Tag: Chicago Blackhawks

NHL podcast Jessica Kwong: Oilers have an offense that could make them #1 in West; Will the Bruins blue line help them make a push towards the post season; plus more news

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Connor McDavid of the Edmonton Oilers has control of the puck at Rogers Place in Edmonton on Tue Dec 9, 2025 (Canadian Press via AP News)

NHL podcast Jessica Kwong:

#1 Can the Edmonton Oilers’ red-hot offense carry them to the top of the Western Conference?

#2 Will the Boston Bruins’ revamped blue line hold up through the playoff push?

#3 Is Connor Bedard poised to break franchise rookie records for the Chicago Blackhawks?

#4 Can the Vancouver Canucks maintain their surprising early-season dominance?

#5 Will the New York Rangers’ new coaching changes spark a deeper postseason run?

Jessica Kwong does the NHL podcasts every other Wednesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

NHL podcast Len Shapiro Fri Apr 11, 2025: Blackhawks score 3 third period goals in 1:33; Panthers closing in on Lightning; plus more news

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Apr 10, 2025; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Chicago Blackhawks left wing Nick Foligno (17) shoots and scores a goal while Boston Bruins defenseman Andrew Peeke (52) defends during the second period at TD Garden. Photo Credit: Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images

NHL podcast Len Shapiro Fri Apr 11, 2025:

#1 The Chicago Blackhawks shot a barrage of four goals in the third period and scored three of those goals in a span of 1:33 against the Boston Bruins at TD Garden in Boston on Thursday for a 5-2 win. The Hawks Nick Foligno scored twice and Ryan Donato picked up his 30th goal for the first time in his NHL career. It was a sweet win for the struggling Blackhawks who had lost six of their last seven games.

#2 Brad Marchand scored his first goal as a Florida Panthers as the Panthers upended the Detroit Red Wings 4-1 at Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise Florida. The Panthers Evan Rodrigues, Mackie Samoskevich, and Alexsander Barkov all scored. The Panthers are now just one point behind the Tampa Bay Lightning.

#3 Columbus Blue Jackets Jet Greaves saved 39 shots and the Jackets came back from behind to defeat the Buffalo Sabres 3-2 at Nationwide Arena in Columbus on Thursday night. Greaves got called up from AHL Cleveland after Elvis Merzlikins had to leave morning skate due to a undisclosed injury.

#4  The Washington Capitals Alex Ovechkin was honored before the Capitals game Thursday night for setting an NHL record for most goals with his 895th career goal against the New York Islanders on Sunday. Ovechkin picked up an assist to extend his six game point streak in Thursday’s game as well.

#5 The Capitals in the game defeated the Carolina Hurricanes 5-4 at the Capital Center in DC. The Caps win clinched the number one seed in the Eastern Conference Stanley Cup Playoffs. Tom Wilson also picked up his 33rd goal of the year and the Caps are now 8-1-0 in their last nine games.

#6 The Winnipeg Jets one of the hottest teams in the NHL and the number one seed for the Presidents Cup. The Jets 54-21-4 and they pass the audition.

Len Shapiro does the NHL podcasts each Friday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Cooley and Kerfoot Strike Lightning Twice In 6-4 Utah HC Win Over Tampa Bay

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Utah Hockey Club’s Logan Cooley (92) scored a goal against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Sat Mar 22, 2025 at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City. Here is Cooley getting congratulated by teammates after scoring against the Vancouver Canucks at Rogers Arena in Vancouver on Sun Mar 16, 2025. (Canadian Press via AP News photo)

By Tom Walker

SALT LAKE CITY–Utah forwards explode for six goals while notching the team’s seventh home win over the past 9 games in hard fought victory against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

The Utah Hockey Club played a rare early afternoon game at Delta Center on Saturday, hosting the Tampa Bay Lightning who have outscored every other team in the league except the Washington Capitals and boasts the highest plus/minus differential in the NHL.

Josh Doan struck first for the home team at 6:42 of the opening frame connecting at the goal crease on a perfect pass from Jack McBain from behind the net for his fifth goal of the season, with the second assist to Lawson Crouse.

