Tag: Utah Hockey Club

Utah HC Ices Flames 3-1 Kicking Off Final Regular Season Homestand Of Inaugural Season

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Utah Hockey Club center Kevin Stenlund (82) shoots and scores past Calgary Flames goalie Dustin Wolf (32) in the first period at the Delta Center on Tue Apr 1, 2025 (AP News photo)

By Tom Walker

SALT LAKE CITY–Goaltender Karel Vejmelka limited Calgary to one goal in his 18th consecutive start as Utah Hockey Club begins final regular season homestand with a win.

Nearly six months after kicking off their first season in Salt Lake City, the Utah Hockey Club hosted the Calgary Flames on Tuesday for the first of five games in the final regular season homestand of the year. Fans arrived to a Delta Center surrounded by trees popping with white blossoms heralding the arrival of Spring, even as the local mountains received a fresh blanket of April snow earlier in the day. Mathematically still engaged in the Wild Card hunt, Utah continues to treat every game as a playoff game. Tuesday night was no different as the Utah battled and defeated the visiting Flames 3-1.

Late in the first period, Utah forward Kevin Stenlund broke the scoreless tie with a snap shot past Calgary netminder Dustin Wolf, his 12th goal of the season, assisted by Alexander Kerfoot and Ian Cole. Karel Vejmelka, starting his 18th consecutive game in goal, turned away all 12 Flames shots in the frame.

At 2:25 of the second period, Barrett Hayton put Utah up 2-0 with a backhand shot, his 18th of the season, assisted by Sean Durzi and Nick Schmaltz. Later in the period, Flames defenseman Rasmus Andersson cut the lead in half with an unassisted goal, his 11th of the season.

Karel Vejmelka stood tall in net, stopping 32 of 33 shots, and his teammates sacrificed their bodies to hold off Calgary’s attempt to send the game into overtime late in the third. With 18 seconds remaining, Utah captain Clayton Keller sealed the victory scoring into an empty net for his 25th of the season, assisted by Logal Cooley and Dylan Guenther who returned to the ice after receiving stitches for a puck to the face.

In the locker room, Forward Barrett Hayton was asked about the most important component of tonight’s game. “I think sticking with it. Obviously this is a playoff game for both teams.. you knew it was gonna be a war till the end. Their last seven games have been unreal… a lot of comeback wins in that so we knew we had to have that urgency the whole time and stick with it.” Talking about Vejmelka, Hayton remarked, “It’s just a lot of fun to play in front of him. He’s a competitor, he loves doing it. It’s a lot of confidence in a guy like that, and you see it every day. We know he kicks, but still, he makes some saves out there that are just crazy.”

Vejmelka also addressed the media. “It’s fun to play every night in front of our home crowd. They give us some special energy and it’s kind of cool to play, especially in those kinds of games where we are still in the hunt, so we need every point. It was fun.” How does he feel physically after starting 18 consecutive games? “Actually, pretty normal. I don’t really feel like I played that long. It’s fun to play and I’m playing better and better, which is great. It’s fun to play those kinds of games. I like to play under pressure, so it’s part of it, and I really enjoyed it.” When asked what he has learned about himself during that stretch, Veggie responded, “I don’t really think about it. I don’t really overthink because it doesn’t help you. I just try to focus on another game, another shift, and another shot. That’s kind of the mindset that I’ve had and we just need to keep going and keep rolling and play a style of hockey where we block shots. Being resilient is huge for us.”

Head coach André Tourigny began his post-game briefing by saying, “First, great game by Vej. I think he was elite with that key moment. I think the first two periods we were really stingy defensively, we had a lot of chances as well offensively. We could have closed the game, separated ourselves. We didn’t, but we stayed with it. In the third, I liked our mindset in terms of urgency defensively… I think we backed up a little bit too much, but other than that, I think we found a way, we had big kills as well, so that’s what I think.” Tourigny elaborated on the play of Vejmelka. “Vej in the past has been known for.. when he gets tired… he had kind of a difficult time, and that was important for us to go through them and learn to battle through. Like I said this morning, at some point, if we’re in a 15, 16, 20, 24 game run in the playoffs, he needs to be able to sustain, and it’s not easy, it’s tough. It’s tough mentally and physically, and what he’s going through now will help when that will happen because he will have been through it. He will have a situation and will say, okay, I’ve been through that and I learned from it, so I think it’s good for him to go through that. As a goalie, there’s a different vibe when, okay, I had a bad game, that’s over, now I need to be good tonight. And that’s exactly what happens when you’re in the playoffs.. you can lose eight nothing yesterday.. doesn’t matter next game. You need to be ready and move on, and so I think that stretch will make him go through it and learn from it, so I think it’s good for him.

