Tag: St Louis Blues

Utah Mammoth game wrap: Utah Wraps Regular Season On Blue Note, Losing 5-3 To St Louis

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Utah Mammoth John Marino takes in the warm up before their game against the St Louis Blues Thu Apr 3, at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City (Utah Mammoth X photo)

By Tom Walker

SALT LAKE CITY–The Utah Mammoth (43-32-6) suited up early Thursday afternoon for their nationally televised regular season finale against the St. Louis Blues (36-33-12). Regardless of the outcome, head coach André Tourigny entered the contest riding a streak of five consecutive seasons of continuous improvement beginning with a 25-50-7 record in his Arizona Coyotes debut in 2021-22. The Mammoth dropped a 5-3 decision to the Blues.on Thursday.

St. Louis took an early lead in the first period when Pavel Buchnevich picked up a loose puck to the side of the Utah net and knocked it in for his 20th of the season at 3:45 assisted by Jordan Kyrou and Pius Suter. With just over three minutes remaining in the frame, Michael Carcone evened things up with a snap shot into the top shelf corner over the right shoulder of netminder Joel Hofer for his 16th of the season, assisted by JJ Peterka and John Marino.

Carcone is enjoying a bounce back season in Utah after having initially anticipated to be playing elsewhere following a disappointing seven-goal campaign last year. He won’t be looking for a new home this coming offseason, having signed a two-year, $3.5 million contract extension last month. The two squads headed to the locker room knotted up at one apiece, with Hofer having stopped 8 of 9 shots and Karel Vejmelka turning away 10 of 11.

Lawson Crouse gave Utah their first lead of the game at the drop of the puck in the second period, banging in a rebound off a shot by MacKenzie Weegar 45 seconds into the frame. Clayton Keller picked up the second assist on Crouse’s 24th goal of the season. The goal matched Crouse’s previous career high of 24 from the 2022-23 season in Arizona, and Keller’s assist extends his franchise assist and point streak record to 10 games. Keller joins Quinn Hughes (MIN) and Artemi Panarin (NYR) as the only players in the NHL to register 10-game assist streaks this season.

At 8:14, Robert Thomas tied it up again with his 23rd goal of the season, one-timing a nifty backwards pass from Dylan Holloway who was battling two defenders at the side of the net. Three minutes later Thomas struck again, putting the Blues up 3-2 with his 24th goal, assisted by Cam Fowler and Holloway. With 68 seconds remaining in the frame, Kailer Yamamoto came through with his 13th of the season to even the score once again, assisted by Weegar and Keller.

There may have been a buzzer to mark the end of the period, but it might as well have been a trip gong of a boxing match as fists began to fly between the players on the ice. When the scrum concluded, Logan Cooley and Philip Broberg were each assessed two-minute roughing penalties to carry over into the third period. Hofer stopped 9 of 11 Mammoth shots in the period, while Vejmelka turned away 5 of 7.

With the score still tied 3-3 and less than three minutes remaining in the third, the possibility of an overtime match and even the first shootout of the season for the Mammoth seemed in play, but when Utah defenseman Nate Schmidt attempted to clear the puck from behind the net, St. Louis defenseman Logan Mailloux snagged it off the dasher boards and wristed a backhand shot past Vítek Vaněček who had entered the game in the third to spell Vejmelka.

Mailloux’s unassisted goal was his fifth of the season, giving the Blues a 4-3 lead. With Vaněček pulled for an extra attacker, Robert Thomas completed his hat trick into an empty net with 38 seconds remaining to put the game away 5-3. Utah completes the regular season with new franchise records in wins (43), points (92), and points percentage (.561).

Following the game, the Mammoth remained on the ice for the team’s regular season awards as follows: All-In Award: Lawson Crouse Community Obsessed Award: Michael Carcone Three-Stars Award: Dylan Guenther Leading Scorer: Clayton Keller (26g, 62a, 88pts) Team MVP: Clayton Keller

Mammoth Governor Ryan Smith concluded the award presentations telling the home fans, “This is your team. Tusks up! Let’s Go!”