With a little more than two minutes remaining in the period, Utah forward Nick Schmaltz fed Michael Kesselring the puck on a breakaway which was stopped by Lightning netminder Brandon Halverson, but Logan Cooley followed the play and punched the rebound into the back of the net for his 20th goal of the season and a 2-0 lead.

Shortly after the ensuing faceoff, Ian Cole was whistled for tripping against Nikita Kucherov, resulting in a power play goal for Brayden Point, his 33rd on the season, assisted by Jake Guentzel and Oliver Bjorkstrand.

At 5:22 of the second period, Tampa Bay forward Anthony Cirelli evened the score on a slap shot for his 24th goal of the season, assisted by Brandon Hagel and Nikita Kucherov. 36 seconds later Utah would regain the lead when forward Kevin Stenlund one-timed a cross ice pass from John Marino to find Alexander Kerfoot in front of the net who knocked it in for his 9th goal of the season.

With 2:37 remaining in the period, Lightning forward Jake Guentzel tied things up once again, tipping in a pass from Nick Perbix for his 34th goal of the season, but 30 seconds later John Marino launched a shot from the blue line which Logan Cooley deflected into the net for his 21st of the season, putting Utah back on top 4-3 as the period closed.

Barely a minute into the third period, Clayton Keller was stopped at close range by Brandon Halverson, who immediately turned away a rebound attempt by Logan Cooley but was unable to stop Nick Schmaltz on a second rebound backhand shot for his 17th goal of the season and a 5-3 lead.

Less than two minutes later Brayen Point could cut the lead to one again with his second goal of the game, assisted by Ryan McDonagh and Jake Guentzel. Earlier in the season Utah struggled to maintain third period leads, but Karel Vejmelka, playing in his career high 13th consecutive game, held the Lightning offense scoreless the rest of the way, fending off a Tampa Bay power play with 2:09 remaining due to a too many men on the ice penalty.

With 57 seconds remaining, Alexander Kerfoot fired the puck into an empty net for his 2nd goal of the night and 10th of the season, giving Utah the 6-4 victory, their seventh at home over their past 9 contests.

In the locker room, Kerfoot talked about Utah’s recent success at home. “I think the crowd’s been unreal. I mean, third period there towards the end of the game—that’s a loud building that’s fun to play in. We’ve obviously placed an emphasis on being at home, I don’t think that our mindset has really changed, but we’ve just dug in here down the stretch and it’s a fun place to play. It feels like we’ve got momentum when we come home and when we’re playing in front of our fans. … I think that this was a great atmosphere for kids to come and watch the game and this is a new market, we’re trying to grow hockey here. SEG’s done an awesome job of growing the game in this community and to have a night like this where we get to bring in some youth hockey players and some kids during an early game on the weekend, it’s really fun and I hope that we can do that again in the future.”

In a game full of momentum swings, Logan Cooley talked about managing emotions. “It was kind of a crazy game, honestly. We were up two but then a goal gets called back, but you know, we just kept going at it and I thought we were playing the right way the whole third [period] there and then we got the outcome with a big two points.” With regard to his personal compete level, Cooley remarked, “I think just for me, I try to be the best version of myself each and every day and just try to get as good as I can to become the player I want to be. Obviously, it comes back to the team and trying to get into the playoffs. Eventually, I want to get a Cup and I think that’s the biggest drive for me right now. Being in Utah, it’s special in front of these fans. There’s no better feeling than coming to the rink every day and working together towards one goal here.”

Head coach André Tourigny was all smiles in the media room. “Really happy about the offense we created tonight, but even more proud of the way we defended the rush and the way we closed the middle of the ice. That was a really tough challenge, tough team to do that against them. Obviously for individual performance, I think Sergey [Mikhail Sergachev] was really good. Cooley and his line, they were something else. They were really, really good. I think it’s a huge character win. … Right from the start of the game, the focus, the execution, the urgency was elite. I think everybody was engaged. Everybody was connected. We’re really disciplined, and in the way we had to play against those guys. Great effort from the boys.” Comparing his club’s protecting the lead in the third period with difficulties earlier in the season, Tourigny said, “It’s day and night. I think that the mindset, the composure, the assertiveness, you cannot even compare. I think our team grew a lot, and I think we have way more maturity now.”

