The Grizzlies got a solid win in Bakersfield on Wednesday, had a quick Thanksgiving break, and tonight they'll pick up right where they left off. Well, maybe not right where they left off, since they'll be in Stockton on Friday, back to Bakersfield on Saturday, and make a stop in Ontario on Sunday before heading back to Utah. If you Mapquest that, it's about 1280 miles, so the guys should all have plenty of travel time to write letters to their families.
First up for the weekend on Friday is Stockton, and they currently lead the Western Conference by one point. The Grizzlies are actually only one point behind them, but so are Alaska and Idaho. There is probably a way the Grizz could come out on top of the Conference by the end of this road trip, but it would involve some combination of other teams winning and losing, and quite frankly we're too lazy to figure it out. We do know, however, that beating Stockton would fit nicely into that combination. The Thunder have lost their last three games (one in a shootout) so they're not unbeatable, but they're also not going to give up the points without a good fight. Utah hasn't played Stockton yet this season, so they'll have to really keep their focus if they want a shot at the top spot in the west.
On Saturday, the Grizzlies show up in Bakersfield again looking for their second win there this week. Only two days ago, Brett Parnham scored twice for Utah in the first period, the second of which held up to be the game winner. We're hoping for a little deja-vu tomorrow. We figure Parnham has some make-up work to do for being out with injuries for so long. And we'll never complain about one of the Grizzlies scoring two goals in one game. Anyway, it's two more points in the standings toward that top spot, which we also won't complain about. So it looks as if two is the lucky number for the second game of the weekend.
Finally, the Grizz round out the California tour with a visit to the Ontario Reign. This will be the first time Utah plays Ontario this season. The next time will be next weekend in Utah, so the team could use this as a chance to get used to the Reign before they play again at home. We're sure we speak for all the fans when we say we'd really like to see a win at the Maverik Center. Anyway, the Reign are currently last in the conference, and have only won 3 of their last 10. However, like the Grizzlies, they play a pretty full schedule this weekend and will have two home games against Vegas before they host Utah on Sunday. And like the Grizzlies, we don't really know what their record will be by Sunday, so this should be an interesting match. Could this be the game that pushes the Grizzlies to the top of the Western Conference? We'd keep our fingers crossed, but that makes it hard to type, among other necessary things.
The Grizzlies have been up and down as of late, winning 5 of their last 10 games. They really haven't been able to get a solid streak going all season long. With a good win under their belts from Wednesday, and three more games in one weekend, maybe that streak is due. As Adrian Denny comments in his blog, the Grizzlies have had some really nice goaltending this season that has really helped them out in the standings. They may need it. Even though Stockton lost their last game, they outshot their opponent 43-13. Utah's defense will need to be on their toes if the team wants to start the weekend off right.
Tonight's game against Stockton starts at 8:30 pm. Tomorrow night's game in Bakersfield has an 8:00 pm puck drop, and Sunday's game will start at 6:00 pm. Here's hoping the Grizzlies make the Friday after Thanksgiving pretty black for California.
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