In the locker room, Crouse commented on receiving the “All In” team award, “I think I just try and do my best each and every night out there. Obviously, a lot of guys on our team do so too. I think if you look around the room, there’s a lot of guys that come out for that award, and I am obviously very grateful to get that recognition.” On bringing the playoffs to Utah for the first time and what he’s expecting from the home crowd, Crouse added, “Feeling that energy and that atmosphere out there each and every night, I find it hard to believe that there is another level. Considering how loud they have been, they’ve continued to blow us away. So I’m sure they have something in the bag for us for the playoffs.”

On winning the MVP award, captain Clayton Keller said, “It means a lot, for sure. There’s lots of other guys in this room that could have received it. It’s very special, and it means a lot for sure.” As the Mammoth prepare to travel to Las Vegas for Game 83, Keller continued, “It’s super exciting. We’re so excited to be in the playoffs. This is where we wanted to go, and now the real fun starts. Regular season’s over. It doesn’t matter at all, really. It’s focus on Vegas.” Asked what makes Utah dangerous in the first round of the playoffs, Keller said, “I think we’re a very confident team right now. I think it’s going to be a lot of fun, lots of excitement, and great for our group to get into the playoffs and feel that. So I think we’re, like I said, super confident and can’t wait.”

Forward Michael Carcone, asked about receiving the Community Obsessed Award, said, “It’s exciting. Like I said from day one, this community has been special and done so much for my family and myself, so obviously getting recognized for this award is special to me.” With regard to the playoffs, Carcone added, “We did our job getting there, and now it’s on to the next milestone here – getting some wins, getting some experience, and doing what we came here to do.” When the Mammoth return to Delta Center, Carcone is expecting the volume to increase even further. “I mean, you’ve seen it the last few games, right? It’s been pretty electric in here. I think the fans are excited, just as excited as us, so it’s going to be special.”

Utah Mammoth Head Coach André Tourigny has frequently spoken of his team’s resilience in post-game interviews, and Thursday was no different. “The resilience of the guys, the way they fought during the season, through certain moments of adversity, showed a lot of growth in our ability to have urgency when it was important. We stayed away from long periods of adversity. We were capable of having good consistency and strung a few winning streaks together that pushed us over the edge. Happy about the maturity our team had and how much they gel. Even if we have always been the team who is really tight to each other, you can’t take that for granted. Same thing with your family, my family, and all of our families. You don’t take relationships for granted. So, as much as we were tight, we’re even tighter now. So proud of the guys for that. I think they earned everything. They earned the right to play game 83. We talked about it all season long. Proud of the guys for that and excited to get going.” When asked if “brotherhood” is a superpower of the team, Tourigny said, “Yep, it is. I think there’s the excitement for wanting each other, the love they have for each other, and how much they care. I think that goes a long way. We said that we had so many examples this year when we were in adversity. Some guy had the opportunity to sign a long-term deal, and so on and so forth. I think all of that showed how much our team likes each other.”

The first ever playoff hunt for the Mammoth begins Sunday in Las Vegas against the Golden Knights.

André Tourigny’s career coaching record, seasons 1-3 in Arizona and 4-5 in Utah: 2021-22: 25-50-7 (57pts) 2022-23: 28-40-14 (70pts) 2023-24: 36-41-5 (77pts) 2024-25: 38-31-13 (89pts) 2025-26: 43-33-6 (94pts)

Sharks Lose 2-1 in OT to Blues, Loss is Sharks 6th straight, Askarov Injured

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San Jose Sharks goaltender Yaroslav Askarov reaches for the puck during the first period of an NHL hockey game against the Dallas Stars, Friday, Dec. 5, 2025, in Dallas. Askarov was injured against the St Louis Blues on Thu Mar 26, 2026 at Enterprise Center in St Louis (AP Photo/LM Otero)

By Mary Walsh

The San Jose Sharks lost 2-1 in overtime to the St Louis Blues on Thursday. Blues goals were scored by Dalibor Dvorsky and Dylan Holloway. Joel Hofer made 24 saves for the win. Alexander Wennberg scored the lone Sharks goal. Yaroslav Askarov made 11 saves before sustaining an injury midway through the game. Alex Nedeljkovic made 10 saves in relief.

There were no details about Askarov’s injury in the post-game press conference. The injury was described only as upper body.

After the game, Macklin Celebrini talked about his role in the game and his current goalless streak of six games: “It’s kind of disappointing, feeling like I’m not doing my part to help the team. Also, being on for goals [against], I mean it’s unacceptable and I need to figure it out.”