With regard to the Wild Card race, Tourigny continued, “The point is, we’ll never quit. That’s what you want to raise, that’s what you want to be as a team… a team who will never quit. There’s no quitting in that room. There’s no quitting in those players. There’s only one thing we want to do, and we want to pursue our objective. We won’t quit until they pull the plug, and if they do, it is what it is… but we won’t give them any reason to do it. We have a bunch of players who are so competitive and they’re so proud to play in that season, the way we’ve been supported by the fans and we’re so fortunate, so I think we want to give it back.”

Utah remains 8 points back of the final Wild Card slot with 7 games to go. The Los Angeles Kings arrive on Thursday night for the second game of the homestand.

Detroit has Utah HC Seeing Red In 5-1 Thrashing

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Utah Hockey Club goaltender Karel Vejmelka (70) had a rough night against the Detroit Red Wings faced 13 shots, saved nine and allowed four goals at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Mon Mar 24, 2025 (AP News photo)

By Tom Walker

SALT LAKE CITY–Utah finishes homestand on a losing note as Red Wings score five unanswered goals in a 5-1 win at the Delta Center.

Heading into Monday night’s contest against the Detroit Red Wings, the Utah Hockey Club had won seven of their last nine home games in an effort to keep their playoff hopes alive. Each team entered the matchup with 32 wins on the season, with Utah holding an edge in points thanks to 11 overtime or shootout losses versus 6 for the Wings who are also in the Wild Card hunt in the Eastern Conference.

The first period started off bright for the home team when Tyler Motte was whistled for tripping against Kevin Stenlund, giving Utah an early power play opportunity. Captain Clayton Keller fired a perfect pass to Dylan Guenther who one-timed a slap shot past Detroit goaltender Alex Lyon for his 26th goal of the season and a 1-0 Utah lead.

A little more than a minute later, however, Utah defenseman Sean Durzi lost the puck in the offensive zone and Vladimir Tarasenko was off to the races, feeding linemate Elmer Soderblom who put the puck past Karel Vejmelka for his 4th goal of the season to tie things up.

Early in the second period, Red Wings forward Marco Kasper banked the puck off of Utah’s Lawson Crouse in front of the net for a fluke goal, his 14th of the season, giving Detroit a 2-1 lead. The two squads would exchange power play opportunities during the period but the two netminders held off any further scoring.

At 9:51 of the third period, Detroit would collect its second fluke goal of the game when a shot toward the net from the blue line by Simon Edvinsson would deflect off the stick of Austin Watson at the top of the faceoff circle and fly just over the left shoulder of Karel Vejmelka into the top corner of the net to make it 3-1.

For Watson it was his first goal of the season in his fourth game as a Red Wing. With the clock winding down to the final few minutes, Utah pulled Vejmelka for an extra attacker, but Detroit was able to capitalize as Alex DeBrinkat put the game out of reach for good with his 33rd goal of the season into the empty net, assisted by Patrick Kane.

Adding insult to injury, with 88 seconds left on the clock, Tyler Motte picked up a rebound from a shot by Craig Smith to notch his 3rd goal of the season and finish off Utah 5-1.

In the locker room after the game, Utah defenseman Ian Cole weighed in on the game. “I think overall, it was a decent game, but ultimately, regardless of what the balance is, we lost the game. There’s a lot of turning points that we could talk about over the course of that game, but overall, we didn’t get the job done.” With regard to the challenge of making the playoffs, Cole continued, “Nothing’s easy, right? You need a lot of good force on your side. You need calls on your side, you need to take advantage of opportunities, and you need to play really, really good hockey. You need kind of a perfect storm to get into the playoffs and then have success when you’re in the playoffs. You need all those things going for you. Tonight some of those things did not go for us, but we’re right back at it against a great team in Tampa in a couple days. We’ll have to look at the video and figure out what went wrong and what we could have done better, and then fix that and move on.”