Utah will square off on Monday against the Detroit Red Wings before embarking upon a three game road trip to Tampa Bay, Florida, and Chicago. They will then return for one final homestand of five games before finishing out the regular season on the road.

San Jose Sharks podcast Charanbir Mahal Sat Mar 15, 2025: Graf big help in last Sharks win over Blackhawks; Capitals Ovechkin nine away from becoming goal king

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Alexander Ovechkin is nine goals short of the all time goals record held by Wayne Gretzkey here is Ovechkin skating against the Los Angeles Kings on Thu Mar 13, 2025. Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals face off with the San Jose Sharks Sat Mar 15, 2025 at SAP Center in San Jose (AP News photo)

San Jose Sharks podcast with Charinbir Mahal (INDTVUSA):

#1  Colin Graf made headlines on Thursday night for the San Jose Sharks. Graf an undrafted rookie showed his handy work scoring twice. Will Smith scored a goal and an assist as the Sharks defeat the Chicago Blackhawks 4-2.

#2 Talk about the job that Sharks goaltender Alexander Georgiev did between the pipe stopping 24 shots and allowing two goals and holding Chicago just enough for the Sharks to come away with a two goal win.

#3 The Sharks Tyler Toffoli added the scoring with an empty netter for insurance in the win. Toffoli was fired up needless to say after scoring. It’s goals like these that can get a team motivated?

#4 Smith opened up the game in the first period with a goal at 3:48 getting a pass from Macklin Celebrini. Smith now has seven goals, 12 assists and 19 points in his last 19 games.

#5 The Sharks in a Saturday matinee will host the Washington Capitals at SAP Center for a 2:00pm faceoff. Needless to say the all the attention will be on the Capitals Alexander Ovechkin who needs nine more goals to pass all time NHL scoring leader Wayne Gretzky to achieve his 895th goal.

#6 Big day today it’s the celebration of the South Asian Culture, celebrating diversity in the South Bay. On had local color artist Suhita Shirodkar. The celebration included a Bollywood dance, drama, and entertainment company based in Milpitas. Free henna tattoo art.

Charinbir Mahal is a reporter for INDTVUSA and podcasts San Jose Sharks hockey at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

San Jose Sharks podcast with Mary Lisa: Capitals-Sharks face off on Saturday at SAP; All eyes on Ovechkin nine goals away from goal scoring record

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San Jose Sharks forward Tyler Toffoli (73) is seen here after scoring a goal in a Mon Mar 3, 2025 game against the Toronto Maple Leafs. On Thu Mar 13, 2025 Toffoli scored an unassisted empty net goal at 19:27 in the third period against the Chicago Blackhawks. (Canadian Press via AP)

On the San Jose Sharks podcast with Mary Lisa:

#1  Colin Graf made headlines on Thursday night for the San Jose Sharks. Graf an undrafted rookie showed his handy work scoring twice. Will Smith scored a goal and an assist as the Sharks defeat the Chicago Blackhawks 4-2.

#2 Mary, talk about the job that Sharks goaltender Alexander Georgiev did between the pipe stopping 24 shots and allowing two goals and holding Chicago just enough for the Sharks to come away with a two goal win.

#3 The Sharks Tyler Toffoli added the scoring with an empty netter for insurance in the win. Toffoli was fired up needless to say after scoring. It’s goals like these that can get a team motivated?

#4 Smith opened up the game in the first period with a goal at 3:48 getting a pass from Macklin Celebrini. Smith now has seven goals, 12 assists and 19 points in his last 19 games.

#5 The Sharks in a Saturday matinee will host the Washington Capitals at SAP Center for a 2:00pm faceoff. Needless to say the all the attention will be on the Capitals Alexander Ovechkin who needs nine more goals to pass all time NHL scoring leader Wayne Gretzky to achieve his 895th goal.