“I liked our game. I thought we did some really good things tonight. So, hopefully a step in the right direction,” said Sharks Head Coach Ryan Warsofsky. “Frustrated with the result but a step in the right direction.”

In a scoreless and penalty-free first period, the Sharks outshot the Blues 9-6. Askarov was playing well in his first game back from injury. Midway through the second period, Nathan Walker fell on Askarov after being pushed by Vincent Desharnais. Askarov left the game under his own power and Nedeljkovic took the net.

The first goal of the game came at 17:19 of the second. Dalibor Dvorsky scored his 11th of the season with a snap shot. Assists went to Dylan Holloway and Jimmy Snuggerud.

The Blues outshot the Sharks 11-6 in the second. The penalties favored the Blues, with six penalties resulting in a single power play.

The Sharks tied the game at 5:04 of the third period. Alexander Wennberg scored his 14th of the season with a wrist shot. Assists went to William Eklund and Kiefer Sherwood. The Sharks outshot the Blues 8-4 in the third. There were no penalties called.

Dylan Holloway scored the game-winner at 4:57 of overtime with a backhand shot. An assist went to Philip Broberg.

The Sharks next play on Saturday at 2:00 PM PT in Columbus against the Blue Jackets.

San Jose Sharks podcast Lincoln Juarez: Sharks host Isles Saturday night at SAP Center

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San Jose Sharks’ Alex Nedeljkovic (33) guards the goal against St. Louis Blues’ Robert Thomas (18) during the second period at SAP Center in San Jose, Calif., on Friday, March 6, 2026. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group)

San Jose Sharks podcast Lincoln Juarez:

#1 The St Louis Blues Robert Thomas scored two goals within 54 seconds in the overtime stanza to help beat the San Jose Sharks at SAP Center in San Jose 3-2.

#2 The St Louis Blues who were in last place in the Western Conference Central Division moved up a point past the Chicago Blackhawks with the win against the Sharks.

#3 With the loss the Sharks snap a three game win streak before the win streak they had a five game losing streak. The Blues without a doubt did their homework knew what they were up agianst and were able to shut down Sharks superstars Macklin Celebrini and Will Smith and company on their potent offense..

#4 Keifer Sherwood was able to tie the game for the Sharks at 2-2 in the third period when he beat Blues goaltender Jordan Binnington with a shot from the left circle. Sherwood had himself a week for the Sharks earlier on Tuesday he scored a game winning goal against the Montreal Canadiens for his first goal for San Jose and later signed a five year $28.75 contract with the Sharks.

#5 Up next for the Sharks they host the New York Islanders. The Isles are third place in the Atlantic Division and have lost two in a row as they come into SAP Center on Saturday night. Face off is slated for 7:00pm. How do you see this match up between New York and San Jose?

Lincoln Juarez filled in for Mary Lisa who does the San Jose Sharks podcasts Saturdays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Sharks fall to Blues 3-2 in overtime

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San Jose Sharks vs St Louis Blues on Friday March 6th at SAP Center (via sanjosesharks/instagram)

By Madison Montez

SAN JOSE- The St.Louis Bles got out to an early 1-0 lead, just 6:55 into the first period. Jimmy Snuggerud with his eleventh goal of the season. Cam Fowler registering the primary assist and Dylan Holloway registering the secondary assist. This lead would essentially lead to St.Louis’s 3-2 win.

The San Jose Sharks tied the game at 1-1 right when their powerplay was about to end. Macklin Celebrini scored his 30 first goal of the season. Dmitry Orlov with the primary assist while Tyler Toffoli registered the secondary assist. Off of a quick pass, St.Louis was able to regain their lead back to make it 2-1 when Robert Thomas scored his 14th of the season. Jimmy Snuggerud with the primary assist and Dylan Holloway with the secondary assist, both with their second points of the night.

To tie the game at 2-2, Kiefer Sherwood scored his 19th goal of the season. Philip Kurashev with the primary assist while Collin Graf recorded the secondary assist.

Regulation wasn’t enough for these two teams. 55 seconds into the overtime period, St Louis’s Robert Thomas scored his second of the night to win it 3-2.

Despite not having the lead, after the first period, San Jose outshot St.Louis eleven to three. After the second period, St Louis outshot San Jose 9-6. After the third period, San Jose outshot St Louis 8-1.