Captain Clayton Keller also faced the media. “We had a good start. We had a lot of possessions, some shots early, but I don’t think we did a good enough job of getting to the inside, hitting those rebounds … power plays got to be better. We had a good start there, but we have to find a way to get another one there. So that’s definitely frustrating as well. … There’s never going to be any quit in this room ever. We’re going to fight all the way until the end. We’re going to try to win every single game from here on out. Never know what can happen. We’re going to stay motivated, learn from this game, (and) attack this next road trip. We go 3-0, you never know what will happen.”

Utah Head coach André Tourigny began his media room comments by saying, “I think we got a little bit unlucky on our goal against. The puck was bouncing a lot tonight. It was tough to execute. I would have loved to simplify a little bit, go more at the net, and (be a little) bit more dirty. I thought we had a good start. But we could have simplified a little more in our shooting mentality in trying to make plays. Like I said, at the end of the day we got unlucky.” When asked what adjustments he would have liked to have seen, Tourigny commented, “More (of a) shooting mentality, more shots on net, more broken plays. Give them credit; they played well defensively, which we did as well. We gave up five shots after two (periods). We kept them on the outside pretty good. The way we played defensively was alright. Offensively, I think we could have simplified. … I have no problem with the way we played in terms of intensity, battle, those kinds of (things). I don’t have much to say. I’m trying to be creative here. We didn’t execute right offensively and we tried to do too much. We should have gone to the net and had some scrappy goals and we didn’t.”

Utah now hits the road for a trio of games against Tampa Bay, Florida, and Chicago before returning to Delta Center on April 1 against Calgary for the first of five games on the final homestand of the inaugural season.

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.

Dylan Guenther’s 9th Game-Winning Goal Rattles Sabres In 5-2 Utah HC Victory

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Utah Hockey Club’s Dylan Guenther (11) celebrates a third period goal against the Anaheim Ducks on Wed Mar 12, 2025 at the Delta Center. On Thu Mar 20, 2025 Guenther scored the go ahead goal against the Buffalo Sabres at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City (AP file photo)

By Tom Walker

SALT LAKE CITY–Buffalo unraveled late in the third period, scoring their own goal for Utah on a delayed penalty to seal the Utah Hockey Club’s 5-2 sixth home win in the past eight contests.

The Utah Hockey Club returned to home ice on Thursday night after a three-game road trip where they won against Wild Card contender Vancouver but lost to Seattle and Edmonton.

Logan Cooley gave Utah the first lead of the game at 17:27 of the first period on a snap shot which got past Buffalo netminder James Reimer, his 19th goal of the season, assisted by Nick Schmaltz and Clayton Keller. With 11 seconds remaining in the opening frame, Sabres forward JJ Peterka beat Karel Vejmelka on the power play to tie things up, assisted by Jason Zucker and Tage Thompson.

Utah would regain the lead at 11:50 of the second period as defenseman Mikhail Sergachev fired a shot from the blue line which flew through traffic for his career high 12th goal of the season, assisted by Jack McBain.

Early in the third period Buffalo would tie the score again on an unassisted short-handed breakaway goal by Ryan McLeod. Utah forward Dylan Guenther recovered a rebound in front of the Sabres net at 14:13 of the period and scored his 25th of the season on a wrist shot for what would become his ninth game-winning goal of the season, assisted by Barrett Hayton and Michael Carcone.

With just over a minute remaining in the game, Utah forward Kevin Stenlund was whistled for high-sticking against Bowen Byram. As play continued with Buffalo still controlling the puck, Tage Thompson missed the stick of Rasmus Dahlin on an attempted pass which banked off the dasher boards and straight into the empty Sabres net to give Utah a 4-2 lead.

Stenlund, the last Utah player to touch the puck before the penalty, was credited with his 11th goal of the season. With James Reimer still sitting on the Buffalo bench, Mikhail Sergachev launched a shot the full length of the ice to make what had been a tight game a 5-2 blowout. The goal added to Sergachev’s career high for his 13th of the season, assisted by winning goaltender Karel Vejmelka, his first assist on the year.

