IDAHO STEELHEADS (28-18-3) VS. KANSAS CITY MAVERICKS (22-24-3)

MONDAY, FEB 21, 2022 | 3:05 P.M. MTCABLE DAHMER ARENA | INDEPENDENCE, MORADIO: 95.3FM/1350AM KTIK | STREAM: FLOHOCKEY

Tonight's Game: The Steelheads close their three-game Midwestern road trip as well as the season series with the Kansas City Mavericks from Cable Dahmer Arena.

Head-To-Head: The Steelheads have already claimed the season series heading into their last meeting with the Mavericks, winning five of six meetings while earning points in all six contests with a 5-0-0-1 record. The team’s only loss came in the first meeting of the year on December 3 on the road in a 3-2 shootout loss. The Steelheads are unbeaten in regulation in 11-straight games dating back to the 2019-20 season, boasting a 9-0-2 record while winning 17 of 23 overall meetings. The Steelheads are 17-4-2 all-time against the Mavericks as well as 5-3-2 in Independence.

Last Game: The Steelheads earned the extra point in a 2-1 shootout win over the Mavericks on Friday night from Cable Dahmer Arena. The Steelheads and Mavericks played at a blistering pace in the first period, and after a slow start to attempts the Steelheads pressed forward and garnered the first strike. Forward Zach Walker (18:29 1st) followed up his own attempt with a rebound put back for the 1-0 lead. That pace continued through a scoreless second period and early through the third, however the Mavericks found the tying goal while 4-on-4 to force overtime, 1-1. After a scoreless extra frame, forward Luc Brown (1st Round) opened the scoring in a 1-for-1 opening round of the shootout and forward Colton Kehler (5th Round) finished off the night with the clincher in the 2-1 shootout win.

Trending Up: The Steelheads rebounded for their second shootout win in three attempts on the season after falling in a shootout during their first chance against the Mavericks on the road. That win helped the Steelheads continue their strong run of points, boasting points in 10 of their last 12 games since January 26 with an 8-2-2-0 record as well as points in four of five games. More impressively, the Steelheads have been able to split their road attempts in their last seven games with a 3-3-1 record and seven of a possible 14 points. The Steelheads start a nine-of-12 road stretch with a split in two games.

Playoff Push: As the season starts to reach the final stages, the Steelheads have seen and felt the same push for the postseason and for points as the rest of the division. After just four overtime games through their first 41 contests, the Steelheads have seen post-regulation in four of their last eight games since February 4 while finishing in a shootout for the first time since January 8 as well a the first in this last eight-game stretch. The Steelheads have been able to win two of those four post-regulation games and have now won five of eight on the season, going 3-2 in overtime and 2-1 in shootouts. The Steelheads are one of seven teams with a positive record in both overtime and shootouts separately.

Walk The Line: Steelheads forward Zach Walker followed up his two-point night with another goal on Friday, continuing his strong performance as of late. The Boise native is now on his second point streak of the season, moving to three-straight games with four points (2-2–4) in that time and sitting one game shy of his previous best of four games set from January 23-28 when he also recorded four points (1-3–4). Since that time, Walker has 10 points (4-6–10) in 14 games for his best point streak of his professional career. He owns seven goals and 18 points on the season.

Keep On Tugging: Steelheads forward Matt Tugnutt is back on another scoring run thanks to his assist on the lone goal of Friday’s win. The product of Portland, Maine is on his second three-game point streak of the season with a team-leading five points (2-3–5) since the series finale against Tulsa, tying his three-game stretch set earlier in this quarter with three points (1-2–3) during his last run. He is tied for the most games with points on the team during the last 13 games of the third quarter with (3-6–9), sharing that with forwards Zach Walker (3-6–9) and Chase Zieky (4-4–8). Tugnutt is up to 16 points (5-11–16) in his rookie season.

Trotted Down: The Kansas City Mavericks have found themselves heading the other direction in the Mountain Division standings after the shootout loss on Friday. The Mavericks have dropped three-straight games for the first time since their last meeting with the Steelheads in late January but have dropped four of their last five games, going 1-3-2 since February 9. In that time, the Mavericks have been held to three goals or less in five of six games while still earning points in three of those contests despite allowing three or more goals in four of six. Since January 23, the Mavericks have lost nine of their last 14 games since January 23 while slipping to the bottom of the division.

2021-22 MOUNTAIN DIVISION STANDINGS:

Next Game: The Steelheads return to Idaho Central Arena on Wednesday, Feb. 23 at 7:10 p.m. to open a three-game weekend against the Worcester Railers. Tickets are available by calling 331-TIXS or going to idahosteelheads.com. Coverage begins at 6:50 p.m. on 95.3 The Ticket as well as 7:00 p.m. on Sparklight Ch. 72 & FloHockey.tv.