Coming into Friday night’s game, San Jose was 15th on the powerplay while St.Louis was 26th. Shorthanded, San Jose was nineteenth while St.Louis was 29th. Friday night, San Jose went 0/2 and St Louis also went 0/2.

Alex Nedeljkovic got the start for San Jose. Making 11 saves 14 on shots, he recorded Friday night’s loss. For St.Louis, Jordan Binnington got the start. Making 23 saves on 25 shots, he recorded Friday night’s win.

THREE STARS OF THE GAME:

  1. Robert Thomas
  2. Dylan Holloway
  3. Kiefer Sherwood

The Sharks will be back in action Satuday, where they will host the New York Islanders. The last time these two teams faced off was on October 21st in New York where they fell 4-3. Collin Graf, Adam Gaudette, and Macklin Celebrini all scored in the loss.

Utah Mammoth game wrap: St. Louis Sings the Blues as Schmaltz Scores Twice in 4-2 Mammoth Victory

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The Utah Mammoth Nick Schmaltz (8) takes the puck up ice against the Ottawa Senators at the Delta Center on Wed Jan 7, 2026. Schmaltz scored two goals for the Mammoth against the visiting St Louis Blues on Fri Jan 9, 2026 in Salt Lake City. (AP News photo)

By Tom Walker

SALT LAKE CITY–Utah Mammoth netminder Karel Vejmelka held the St. Louis Blues to two goals and becomes first in the league to pick up 20 wins in a 4-2 Mammoth win at the Delta Center.

The Mammoth (21-20-3) laced up on Friday night for the second of seven games on the current homestand against the visiting Blues (17-19-8). The Mammoth, coming off of a 3-1 victory over the Ottawa Senators on Wednesday, are enjoying a positive start to the new year entering the game having won three of four contests.

Utah struck first late in the first period on Nick Schmaltz’s 15th goal of the season, banging in a snap shot rebound off a shot by Clayton Keller with the additional assist to Mikhail Sergachev. Karel Vejmelka was perfect in net for the Mammoth as Utah carried a 1-0 lead into the locker room after one.

At 7:45 of the second period, Mammoth forward Lawson Crouse increased Utah’s lead to 2-0 with his 11th goal of the season from the top of the left faceoff circle, assisted by Keller and John Marino. But St. Louis got one back just ten seconds later when Iskar Sundqvist put the puck past Vejmelka for his 3rd of the season, assisted by Nathan Walker, before the arena announcer could even finish announcing the Crouse goal.

Less than four minutes later, however, Mammoth forward Schmaltz passed a rebound across the ice to the stick of defenseman Sean Durzi who one-timed a shot past Joel Hofer of the blues to regain Utah’s two-goal lead with his 3rd goal on the year, with the additional assist to Crouse.

With three and a half minutes remaining in the second period, the Blues cut their deficit to one goal as Pavel Buchnevich netted his 8th of the season with an extra attacker on the ice due to a delayed penalty call against Utah, assisted by Jimmy Snuggerud and Robert Thomas.

Seven minutes into the third period, with Snuggerud in the sin bin for high-sticking against Keller, JJ Peterka sent a pass from the right goal post up the middle in front of the crease to Schmaltz who struck again for the Mammoth with his 16th of the season, with Keller picking up the additional assist.

As reported by the Utah stat crew, Schmaltz and Keller have now factored on the same goal for the 199th time for the highest total by a pair of U.S.-born teammates in NHL history. That would be all Utah would need to go 4-1-0 in the new year, with Vejmelka stopping 26 of 28 on the night en route to becoming the first goaltender to reach 20 victories this season.

In the locker room, Nick Schmaltz talked about winning tight games. “It’s great, we’ve talked about it the last little bit here, about maintaining pressure when we’re up. I thought earlier in the year, we gave up some leads and kind of sat back and watched teams kind of dictate the play. I thought tonight was another big win. We kind of shut it down and scored a big goal, and it mattered. So it shows a lot about this group, and we got to keep it going. … I think we’re making more plays. We’re hitting each other’s tape instead of just kind of flicking it and standing around, not moving our feet. I think we’re being assertive. We’re making plays when it’s there, and when it’s not we’re putting pucks in good areas and making sure we’re putting our teammates in good spots.” With regard to his record with Keller for America-born players, Schmaltz said, “Yeah, it’s great. It feels like we’ve been playing with each other for a long time. We know where each other are at all times on the ice and we’re always looking for each other. It’s been a heck of a ride playing with him, and hopefully we have many more great memories ahead.”