In the locker room, Sergachev talked about the final moments of the game. “Obviously, that was lucky. To get those lucky bounces, you gotta work hard, and I think that stretch in the third, we worked hard and had a lot of chances to score. We didn’t score, and we got those two, so I guess we’ll take them.” With regard to Vejmelka making a career high 12th consecutive start, Sergachev added, “He’s our guy. He’s there when we need him. It showed tonight. He’s unbelievable.”

Dylan Guenther talked about the importance of Thursday night’s bounce back win following the previous game’s drubbing against the Oilers. “It gets a little bit of our confidence back. That was a tough ending [in Edmonton], and it’s just one game that’s kind of the beauty of it. We have to play a lot, but we just had to make sure that we got back on track. It was a step in that direction.” With regard to his ninth game-winner, Guenther commented, “That’s pretty cool, maybe a bit of a coincidence too, just getting lucky on some of them. Those are the times of the game that you want to play in. Those are the fun times. So, it’s nice to be recognized.”

Head coach André Tourigny also talked about his team’s response to the loss in Edmonton. “We talked briefly about it as a team. It’s what happened and let’s learn from it. We moved on and I think in our situation, it’s easier because the game tonight was huge. That was a really important game for us with the scores everywhere around the league on top of it. We didn’t know that before, but we know that the team we’re fighting to win, they’re fighting too. They want to win their game, so we need to keep getting points. There are a lot of games left, there’s a lot of hockey left, and we need to be consistent and win on a regular basis.” Speaking of how the club is fighting to make the playoffs, Tourigny said, “There’s no doubt about it. For me, I think we had it all year long, and we had moments where we talked about how much pressure we’re putting on ourselves and how tough it was to manage it. All season long we’re really demanding ourselves, we believe in ourselves, and we know we can achieve great things. We talk about the process of a young team to live with that expectation and that pressure and so on and so forth. It’s a lot of learning. It’s learning on steroids, and we need to keep going and keep doing our job at that point and stay in the hunt. We need to wear opponents down and that’s the way it will be. Every point is important.”

Utah returns to action on Saturday at home for a 3:00pm afternoon game against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Earlier in the day, Utah Hockey Club issued the following press release with the headline, “Smith Entertainment Group Offers $1 Subscription to UtahHC+ as Utah Hockey Club Seeks Inaugural Season Playoff Spot.”

Thursday, Smith Entertainment Group introduced a limited-time, $1 subscription option for UtahHC+ – the official streaming service of Utah Hockey Club – that includes the ability to stream all of the team’s remaining 14 regular season games and any games Utah would play during the first round of the NHL’s Stanley Cup playoffs, if they qualify. The offer is open to fans across Utah, along with six neighboring states, inviting them to tune in and support Utah Hockey Club as they continue their push for the playoffs during a historic inaugural season. Utah is currently four points out from securing a wild card position in the NHL Western Conference and would be the 13th franchise to qualify for the playoffs in their first year in the NHL.

Fans can secure the $1 “Push for the Playoffs” UtahHC+ subscription offer now through March 31 at 11:59 P.M. MT by visiting http://www.segplus.com. In addition to live games, the subscription includes access to video-on-demand (VOD) content, game replays, game-specific alternative broadcasts, and other engaging behind-the-scenes content. Users who take advantage of this limited-time $1 offer will have access to the platform from the date of subscribing until May 14, 2025.

Utah’s remaining regular season NHL games conclude on April 15 against the St. Louis Blues. The NHL’s Stanley Cup playoffs are expected to begin in the second half of April, with a full schedule of games available in the coming weeks. .”

More than 16.8 million plus hockey fans can subscribe to UtahHC+ including all 3.5 million Utahns, as well as those living in Arizona, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, Wyoming, and parts of Nevada.

Fans can learn more about subscription availability and sign up for the promotional offering by visiting http://www.segplus.com.

Mikhail Sergachev Scores 300th Career Point in 3-2 Utah HC Victory over Anaheim

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Utah Hockey Club defenseman Mikhail Sergachev (98) and Anaheim Ducks left wing Cutter Gauthier (61) battle for the puck in the first period at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Wed Mar 12, 2025 (AP News photo)

By Tom Walker

SALT LAKE CITY–Utah Defenseman Mikhail Sergachev fed Dylan Guenther the game-winning goal in the third period for his 300th career point en route to defeating the Ducks on home ice.