Mary Lisa does the San Jose Sharks podcasts each Saturday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Utah HC Posts Third Consecutive Home Win With 2-1 Victory Over Chicago

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Utah Hockey Club left wing Lawson Crouse (67) takes the puck up ice against the Chicago Blackhawks at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Tue Feb 25, 2025 (AP News photo)

By Tom Walker

SALT LAKE CITY–Clayton Keller and Lawson Crouse each found the back of the net, and Karel Vejmelka stopped 21 of 22 shots, as Utah nails down third consecutive home win.

Coming off of a 2-1 home victory against the Vancouver Canucks on Sunday, Utah HC returned to the ice on Tuesday to square off against the Chicago Blackhawks, whom they defeated 5-2 on opening night in October.

Prior to the puck drop, local recording artist Yahosh Bonner, fresh off of starring in the lead role of Coalhouse Walker Jr. in the musical “Ragtime!,” the inaugural production at The Ruth and Nathan Hale Theater in Pleasant Grove, set the tone for the game with his powerful performance of the national anthem.

At 12:47 of the first period, Utah forward Kevin Stenlund went to the penalty box for holding against Connor Bedard to give Chicago its first power play of the evening. Blackhawks defenseman Seth Jones converted the man advantage on a snap shot for his 7th goal of the season, assisted by Ryan Donato and Teuvo Teravainen, as Chicago took a 1-0 lead into the locker room.

Chicago goaltender Arvid Soderblom was stingy in net for the first two periods, but with 44 seconds remaining in the second, Utah captain Clayton Keller found the back of the net to tie things up with his 21st goal of the season, assisted by Michael Kesselring and Logan Cooley.

Kesselring’s assist was his 17th of the season establishing his new single-season high. Last season he registered 16 assists in 65 games for the Phoenix Coyotes. Cooley’s assist gave him at least one point in each of Utah’s last 8 home games.

Utah forward Lawson Crouse gave his squad the lead at 12:12 of the third period with a backhand shot, his 9th goal of the season, assisted by Josh Doan and Olli Määttä. The goal turned out to be the game-winner, Crouse’s second of the season, matching his 2023-2024 total. Crouse also scored against the Blackhawks on opening night.

Chicago put heavy pressure on Utah in the closing minutes of the game with their goaltender pulled, but Karel Vejmelka stood tall to protect the victory. Vejmelka has now won 3 games in a row, allowing just 4 goals during that span for a 1.40 GAA and .942 save percentage.

In the locker room, Lawson Crouse talked about how his team has been handling pressure recently. “As our identity progresses forward, we keep taking steps in the right direction. It’s a lot of fun when we play this way. Everyone is on board.

Everyone that’s contributing and creating team success pushes everyone to be the best they can possibly be.” Describing his game-winning goal, Lawson added, “We attacked as a unit, and Doaner made a great play to find me in the middle. There was a lot of open ice, and I think the key player on that play was McBain just being at the net, and that allowed me to have that extra second to get the shot off.”

Captain Clayton Keller, Tuesday night’s other scorer, talked about his squad’s perseverance. “It’s huge. We didn’t have our best stuff to start the game, but we stuck with it. They played hard. They made us work for everything. It’s good to get the win there.

It was a tight game all the way through, so a huge win for us.” Talking about Crouse’s goal, Keller said, “It’s huge. He’s such a great teammate. He’s scoring, not scoring, and has been through the ups and downs. He’s a guy that you love being around at the rink.

Just a great teammate. Anytime another guy has success, it’s awesome.” When asked about holding onto the lead for the final eight minutes, Keller added, “Just keep playing our game. Keep going. I think we’ve taken strides in learning from previous mistakes when we’ve had the lead. Playing a little bit more loose. That’s part of the way that we kind of stuck with it. We had a lot of possession and chances in the third there.”