Netminder Karel Vejmelka, when asked about the Mammoth being more comfortable in tight games responded, “I think so. Usually it’s all about focus and being in the right place. So, it’s the same for everybody. And we played a huge game last game. We played another big game tonight. Those one-goal games are really important for the rest of the season.” The penalty kill was big for Vejmelka, who said, “I think it’s huge for me, they cover like other guys on the rebounds. So I just need to focus on the guy who got it by. So it’s kind of easy for me and again, I just focus on what’s going to happen next.” So how does it feel to become only the second Czech native to be the NHL’s first goaltender to reach the 20-win mark in a season? “It’s a big accomplishment. Hašek is one of the best goalies in NHL history. It’s an honor, and I’m glad about it and happy for it.”

Head Coach André Tourigny began his post-game remarks by saying, “A very good game early, but Veggie made key saves. They obviously played hard, and they knew how important that division game is and everything. … Schmaltzy was possessed. He was really, really good. He won battles, the speed he had defensively, his face off, his PK, everything. I liked our power play and the movement. Obviously, our PK came up big at a key moment. But I think the answer from Jack McBain, and what happened in the last game. I think that’s probably the highlight of the night for the Bear,” referring to himself. When asked about maintaining composure down the stretch, Tourigny responded, “It’s important to stay even-keeled, to stay humble, and to play the game the right way. … You cannot get carried away, you cannot get complacent, but you have to be honest. We had a level of confidence in our play defensively. And that doesn’t mean the other team cannot score, cannot have a great scoring chance, or cannot get lucky at some point. I’m not saying they need to get lucky to have a scoring chance; it can be good as well. My point is, I had the feeling we weren’t going to beat ourselves, and they will need to beat us; they will need to do the right things to beat us. And when we made some mistakes, Veggie came up big. So we expect to play good, we want to play good, and trust in each other’s stuff to win. Our opponent tonight showed up, and they played hard, but (I’m) proud of our group.”

Next up for the Mammoth (22-20-3) are the Columbus Blue Jackets on Sunday.

NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs podcast Mary Lisa Sun Apr 20, 2025: Jets jump to a early 1-0 lead on Blues; Aves leave no doubt in 5-1 win over Stars

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Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon (29) is thrilled after scoring a power play goal against the Dallas Stars during game one of the first round of the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at the American Airlines Center in Dallas on Sat Apr 19, 2025 (AP News photo)

On the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs podcast Mary Lisa:

#1 On Saturday night in game 1 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs the Canada Life Center in Winnipeg was a house of blues for the St Louis Blues who were on the wrong end of the 5-3 score against the Winnipeg Jets. The Jets Kyle Conner score at 1:36 left in the game to give the Jets the lead and never looking back.

#2 In front of 15,225 fans in Winnipeg Connor added two assists and Jets team captain Adam Lowry scored an empty netter with 53 seconds left for the two goal 5-3 win.

#3 The Jets are the Presidents Cup winner and led the Western Conference for most the season. The Jets are a favorite to get to the Finals. What impresses you most from what you saw of them on Saturday night?

#4 The Colorado Avalanche’s Nathan MacKinnon was pretty busy all night long against the Dallas Stars in the Aves 5-1 win in game 1 of this edition of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. MacKinnon took a stick to the face. He scored two of Colorado’s goals and scored an empty netter that was his 50th career playoff goal.

#5 Mary Lisa you might remember MacKenzie Blackwood who you used to see in San Jose back in the day. Blackwood stopped 23 shots and allowed just one goal for the Aves to win the first game of the playoffs series.

Join Mary Lisa throughout the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs for coverage of the playoff podcasts Saturdays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs podcast Len Shapiro Fri Apr 18, 2025: Playoffs begin Saturday night; Eight games in total

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The Winnipeg Jets Dylan Samberg (54), Neil Pionk (4), Cole Perfetti (91), Nino Niederreiter (62), celebrate Pionk’s goal against the Anaheim Ducks in the second period on Wed Apr 16, 2025 during the final regular season game in Winnipeg. The Jets are the favorites in the Stanley Cup Playoffs to make the finals as they face off against the St Louis Blues on Sat Apr 19, 2025. (Canadian Press photo via AP)

NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs podcast Len Shapiro Fri Apr 18, 2025:

#1 Len, lets take a run down of the the NHL Playoff series. Starting with the St Louis Blues (44-30-8) and Winnipeg Jets (56-22-4). The Jets are the winner of this year’s presidents cup do you see them as the favorites in the Stanley Cup on Saturday night?