The Utah Hockey Club welcomed the Anaheim Ducks to Delta Center on Wednesday night for the third and final meeting between the clubs this season. Anaheim prevailed 5-4 during both previous encounters which ended in overtime and a shootout. Utah entered the game 4 points of Anaheim in the Wild Card hunt.

At 11:03 of the first period, Utah forward Jack McBain tipped in a blast from Ian Cole for his 12th goal of the season with the additional assist by Josh Doan. Anaheim backup goaltender Ville Husso turned away 16 of 17 shots in a lopsided frame wherein the Ducks unsuccessfully challenged Karel Vejmelka with 8 shots on goal.

Alexander Kerfoot put Utah up 2-0 at 14:31 of the second period on a snap shot for his 8th of the season, assisted by Dylan Guenther and Barrett Hayton. Less than two minutes later the Ducks got one back on a goal from forward Alex Killorn, his 14th of the season, assisted by Leo Carlsson and Cutter Gauthier.

Early in the third period, Mikhail Sergachev went to the box for hooking against Mason McTavish who would immediately cash it in and tie the score on the power play for his 18th goal of the season, assisted by Trevor Zegras and Jackson LaCombe. A few minutes later, with Olen Zellweger in the sin bin for hooking against Josh Doan, Sergachev would redeem himself assisting on a slap shot by Dylan Guenther which put Utah up for good 3-2 as Karel Vejmelka locked down the Utah net the rest of the way. Guenther’s goal was his 24th of the season and his 8th game-winner. The assist gave Sergachev 300 points in his NHL career, the last 43 of which coming in his debut season with Utah.

In the locker room, Utah forward Barrett Hayton talked about tonight’s win. “Definitely a huge win, huge home stand. Obviously, it would have been really nice to get all four points, but the way we were able to fight back in that Toronto game and get a point, it’s huge for us. Same thing tonight, it was a grind. They were playing tight, they’re a dangerous team, and it was obviously a fight to the end there. But [Vejmelka] was kicking the guys who were doing a good job in front of them. Great three points.” Utah had 3rd period leads in each of their prior games against Anaheim which were lost in overtime. When asked about maintaining focus to hold on to tonight’s one-goal lead in the third, Hayton said, “It’s just about keeping poise in our game. Obviously, I think probably in the last couple of weeks, we’ve done a pretty good job with that once we’ve gotten a lead and not sitting back. That’s something that can kill you when you’re in these games. If you sit back and let them come and play with pace on you, it’s just not a not a good game plan. So I think we’ve done a good job of playing with poise, making plays, playing smart, but still playing with pace. … It all starts with preparation. I think all the guys in here are professionals and take their preparation really seriously. It’s kind of just a mental thing, knowing you need to start with pace and play direct, especially early on in games as you’re getting into the game, you don’t want to play too fancy or too risky. You want to get into the game, get on them, and allow that flow to build before you make those plays that might be a little more high risk.”

Dylan Guenther also talked about protecting the late lead. “We’re getting a little bit better at those situations every game. I don’t think we played our best game today, but we found a way to win, and we managed the puck pretty well at the end of the game.” On his game-winning power play goal, Guenther remarked, “When I saw [Anaheim] was low, I wanted [Keller] to go up to [Sergachev], and then he gave it over to me. So, it was just good recognition. I feel like we’ve gotten pretty good chemistry as we’ve continued to play together.”

Head coach André Tourigny opened his briefing by saying, “What I take from that game is the way we played in the third, how we protected the lead, the sacrifices our guys (made), the way they were engaged and disciplined, the resilience we had. That was great to see.” Talking about Guenther’s late-game, Tourigny commented, “A lot of confidence (in Guenther)…I’m more happy about the shot he blocked when the game was on the line than his goal–in the sense that that’s a choice you make. Scoring a goal is a pretty easy choice when you have the opportunity. But when you decide to put your body on the line and sacrifice yourself for the team and do that for your brothers, I think that’s huge.” His comment about brothers prompted one reporter to ask about the family mindset on the team, to which Bear responded, “I think it’s a strength of our organization. For a few years now, the togetherness and brotherhood we have; it’s special. I think the guys care so much about each other. Sometimes when you care about someone, you try to do too much. I think, in general, our team is really close. They love each other, they fight for each other, they’re together and everything.”