Head coach André Tourigny was happy with his team’s consecutive home win and offered particular praise for the play of Crouse. “He’s playing with more conviction. He has less doubt in his head, he plays a little bit more free-minded. He shoots quickly and you can see he doesn’t overthink the game. So, I like the way he played, the pace he played with, and I think that line was excellent again tonight. Obviously, they got the big goal as well, but the pace and the key moments were really good.” With regard to the whole team, he said, “They want it. There’s a good feel on the bench right now. There’s a feel of competitiveness, there’s a feel of care, and there’s a feel of passion. I like the way it feels and the guys are all in on winning. They don’t give a damn about who, but us.”

Speaking about Vejmelka, who also won Sunday’s 2-1 contest against the Canucks, Bear noted, “He stopped the puck and that’s a good quality for a goalie. He did a really good job in both games and found a way to make the last stop. Even during 6-on-5, they had two good looks, and [Vejmelka] came up big. I like the way he plays…He was really solid [against Vancouver] and looking at this body of work since he got hurt, I think he really stepped up and has allowed us to be in the hunt.”

Summarizing the game, he concluded, “It was huge. I think we’re at the point as a team where we’re in the zone and it’s like next man up. We need to find a way to win games and I think tonight, we did a lot of good stuff, offensively and defensively. The puck was not going in and we had a little bit of a tough time to make the next play offensively in terms of execution, but we stayed with it, and I think the guys were focused. Even if the execution was not at our best, we stayed with it, and we played with confidence. We had confidence in our play without the puck and confidence if we kept pegging away and putting the puck behind and putting pucks at the net. Something will go in and it did.”

Utah will go for its fourth consecutive home win on Thursday against the Minnesota Wild. They have won five of their past seven games and trail the Calgary Flames by three points in the Western Conference Wild Card chase.

NHL podcast with Len Shapiro: Jets Ford scores first NHL goal; Wild goalie Fleury shuts out Habs 4-0; plus more NHL news

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Winnipeg Jets center Vladislav Namestnkov (7) puts a backhanded shot in the net past the Boston Bruins goalie Joonas Korpisalo (70) in the first period at TD Garden in Boston on Thu Jan 30, 2024 (AP News photo)

On the NHL podcast with Len Shapiro:

#1 Winnipeg Jets Parker Ford who grew up rooting for the Boston Bruins as a kid scored in his NHL debut against the Bruins as well as the Jets scoring a total of four straight goals in the third period in a four goal 6-2 win over the Bruins.

#2  Minnesota Wild goaltender 40 year Mark Andre Fleury stopped 19 shots and recorded his 76th NHL shutout for the Wild’s third straight win 4-0 over the Montreal Canadiens. Fleury picked up his first shutout since March 14th. This could very well be Fleury’s last game in Montreal as he is retiring after this season. Fleury who grew up a Canadiens fan lived in Sorel, Quebec just an hour from Montreal.

#3 The Washington Capitals Alexander Ovechkin scored his career 876th goal and needs 19 to surpass former Los Angeles Kings NHL goal leader Wayne Gretzky who has 894 career goals. Despite the Ovechkin goal the Caps lost to the Ottawa Senators 5-4 at Canadian Tire Center in Ottawa on Thursday.

#4 Tampa Bay Lightning goaltender Andre Vasilevskiy stopped 28 shots in the Lightning’s 3-0 shutout over the Los Angeles Kings at the Amalie Arena in Tampa Bay. For Vasilevskiy this was his third shutout for the season and his 37th career shutout. The Lightning got two goals from Brandon Hagel and a goal from Anthony Cirelli.

#5 Mikko Rantanen scored his first goal since joining the Carolina Hurricanes in their 3-2 win over the Chicago Blackhawks at Lenovo Center on Thursday night. Rantanen who came over to Carolina from the Colorado Avalanche that involved a three trade deal that included the Blackhawks forwards Martin Necas and Jack Drury and a 2025 second round NHL draft pick.