#2 The Ottawa Senators (45-35-7) going against the Toronto Maple Leafs (52-26-4) on Sun Apr 20th.

#3 The battle of the Florida teams it’s a real rivalry going on with the Florida Panthers ((47-31-4) they’ll take on the Tampa Bay Lightning (47-27-8) starting Tue Apr 22.

#4 Mon Apr 21 it’s the Montreal Canadiens (40-31-11) going up against Alexander Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals (51-22-9) at the Capital Center on Mon Apr 21st.

#5 New Jersey Devils (42-33-7) against the Carolina Hurricanes (47-30-5) this Sun Apr 20th.

#6 Sat Apr 19 it’ll be the Colorado Avalanche (49-29-4) at the Dallas Stars (50-26-6).

#7 Sun Apr 20 Minnesota Wild (45-30-7) at the Las Vegas Golden Knights (50-22-10)

#8 The Edmonton Oilers (48-29-5) will be facing off against the Los Angeles Kings (48-24-9) on Monday Apr 21st at Crypto.com Arena.

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

NHL podcast with Len Shapiro Fri Apr 4, 2025: Caps Ovechkin 3 goals away to catch the Great One: Canadiens push to make post season since 2021 win 3rd straight game; Senators Ullmark saves 31 shots in 3-1 win over Lightning; plus more news

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Montreal Canadiens left wing Juraj Slafkovsky (20) and the Boston Bruins defenceman Ian Mitchell (14) push each other as linesman Jonathan Deschamps (80) intervenes in the first period at the Belle Centre in Montreal on Thu Apr 3, 2025 (Canadian Press via AP photo)

NHL podcast with Len Shapiro Fri Apr 4, 2025

#1 It’s been a long time coming for the Montreal Canadiens as their push for a Stanley Cup Playoff birth continues. The last time the Habs were in the post season was in 2021. The Canadiens defeated the Boston Bruins 4-1 for their third straight win at the Belle Centre on Thursday night. Brendan Gallagher and Nick Suzuki scored a goal a piece and an assist. Sam Montembeault had 18 saves. The win gives Montreal a two point lead over the New York Rangers for the second wild card in the Eastern Conference.

#2  Linus Ullmark stopped 31 shots for the Ottawa Senators and put an end to the Tampa Bay Lightning’s four game win streak. The Senators came up with a 3-1 win on Thursday night at the Canadian Tire Centre. The Lightning’s Brandon Hagel tried to score on a short handed break away but Ullmark stopped the shot at 5:58 in the third period to keep the score at the time to 2-1.

#3  Cale Makar had himself an evening for the Colorado Avalanche scoring his 30th goal and picking up two assists in a 7-3 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets at Nationwide Arena in Columbus Thursday. Makar became the ninth defenseman to score 30 goals in a season since the Washington Capitals defenseman Mike Green had 31 in 2008-09.

#4  The red hot St Louis Blues tied a franchise record with their 5-4 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins at the Enterprise Center on Thursday night. Robert Thomas scored at 2:12 in the overtime stanza for the winning goal. The win ties the Blues with the Stanley Cup Champions Blues who won 11 in a row between Jan 23-Feb 19 2019.

#5 The Dallas Stars Wyatt Johnson got a goal in his sixth game in a row and the Stars won their seventh game in a row with a 5-1 win over the Nashville Predators at American Airlines Center in Dallas on Thursday. In the NHL Johnson’s streak is the longest active run. The Stars Jake Oettinger saved 28 shots in the win.

Join Len Shapiro for the NHL podcasts Fridays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Utah HC Sings The Blues in 2-1 Loss To St. Louis

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St Louis Blues center Dylan Holloway (81) and Blues center Brayden Schenn (10) with Utah Hockey Club left win Matias Maccelli (63) battle for the puck at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Sun Feb 2, 2025 (AP News photo)

By Tom Walker

SALT LAKE CITY–Utah had defeated St. Louis in each of the two previous matchups, but the Blues take Game 3 of the season series.