With Connor Ingram out of the lineup, Tourigny was asked how he plans to manage Vejmelka’s time in net during the final month of the regular season. “We will do one game at a time. For us it’s playoff time. We need to make sure we manage a lot of practice time. You need to practice to keep the skill level at a high level, but you can have shorter practice, you can do half of a practice or not taking shots after the morning skate, those kinds of things to make sure we keep the workload lower so it’s not as much the number of times he will go on the ice, it’s more the length.”

Utah’s win places the club just two points out of a Wild Card spot as they embark upon a 3-game road trip to Seattle, Vancouver, and Edmonton before returning March 20 against the Buffalo Sabres.

Utah HC Fights Back From 3-0 Deficit But Falls To Toronto 4-3 In Shootout

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Toronto Maple Leafs left winger Mitch Marner (16) scores on Utah Hockey Club goaltender Karel Vejmelka (70) during the shootout period at Delta Center in Salt Lake City Mon Mar 10, 2025 (AP News photo)

By Tom Walker

SALT LAKE CITY–Carcone, Schmaltz, and Hayton each lit the lamp in the second period to tie the score at 3-3, but Maple Leafs goaltender Joseph Woll outdueled Karel Vejmelka in the shootout to give Toronto the 4-3 win at the Delta Center.

The Utah Hockey Club returned home Monday night after splitting a two-game road trip where they defeated the Detroit Red Wings and lost in overtime to the Chicago Blackhawks. The NHL trade deadline came and went during their absence without any significant trades being made, however several pending free agents signed contract extensions: defenseman Ian Cole and forward Alex Kerfoot for one year, defenseman Olli Määttä for three years, and the current #1 goaltender Karel Vejmelka for five years. On Sunday, Utah announced that Vejmelka’s netminding counterpart, Connor Ingram, had re-entered the NHL/NHLPA player assistance program and will be unavailable for the foreseeable future.

With Josh Doan in the penalty box for tripping against William Nylander, Toronto struck first at 12:42 of the opening frame when a snap shot by Nylander deflected off the stick of Utah defenseman Mikhail Sergachev and into the top right corner of the net.

Nylander’s 36th goal of the season was assisted by Mitch Marner and Matthew Knies. As the period wound down, Ian Cole went to the sin bin for high-sticking against Bobby McMann and with 22 seconds remaining Calle Jarnkrok gave the Maple Leafs a 2-0 lead with their second power play goal of the night, Jarnkrok’s first of the season, assisted by Max Domi and Morgan Rielly.

At 4:48 of the second period, Toronto defenseman Simon Benoit ripped a shot from the blue line which found the back of the net for his first goal of the season, assisted by David Kampf and Pontus Holmberg, to give the Maple Leafs a 3-0 lead.

When play resumed, Benoit and Kesselring dropped the gloves with the Utah defender hoping to fire up his team. It worked. Over the next seven minutes and 23 seconds Utah would come all the way back from their early hole.

Forward Michael Carcone got things going for the home team at 8:14 with his sixth goal of the season, tipping in a sweet pass from Josh Doan in front of the net with the additional assist going to Jack McBain. 49 seconds later, forward Nick Schmaltz would tip in a perfect pass from Olli Määttä for his 15th of the season, with the additional assist by captain Clayton Keller.

Just past the halfway mark of the period, Benoit went to the box again for tripping against McBain, setting the table for Utah forward Barrett Hayton to even the score 3-3 on the power play with his 17th of the season, a deflected shot by Mikhail Sergachev at the blue line, with Dylan Guenther picking up the additional assist.

Joseph Woll and Karel Vejmelka each held their opponents at bay for the remainder of the second period and all of the third period and overtime. Austen Matthews gave Toronto the first lead of the shootout, but Clayton Keller immediately evened things up with a backhand shot. Mitch Marner put the game away for the Maple Leafs with a wrist shot to give his squad the victory.