Len Shapiro does the NHL podcasts each Friday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Three wins in a Row For Sharks defeat Chicago 3-2 at SAP; Smith scores twice for San Jose

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Trick or Treat, San Jose got a treat on Halloween night at the Tank

Sharks roster celebrating a win over the Blackhawks on Oct 31, 2024 at SAP Center in San Jose (Photo by San Jose Sharks Media Relations)

By Fernando Abarca

SAN JOSE, CA –– To keep the momentum going, the San Jose Sharks (3-7-2) added another win in the regular season against a Chicago Blackhawk (3-7-1) team with a similar record. Thursday night, Connor Bedard did not do his magic, and once again, San Jose is proving to the Bay Area to be something exceptional winning their third straight game edging the Blackhawks 3-2 .

The Sharks opened up the first period with Will Smith netting the first of the night and adding the first points in his NHL career at the 6:52 mark in the first period.

Soon after, as it happened in the last game vs. Los Angeles, the Sharks could not keep up the lead, and Chicago opened the away scoresheet as Ryan Donato found a way to score with a deflected puck and tied it up for the visitors.

Then, the former Toronto Maple Leaf Tyler Bertuzzi put the second for the Blackhawks at 09:41 in the first period.

The Hawks will not see another number up in the scoresheet for the rest of the night.

In the second period, Alex Wennberg tied it for the Sharks just a couple of minutes into the night’s remaining 40 minutes of hockey.

During the second period, there was a noticeable change in the offense, showing more attack and more logic in trying to score goals. The game could have ended 4-2, but during a Sharks powerplay, the puck hit the post and did not completely enter the crease.

After these actions, Will Smith was not satisfied with one goal, and scored the second, giving the Sharks their third win in a row. “It feels really good,” Smith said. “I mean, I’ve been waiting for it, so it is good to see it go in.”

Head coach Ryan Warsofsky said that Smith needs to do some things better without the puck but all in the same the two goals scored by Smith is much appreciated, “We’ve watched him his whole life. He can do that. We saw him have growth through his games,” Warsofsky said. “There are some things he needs to do better tonight without the puck, but for him to get rewarded with the two goals, big goals, highlight-reel goals, really the way they’ve scored, it’s nice to see because he’s worked hard to this point.”

It is worth highlighting the brilliant performance of the goaltender, Mackenzie Blackwood, who, with 29 saves, proved to be a strong wall for the Sharks facing a visiting team that had many clear chances.

Now, the Sharks are on a mission to make it four in a row this Saturday at SAP Center against the Vancouver Canucks a 7:00pm PT face off.

Sharks Lose 4-2 to Blackhawks, Penalty Kill Falters

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San Jose Sharks goaltender Vitek Vanecek (41) puts the stop on a Chicago Blackhawks shot at the United Center on Thu Oct 17, 2024 (AP News photo)

By Mary Walsh

The San Jose Sharks fell 4-2 to the Chicago Blackhawks in the Blackhawks’ home opener Thursday. Taylor Hall, Tyler Bertuzzi, Nick Foligno and Jason Dickinson scored for Chicago. Petr Mrazek made 20 saves for the win. Tyler Toffoli and Fabian Zeterlund scored for San Jose and Vitek Vanecek made 23 saves in the loss.

In one of their more lopsided losses of the young season, the Sharks had a very slow start. In the first two periods, they were outshot 23-11 and took seven penalties, two of those overlapping. It is unsurprising, then, that the Sharks’ perfect penalty kill was broken as they gave up two powerplay goals.

After the game, Sharks forward Mikael Granlund talked about that start: “We were playing too slow with the puck, skating-wise. It’s tough to play when you’re just chasing the game, we were chasing the game the whole period. So we gotta be better at that and that cost us the game tonight.”

Sharks Head Coach Ryan Warsofsky said: “We didn’t do anything well. Got off to a slow start, hasn’t been us. Couldn’t defend in our own end, couldn’t close quick enough, couldn’t get the forecheck going. Didn’t do anything well.”

The Blackhawks’ first goal came from Taylor Hall at 4:20 of the first period. Hall caught a long pass from TJ Brodie and entered the Sharks’ zone with speed before scoring with a wrist shot.

Tyler Bertuzzi made it 2-0 at the end of the period, on the power play. Teuvo Teravainen sent the puck to the net frpm the wing and Bertuzzi tipped in from the slot. Assists went to Teravainen and Connor Bedard.

