifiers next week. 

GEARING UP FOR THE GRIZZ: Utah continues to rely on its heavy lifters for scoring, with Nathan Burke and Brett Stapley scoring both goals in last night’s game. Another caveat of the Grizzlies game is their scoring from the blue line, boasting 10 goals from former Oiler and current Utah captain Josh Wesley and seven from offensive defenseman Kyle Mayhew. Will Cranley earned his second start between the pipes this weekend tonight, stopping 37 of 40 shots sent his way last night, allowing only one goal during five-on-five action.    

MAGIC, MANIC AND MOVING MOUNTAIN: With the division being so close from place four down to seven, there seems to be movement after every game night. Rapid City jumped back into fifth place by shutting out the Maine Mariners last night — the only game where a Mountain Division team played outside of the conference. Utah essentially kept pace with Allen despite losing, as the Americans did not pick up a point. Allen remains in fourth place but has played more games than all other Mountain Division teams outside of Idaho. The second point earned last night puts the Oilers six points clear of the Americans with two games in hand. The Oilers square off against the Americans three times next week and are Allen’s opponent in five of six games starting next week. The Mavericks, Steelheads and Oilers all extended their winning streaks, while Wichita reached a five-game skid, remaining at the bottom of the division.  

DIVISION STANDINGS

1. Kansas City Mavs. – 64 points (.780%) 

2. Idaho Steelheads — 58 points (.674%)

3. Tulsa Oilers          — 45 points (.549%)

4. Allen Americans— 39 points (.453%)

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5. Rapid City Rush — 38 points (.452%)

6. Utah Grizzlies—37 points (.440%)

7. Wichita Thunder— 30 points (.366%)

RECENT TRANSACTIONS

Feb. 1 – Brayden Sherbinin — Suspended by team to protect rights (went to Europe) 

Feb. 2 – Anthony Costantini — assigned to Tulsa by San Diego Gulls 

The Oilers are back in action tomorrow, Feb. 4, hosting the Utah Grizzlies again at the BOK Center at 4:05 p.m.