The Grizzlies are back at it against the Stockton Thunder this weekend with games Friday, Saturday and Sunday. They didn't fare so well on Wednesday, dropping the game 5-1, so we're looking for some redemption. They've got 3 games to do it. That's 6 points that they really need right now.
Utah has kind of gotten themselves into a pickle recently in the standings. Once leadi
ng the Western Conference, they've managed to slip to 3rd in the Mountain Division and way down to the bottom of the conference, with only Ontario and Victoria behind them. Alaska and Las Vegas have already clinched playoff spots, so there are two less for the Grizzlies to claim. With only 13 games left in the season, now would be the time to pick things back up and get on a roll - a WINNING roll - going into the playoffs.
Stockton has been even steven lately, splitting their last 10 with 5 wins and 5 losses. We think that means that since they won their last game against the Grizzlies, they should be fated to lose the next one. Of course, we have a very weak grasp of the laws of probability and the universe, so we're probably wrong. But even so, Utah should take that opportunity to avenge itself of Wednesday's poor showing.
*DISCLAIMER: When we use the word "avenge", we 
mean on the scoreboard. We've said before that the Grizzlies need to stop being undisciplined and having the kind of brawls that gets everyone suspended. (See last Saturday's game.) There are a lot of ways to stick up for your teammates that don't involve a 30 minute delay and a penalty box that looks like a clown car. For example, "That guy is busy giving my buddy a facewash so that must mean he's not paying attention to where the puck is. I think I'll pick it up and take a shot on goal so my buddy isn't smelling that glove in vain." The universe approves. So do the clowns. Also, we approve of ourselves.In order to do that, they're going to have to buckle down and do some work. The kind of work that got them to the top of the Western Conference earlier in the season. In his post game interview on Wednesday, Coach Colley said, "We need to play hockey. We can't throw the skates on and go out there and hope for 2 points. It's getting a little too much, and everyone needs to be held accountable." But he's not expecting everyone to try to do it themselves. "Guys can't think they're Wayne Gretzky or Bobby Orr.
Everyone needs to play the system, play it with tenacity and go out there and create some offense." (Italics added by us.) Like we said, earlier in the season they were working hard and playing the system and it was paying off in wins. This team needs to learn from its own history.
The Grizzlies will be without Riley Emmerson this weekend. He's off suspension, but has been called up to Bridgeport of the AHL. They'll also be without team captain Simon Ferguson - he's still suspended. Dave Schultz has been moved to IR for a few days, and Brent Parnham is still out with a knee injury. ECHL trade deadline is today at 3:00 pm ET, so we could see some last-minute changes. We hope not at this point, but whatev. We have no control.
Three games in a row, starting tonight at 7:05 pm. Six points up for grabs. Stockton doesn't need any more - let's do it, boys.
Two down, one to go.
If you're anything like us, the end of game 2 against Stockton on Wednesday left you feeling a little deflated. Not the kind of deflated where the air slowly leaks out of the balloon while making rude noises, but the kind where the balloon pops while you're blowing it up and you stand there stunned while little pieces of plastic float down around you.
ted that theory a little, saying they actually fly when they go to Stockton, but did say that travel can catch up with you after a long season. Bus legs or airline food or whatever, it seems to work for them on the road. If they can get to the things that made them successful on the road before, they can win the 2 games they need to continue on in the playoffs. We're all for that, because we don't want that last game at the Maverik Center to be the last one we see until next season. We'll be disappointed and empty all summer long. Start up the busses, boys.
Series tied.
One down, two to go.
Ah, Stockton . . .
y? It sure makes us happy. Nick returning is a great thing. He's been with the AHL's Portland Pirates since February 15. Before that he was second in the league for shots on goal, tied for the lead in power play points, and the team was 23-17-3-1 with him in the line-up. Here's hoping he'll quickly find his groove with the team again.
Thank you, Utah!
Grizzlies lose.
Grizzlies win.
The Grizzlies are back at it against the Stockton Thunder this weekend with games Friday, Saturday and Sunday. They didn't fare so well on Wednesday, dropping the game 5-1, so we're looking for some redemption. They've got 3 games to do it. That's 6 points that they really need right now.
ng the Western Conference, they've managed to slip to 3rd in the Mountain Division and way down to the bottom of the conference, with only Ontario and Victoria behind them. Alaska and Las Vegas have already clinched playoff spots, so there are two less for the Grizzlies to claim. With only 13 games left in the season, now would be the time to pick things back up and get on a roll - a WINNING roll - going into the playoffs.
mean on the scoreboard. We've said before that the Grizzlies need to stop being undisciplined and having the kind of brawls that gets everyone suspended. (See last Saturday's game.) There are a lot of ways to stick up for your teammates that don't involve a 30 minute delay and a penalty box that looks like a clown car. For example, "That guy is busy giving my buddy a facewash so that must mean he's not paying attention to where the puck is. I think I'll pick it up and take a shot on goal so my buddy isn't smelling that glove in vain." The universe approves. So do the clowns. Also, we approve of ourselves.
Grizzlies lose.
- in our opinion - the boys refuse to play their own game against Stockton and rather slip into the defensive, committing penalty after penalty instead of scoring goal after goal. Hopefully with some discipline, the Grizzlies can pull this one off. 
Grizzlies lose.
Grizzlies win against Stockton. Sweet.
The Grizzlies are on the road this weekend in Stockton, California, home to the ever-popular Asparagus Festival. Fortunately that isn't until April, so there should be no distractions for the team. Let's just hope they don't play Stockton in the playoffs.
Stockton has been on a tear lately, winning 7 of their last 10 games, and moving up the conference ladder. They're 6 points behind the Grizzlies, with only Idaho in between. It should be easy enough to climb over those potatoheads, as long as it's not at the Grizzlies' expense. The Thunder are 20-8-6 when outshooting their opponent, so we think it will be important for the Grizzlies to 1) take plenty of shots on goal, and 2) keep Stockton's shot count down. Of course, that's nothing they shouldn't be doing anyway, so we'll just keep our coaching advice to ourselves. What do we know anyway?
Now, you may or may not recall that Stockton and Utah don't really get along very well. In fact, the last time these two teams got together for a weekend, the infamous stick-tossing incident occurred. Not that it wasn't one of the highlights of the season, but starting that game off with a fight didn't seem to be the right choice for the Grizzlies, as everything kind of went ice jungle from there on out. We would say it would be wise for the team to stay out of as many distracting, momentum-killing altercations as possible while in Stockton. We don't want any Rick DiPietro situations. (Out 4-6 weeks from a punch in the face - ugh.)
And the Thunder complete their sweep of the Grizzlies.
Grizzlies lose.
. It seems that the Grizzlies have really found their identity as a team and are playing and sticking up for each other like a family. (Check out Matt Sorteberg's interview here for a little more about that.) It may not always be pretty and they may get a little beat up, but more often than not they come away with a win at the end of the day. They may even end up with the girls once people forget about that little barn raising incident. 
ays have their physical battles when they meet. The last time these two teams played each other, the stat sheet ended up with 120 penalty minutes scrawled across it. Maybe there were two stat sheets to record all those penalties - it was a real barn raising. Anyway, we don't know if this will be the agenda for this weekend's games, but with an extra game day tacked on because of the holiday, these two teams could get sick of each other pretty quick. No stats on who has the better record if they win the first fight. 