Nick Foligno made it 3-0 in the first minute of the second period, again on the power play. Bedard sent the puck across the ice to Teravainen, who sent it back to Foligno in front of the net for a redirect.

Tyler Toffoli got one back for the Sharks at 18:17 of the period. William Eklund carried the puck to the goal line before centering the puck for Toffoli. Assists went to Eklund and Mikael Granlund.

Jason Dickinson made it 4-1 at 2:19 of the third. Joey Anderson passed the puck behind the net to Dickinson, who swept it around the post and into the net before Vanacek could get across.

Fabian Zetterlund made it 4-2 at 2:52, deflected Mikael Granlund’s shot off of his lower body. Assists went to Granlund and Eklund.

The Sharks next play Friday at 5:00 PM PT in Winnipeg against the Jets.

Utah Hockey Club Roars in NHL Debut defeat Blackhawks 5-3 in opener

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Utah Hockey defenseman Michael Kesselring (7) moves the puck against the Chicago Blackhawks left wing Patrick Maroon (77) during the first period at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Tue Oct 8, 2024 (AP New photo)

Utah Hockey Club Roars in NHL Debut

By Tom Walker

SALT LAKE CITY–In an early afternoon press conference outside the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, Utah Hockey Club co-owner Ashley Smith praised the herculean efforts of staff and government officials in the rapid transformation of the Arizona Coyotes into the NHL’s newest franchise, still awaiting a permanent name pending the outcome of fan voting.

No sooner was the ink on the transfer of the team dry, work began on relocating players and team administration to their new home, modifying Delta Center to accommodate both NBA and NHL requirements, and generating over 30,000 season ticket deposits for the 2024-2025 season.

Last season, the Coyotes played at Mullett Arena at Arizona State University where NHL attendance was capped at 4,600 seats. Utah had 172 days to completely transform a franchise and begin the new season where it will likely sell out every game.

Co-owner Ryan Smith also praised the efforts of the staffs of the Smith Entertainment Group and Utah Jazz who sacrificed their usual summer vacations and worked up to 18 hours a day during the offseason to bring the Utah Hockey Club into the SEG family.

Newly relocated players and administration were blown away as new neighbors throughout the region showed up at their doors with food and offers to help become acquainted with schools and any kind of information they might need as they settled into their homes.

Commissioner Gary Bettman, long accustomed to boos wherever he makes an appearance, received rare cheers from the assembled gathering of fans who endured scorching heat to witness history being made.

As the afternoon wore on, tens of thousands of hockey fans including children holding up homemade signs thronged the entry to Delta Center to welcome and cheer the arrival of the players.

Thousands of those who were unable to get seats for the sold out home opener remained outside for a massive watch party where they viewed the game on large monitors.

Those inside the arena stood and screamed loudly, waving white rally towels, as players skated onto the ice one by one for opening game introductions. Finnish defenseman Juuso Valimaki had the honor of being the first player introduced. The crowd crescendoed with each introduction, coming to a climax as captain Clayton Keller took to the ice.

Following a stirring performance of the national anthem by Kaylee Bucio, fans erupted as Utah Jazz power forward Lauri Markkanen, adorned in UHC attire, skated onto the ice for the ceremonial puck drop together with Ashley and Ryan Smith, captain Clayton Keller, and Chicago Blackhawks captain Nick Foligno. Markkanen, a 7-foot tall power forward from Finland, demonstrated tremendous skating ability of his own, making one wonder how far he might have gone had he pursued hockey over basketball.

At long last the game began and the Utah Hockey Club got off to a quick start. At 4:56 of the first period, right wing Dylan Guenther netted the first goal for the new franchise, assisted by Michael Kesselring and Logan Cooley.

The roar of the crowd was so deafening as to trigger decibel lever warnings on Apple watches. The jumbotron showed thousands of fans at the watch party outside joining in the first goal celebration. At 13:35 of the first period, captain Clayton Keller put UHC up 2-0 with a goal assisted by Nick Schmaltz and Barrett Hayton, which is how things stood at the end of the first period much to the approval of the sold out crowd.

