The Mavericks start their weekend looking for their first win against Tulsa this season. This is their 3rd matchup of the season and with the Mavericks still undefeated at home there is a lot riding on this game. Tulsa sits at 3rd in the league so a win would be a very exciting one for the Mavericks.
With a home two-game, two-day series, Ben Halford gets the start in net with Mason McDonald likely getting the nod for tomorrow night's competition.
The first period is played with quite a bit of speed and not a lot of space is left for either team to get any quality scoring chances set up. Halford gets some leather on many of the first shots but misreads a shot that hits the crossbar and lands in the back of the net. The Mavericks get a late power play after an interference call but do not get a good rush on it until the last 10 seconds of the period where it comes a little too late. Shots end 15-14 for the Mavericks as they trail on the board 1-0.
The power play expires in the second with the Mavericks unable to take the opportunity to answer back. The Mavericks rack up 4 penalty minutes but the Oilers are unable to extend their scoring any further. Not a whole lot going on in the second frame. A few rushes, a few puck battles but nothing overly noteworthy. Quite a boring period that ends with no change in the score and the Oilers ahead of the Mavericks 24-18 in shots.
The third period continues to be frustrating. Not a whole lot of quality scoring chances for Tulsa but less for the Mavericks. They get two power plays that they barely register shots on and Rocco Carzo came the closest to tying the game on a quality feed that he was unable to elevate. The last drive by the Mavericks was a mess and as a result, they fall to the Oilers 1-0 and lose their perfect home streak. Rematch same time tomorrow night. Shots end 32-27 for Tulsa
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