The St. Louis returned to the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Sunday night for their third encounter with the Utah Hockey Club this season. Utah prevailed 4-2 in each of the previous two games both at home and on the road.

Alexandre Texier got things going for the Blues at 17:41 of the first period with a wrist shot for his 4th goal of the season, assisted by Radek Faksa and Alexey Toropchenko.

Goaltenders Jordan Binnington and Connor Ingram both defended their nets in the second period to prevent further scoring.

At 3:27 of the third, Utah defenseman Michael Kesselring tied things up with his 6th goal of the season, assisted by Nick Bjugstand and Kevin Stenlund. Unfortunately for the home squad, Blues forward Jordan Kyrou regained the St. Louis lead at 7:13 of the frame with his 22nd goal of the season, assisted by Robert Thomas and Pavel Buchnevich. The 2-1 lead would hold up as the Blues broke out of a four-game losing streak while Utah went down to defeat for the fifth consecutive game, and 15 of the last 20.

After the game, Utah’s lone goal-scorer Michael Kesselring talked about his squad’s struggles. “It’s tough, we just got to get more pucks than that, and bodies and bang away. It’s a tough situation. We got to get out of those situations. … Obviously the break is coming up, but these are playoff games for us. We need to win, we need to push. I know we have some injuries, but there’s no excuses. Like I said, it’s the NHL, so we have to find a way here.” Talking about whether the team is getting frustrated, Kesselring responded, “Honestly, the mood is pretty good. Maybe tonight was (not) our best game, but I thought we were playing really well before this. So you have to get over it quick. Watch some video, make some adjustments, but we have to be ready to go next game.”

Defenseman Ian Cole talked about the problem with shot lanes. “They (St. Louis) did a good job. You know, they were coming back to the middle and, off their forecheck through the neutral zone, into their D zone. And then, you get the puck, look up all you really see are white jerseys. So they did a good job with it, so kudos to them. But that being said, we did get good chances when we got pucks down there, so we need to do that.” Cole agreed with Kesselring’s comments about every game at this stage being a playoff game for the team. “I think that’s an accurate assessment in terms of they are playoff games. We’re playing for our playoff lives right now. And (I) didn’t love our first, thought we responded better as the game went on, but again, kind of lost it. Lost it in the third a little bit.”

Head coach André Tourigny addressed his team’s difficulties at producing when pulling the goaltender for an extra attacker. “I think we’ve gotten better lately. I think early on, on 6-on-5, we gave up a lot of goals. We could not sustain a lot of possessions…I think we need to simplify at 6-on-5. … I think (sometimes) we were trying to make too good of a play. The middle was clogged; it’s really tough. Like I said, the last two or three (extra-attacker opportunities) we had shots, we had opportunities. We hit the crossbar today. We’re almost there.” The coach was asked about the importance of finishing strong in the final games leading up to the break for the 4 Nations Faceoff. “It’s super important. For us, we’re in a sprint. I talked before, it’s a race. Every step is important. It’s an extremely huge game for us (Tuesday) against Philly. We need the two points; we need to finish the homestand at least at .500, hit the road and have a helluva road trip before the break. There’s no doubt about it.”

Utah wraps up the four-game homestand on Tuesday with a 7:00pm tilt against the Philadelphia Flyers, after which they will hit the road for games against Columbus, Carolina, and Washington prior to the 4 Nations Faceoff break.

Saturday Night’s Alright For Fighting As Utah HC Battles Blues For 4-2 Victory

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The Utah Hockey Club’s center Clayton Keller (9) takes a shot on net against the St Louis Blues left winger Pavel Buchnevich (89) in the first period at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Sat Jan 18, 2025 (AP News photo)

By Tom Walker

SALT LAKE CITY–Liam O’Brien’s bloody fight sparks Utah’s 3-goal outburst in the first as teammates go on to win 4-2.

The Utah Hockey Club welcomed the St. Louis Blues to Delta Center on Saturday night for the sixth of seven games in the longest homestand of the season. Utah previously defeated their division rival 4-2 in St. Louis in November and entered the game trailing the Blues by five points in the Central Division standings.