Utah picked up where they left off at 8:46 of the second period, going up 3-0 on a goal by Barrett Hayton, assisted by Mikhail Sergachev, recently acquired from the Tampa Bay Lightning where he won two Stanley Cups, and Nick Schmaltz. The three goal lead turned out to be short-lived as Teuvo Teravainen put Chicago on the board at 14:25, assisted by Connor Bedard and Seth Jones. One could hear the cheers of a small but happy number of Blackhawks fans among the crowd as the shutout was broken.

The Blackhawks clamped down defensively in the last half of the second period and put additional pressure on UHC in the third period when captain Nick Foligno, assisted by Alex Vlasic and Connor Bedard narrowed the score to 3-2 with a little more than 15 minutes remaining in the game.

With 44 seconds remaining in the game, Dylan Guenther scored his second goal of the game into an empty net, assisted by Logan Cooley and Sean Durzi, giving Utah a little breathing room and a 4-2 lead. Earlier in the game, Durzi entered UHC’s record books with the squad’s first fighting major in the second period along with Connor Murphy of the Blackhawks.

With both teams at even strength, center Logan Cooley found the back of the net one more time with 22 seconds to go, assisted by Ian Cole, to put a punctuation mark on a thrilling 5-2 opening night victory for the NHL’s newest franchise. Goaltender Connor Ingram stopped 26 of 28 shots for the win.

After the game, Utah Hockey Club Head Coach André Tourigny commented on playing the first game in a new environment:

“Well, I think what I did like is the maturity we showed during the game. I think there were a lot of emotion, there’s a lot of stress, lot of wanting to win and wanting to deliver. And when Chicago pushed back, I really liked the leadership on the bench, the experience we have. Our leader did a great job to make sure we stay level as much as possible.”

When asked what he would remember about the inaugural game, Tourigny, who goes by “Bear,” responded, ”We won. That’s what I will remember. But what I will remember, I think, it’s been a hell of a journey. It’s been fabulous every step. It’s been a huge boost of energy for our team, for our players. And to hear the crowd to start the game, the presentation of the players, when we score our first goal, and when the thing get a little bit scrappy, that was just phenomenal.”

Captain Clayton Keller, also commenting on the inaugural game, said, “The first preseason game we had was pretty crazy. And I think this was a whole ‘nother level. Super fun game to be a part of, the fans were awesome…We couldn’t be more excited to play in front of them for the rest of the year.”

Forward Dylan Guenther, who scored the first goal in franchise history along with netting the team’s fourth goal to lock up the victory in the final minute added, “That building was special, so it was a ton of fun to play in front of that crowd.”

In speaking of the environment of the inaugural game, Guenther responded, “I mean, an intense one. I think like a playoff game, almost with that atmosphere. If the building stays like that all year, it’s a huge advantage for us.”

Chicago Blackhawks Head Coach Luke Richardson had this to say about playing in Utah:

“It was a great crowd and a very lively building. I think with the first period they had, they fed off the crowd, but the crowd got lots to cheer about which was unfortunate for us. We’re excited to be here playing Utah, and we’re looking forward to coming back and putting on a better show next time on.”

Chicago Blackhawks Forward Nick Foligno added, “I didn’t know what to expect. To be honest, I heard great things, and it’s lived up to the hype. They were loud, they were energetic, and you could tell they’re excited to have hockey here. As far as a fan standpoint, it was a great night for hockey in Utah. We’re thrilled as a league to have [Utah] here. It was definitely loud, and they’re avid fans, so I’d give them a ton of credit. They were definitely into it tonight, and hopefully that sustains all year long.”

There will be no rest for Utah after their historic opening night victory. The team now hits the road for four games, traveling east to play the New York Islanders on Thursday followed by the New York Rangers on Saturday and the New Jersey Devils on Monday before flying to the west coast to play the Ducks in Anaheim on Wednesday. The next home game will be on Saturday, October 19, against the Boston Bruins.