Weekend Preview/Playoff Update - Utah Grizzlies vs Stockton Thunder

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.

After Tuesday's win, we were hoping we'd seen the last of the March Grizzlies, and were back to the December Grizzlies, but now we're a little nervous. Not that Wednesday's game was bad, but we've seen better. We've seen it recently. We know Utah is capable, but the question is how badly do they want to win, and is it more than Stockton? The Deseret News had this quote about the series from defenseman Nick Tuzzolino: “We’ve got to get our confidence back. Anytime you lose a playoff game, it hurts. You have to forget it and move past it.”

We'll try.

The Grizzlies have had a good road record this season so they have that in their favor. According to defenseman Matt Clarke on Talkin' Sports last weekend, the team tends to tighten up a little more on the road, and they don't play as free-flowing as they do at home. He also mentioned it might have something to do with "bus legs". Forward Kevin Deeth then discounted 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.

We know that quoting a bunch of stats from the regular season doesn't do much good once the playoffs start. All that gets tossed out the window of the bus and everyone gets a clean record. What does matter is that the team plays as a team. The Grizzlies are at their best when they stick to their team game and everyone works together. With a lot of guys starting to trickle in off the IR, we think this could help team chemistry and get them playing for each other again. The power play is clicking, and the penalty kill is outstanding according to Coach Colley. Everything is aligned for a great playoff run here if they can band together and do it.

This best of 5 series is tied at a breadstick apiece. Game 3 is tonight in Stockton at 8:30 pm. Get out the bus legs, Utah.