Two minutes into the first period, Blues defenseman Tyler Tucker ripped a snap shot from near the faceoff circle for his second goal of the season, assisted by Oskar Sundqvist, to give St. Louis an early 1-0 lead. On the ensuing draw, Tucker dropped the gloves with Utah’s Liam O’Brien in a brutal exchange of fisticuffs which ultimately sent O’Brien to the locker room with blood streaming down his face as fans roared their approval.

At 5:15 of the frame, Zack Bolduc went to the sin bin for tripping against John Marino, giving Utah its first power play of the evening. Less than a minute later, defenseman Michael Kesselring netted his 5th of the season, assisted by Logan Cooley and Clayton Keller.

At 8:25, Utah grabbed the lead on Nick Schmaltz’s 9th goal of the season, assisted by Clayton and Marino. Just past the halfway point of the period, St. Louis was whistled for tripping Cooley at the net, but captain Clayton Keller lunged for a rebound and found the back of the net for his 15th of the season to nullify the penalty and give Utah a 3-1 lead heading into the locker room.

St. Louis opened the second period on the power play due to a holding penalty against Barrett Hayton near the end of the first. At 1:32 forward Jake Neighbours made it 3-2 with a power play goal, his 12th of the season, assisted by Dylan Holloway and Brayden Schenn. At 10:42, Logan Cooley recaptured the 2-goal lead with his 14th of the season and Keller picking up his third assist and fourth point of the night.

In the third, Utah exorcized the demons of previous late period collapses and goaltender Connor Ingram turned away the final nine shots from the Blues as Utah gained a rare home victory 4-2.

After the game, Utah captain Clayton Keller talked about his chemistry with Logan Cooley with whom he combined for seven points on the night. “I think we’re playing with a lot of speed. We’re starting to read off each other. I’ve said before, chemistry takes time and to get to know one another’s tendencies. We like to hang out. We’re chatting a lot. I’m doing everything I can to help him with how I like to play the game and how he likes to play the game. You know Schmaltzy [Nick Schmaltz] as well, I played with him for a long time as well. So it’s been good. We’ve had some success lately.” Asked about the team’s response to the early St. Louis goal, Keller said, “I think just our mindset. We’re positive. We have better body language from everyone. Coaches and all the way down. We had confidence and Ingy (Connor Ingram) made some unbelievable saves. OB (Liam O’Brien) had a great fight there. Kind of pumps us up after this and they score one. A lot of credit goes to him.”

Logan Cooley talked about how great it was to get the win. “Yeah, it’s awesome. There’s no better feeling than winning, and especially on home ice. These fans deserve it, and obviously it’s felt like it’s been a year since we had a win at home so it’s nice. I thought it was a great effort by everyone in here, a full 60 minutes. That’s how we need to play, especially against a team like that. It’s an important game. It’s basically a playoff game. So it’s unbelievable to get those two points.” With regard to Utah’s 3 goals in a 4:25 span in the first, Cooley said, “Yeah, it’s big. It allows you to feel good early on in the game. I feel like us as a line, we had a lot of touches early and that allows you to feel the puck more, and it kind of gives you more confidence to make plays. I thought our line was extremely good on both sides of the puck. We didn’t give them anything defensively, and I thought we were pretty good offensively, too, and generated a lot.”

Head coach André Tourigny was asked about the impact of O’Brien’s fight. “Every time he’s in the lineup, his energy, drive, physicality, predictability, and how he played makes me like his presence.” Tourigny also addressed the competitiveness of Cooley and Clayton Keller. “I said it many times about how competitive those two guys are. They’re never satisfied.” The coach continued, “Tonight, I liked a lot of guys on our team. I liked the fight. I liked Bjugy’s (Nick Bjugstad) line. I think they played big-boy hockey tonight. They were physical, and they had pace. They were the other huge presences in the game. I think our kill in the third period was elite as well. There’s a lot of guys who contributed to that game. I think Kesselring had a really good game. Johnny was maybe a little bit tired at the end of the game, but he was really good for us and made key plays at the end of the game. If you look throughout the lineup, there are a lot of positives. Ingy (Connor Ingram) making big saves was a key moment as well.”

Utah has a chance to earn a third victory on the homestand on Monday against the Winnipeg Jets, after which they will hit the road for a trio of games against Minnesota, Winnipeg, and Ottawa.