The Utah Grizzlies seemingly have an unfair advantage heading into tonight's opener of the IHL Western Conference semifinals - Tommy Salo's guarding their goal.
Kind of like the edge the Atlanta Braves would enjoy if Greg Maddux, baseball's premiere pitcher, was able to take the mound with a fresh throwing arm for all of their games."Obviously when Tommy Salo plays like Tommy Salo can it gives you a tremendous edge," said Utah coach Butch Goring of his ace who was dominating in the first round.
So, if the seventh-seeded Peoria Rivermen are to have any shot of upsetting the defending Turner Cup champions - beginning tonight at 7 in the Delta Center - they'll have to try and figure out how to get the puck past Salo.
That's something the Kansas City Blades rarely did.
The Swedish goalie, last season's IHL MVP, played the full 305 minutes against the Blades, allowing just 1.60 goals a game with a .937 save percentage.
If Salo and the Grizz defense keep that up, the Rivermen will have plenty of extra time in May to prepare for their summer vacations.
"We're not going to lose a hockey game if Tommy's going to be that tough in the net. That's going to be very, very difficult for any hockey team," said Goring, whose team has the home-ice advantage in the best-of-seven series.
However, the Rivermen do bring into this series the highest scoring average in the playoffs. They notched 3.8 goals a contest in their first-round upset win over the Midwest Division champion Milwaukee Admirals.
On the other hand, scoring goals this postseason hasn't exactly been the Grizzlies' forte. Utah netted just 12 goals in 163 tries during the first round. The biggest improvement the Grizz need is on the power play, though. Against K.C., they were a measly 4-for-37 with the man-advantage.
Even your mother's China would have been safe in the goal during most Utah power plays.
"We're getting a lot of shots . . . If we could just find a way to get the puck into the net the games would be a lot easier," Goring said.
Relief could be in sight for the Grizz's power(less) play woes - Peoria stopped only 77 percent of Milwaukee's attempts. That could be where this series will be decided.
"I don't think the playoffs change from one series to the next, you still have to win the special teams battle," he said. "That's going to be a key in every situation."
The winner will advance to play either Las Vegas or Chicago, who also begin their semifinal match-up tonight, in the Western Conference Finals.
Here's how the No. 3 Grizzlies and No. 7 Rivermen match up for their second-round series:
OFFENSE
Utah: Scored just 2.4 goals a game against Blades, which was more than a goal under season average. Regular season goal-scoring leader, rookie Brett Lievers, didn't even make a point. Chris Taylor had two game-winning goals.
Peoria: Averaged only 3.34 goals in regular season but marked 3.8 in first round. Michel Mongeau led team with eight points (1 goal, 7 assists). Former Grizzly Barry Nieckar added two goals and five assists.
Advantage: Even (see Salo factor below).
DEFENSE
Utah: IHL's best defensive squad got even better in playoffs. Captain Gord Dineen and fellow defensemen were solid in front of Salo, giving up just 126 shots. Allowed league-low goals in season (2.83 pg) and so far in playoffs (1.6). Salo has one shutout and two one-goal games with 0.937 save percentage.
Peoria: Allowed 3.54 (8th in IHL) goals in season, 3.40 in first round. Goalies Andre Racicot and Bruce Racine share time. Racine was 0-1-0 with a 3.04 goals-against average vs. Utah; Racicot gave up four goals in shootout win.
Advantage: Grizzlies (by a large margin).
SPECIAL TEAMS
Utah: Great on penalty killing but struggles on power play. Grizz made just 10.8 percent (4-for-37) of power-play opportunities, while stopping 89 percent (28 of 31) of Blades attempts. Also added two short-handed goals vs. K.C.
Peoria: Penalty killing unit was 13th in IHL during season and didn't play well vs. Milwaukee (only stopped 26 of 32). Converted 5 of 30 power plays in Round 1, and 17.8 percent during season.
Advantage: Grizzlies (because of penalty killing).
COACHING
This second-round series pits the IHL's winningest coaches - Goring and Peoria's Paul MacLean - in the last three years against each other. During that time, Goring has won 158 games and MacLean has 141 victories. Goring coached Denver Grizzlies to championship last season.
Advantage: Grizzlies.
MISCELLANEOUS
The Grizzlies won the season series 3-1, with the loss coming in a shootout, and outscored the Rivermen 16-11 . . . Utah finished second in tough Southwest Division at 49-29-4 (102 points). Peoria ended in fourth in Midwest with a 39-38-5 (83 points) record . . . Rivermen's upset over the Admirals included two road wins, including a come-from-behind victory in Game 5.
Series advantage: Grizzlies (4-1).
*****
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
IHL playoffs
Second round
(Best-of-seven)
Game 1 - tonight
Peoria at Utah, 7 p.m.
Game 2 - May 4
Peoria at Utah, 7 p.m.
Game 3 - May 8
Utah at Peoria, 6 p.m.
Game 4 - May 10
Utah at Peoria, 6:30 p.m.
*Game 5 - May 11
Utah at Peoria, 6:30 p.m.
*Game 6 - May 13
Peoria at Utah, 7 p.m.
*Game 7 - May 15
Peoria at Utah, 7 p.m.
*if necessary