In the locker room, Utah defenseman Michael Kesselring talked about the second period comeback. “Honestly, we’re a resilient group. We fought back against a really, really good team. I thought we outplayed them. We deserved a little bit better, so it was a good effort, and we should build on that.”

What did the team do differently after the first period? “I think we played low/high more and got more pucks to the net. I know it’s a cliche, but we just kind of grind them down a little bit. Obviously, their top players are really high end, so you have to try to make them defend, so they have to change when they go up the ice. I thought we did a pretty good job of that.”

Captain Clayton Keller also addressed the second period surge. “Even early on in the game, we felt good about our game. They got two power play goals and I think as the game went on, we got better. Our guys stepped up in big moments and [Kesselring] got us going there with the fight which was awesome for us and really elevated us. We scored two quick goals and it sucks to not get the two points tonight, but everyone dug in tonight. We stayed together no matter what was going on. It was a lot of back and forth, just a lot going on. I’m proud of the guys the way we fought until the end.”

Head coach André Tourigny began his post-game comments by remarking, “That was a hell of a character game for us. The way things unfold, I’m really proud of the way the guys fought back, the resiliency, and all of that. I talked this morning about us being hard on the inside and winning battles and I think we were really disciplined in our approach and playing against their tough players. I’m really proud of the efforts.” Tourigny was particularly pleased with the momentum shift from Kesselring’s fight. “Unreal. We talked in the beginning of the season on our team managing the game and learning. That moment of the game, the emotion of the situation, their third goal, the fight, and the way the guys were talking on the bench, they had the right message on discipline and being resilient and staying engaged and staying with it. It was unreal. That’s kudos to the guys. They were unbelievable and we know how important it is. We need points and stuff like that and there’s a level of frustration we didn’t get, but there’s a huge level of pride on the character we showed and how we managed our emotions and how we managed the game in those tough situations. … The whole day for me is positive. We’re missing one point and that’s the only thing we can complain about. The rest is unreal. That’s a good team. On five-on-five, we probably doubled them in scoring chances and we came back from a three goal deficit. We fought, we hit, and we fed on the energy of our crowd. That’s a great day.”

Utah Hockey Club will play host to the Anaheim Ducks on Wednesday and then hit the road for three games against Seattle, Vancouver, and Edmonton before returning March 20 against the Buffalo Sabres.

NHL podcast with Len Shapiro Fri Mar 7, 2025: Utah’s Veimelka 31 saves shutout Red Wings 3-0; Bjorkstrand scores game winner for Bolts 6-5 win over Sabres; plus more news

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Utah Hockey Club goaltender Karel Veimelka saved 31 shots for a 3-0 shutout against the Detroit Red Wings at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit on Thu May 6, 2025 (AP file photo)

NHL podcast with Len Shapiro Fri Mar 7, 2025

Len before we start just a quick run down about the NHL trade deadline and the Washington Capitals Alexander Ovechkin’s run at the all time goal scoring record.

#1  Karel Veimelka stopped 31 shots for the Utah Hockey Club and Utah scored three unanswered goals against the Detroit Red Wings for a 4-2 win at Little Caesars Arena Thursday night in Detroit. Vejmelka just signed a five year extension before the game for Utah.

#2 Jake Guentzel had a big night for the Tampa Bay Lightning picking up a hat trick that helped the Bolts edge the visiting Buffalo Sabres at Amailie Arena on Thursday night 6-5. Oliver Bjorkstrand ended a 5-5 tie in the third period in his Tampa Bay debut with a goal. Goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy made 28 saves.

#3 Florida Panthers Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 16 shots as the Florida Panthers picked up their fifth straight game in a shutout over the Columbus Blue Jackets 3-0 at Amerant Bank Arena Thursday night. Bobrovsky picked up his 433rd career win which tied goaltender great Tony Esposito for the tenth spot on the NHL all time list.

#4 Winnipeg Jets Mark Scheifele scored a goal and had two assists as the Jets got a convincing 4-1 win over Philadelphia Flyers at the Wells Fargo Center on Thursday night. Gabriel Vilardi picked up three assists teammate Kyle Connor scored a goal and got an assist. The Jets snapped a three game losing streak with the win.

#5  Carolina Hurricanes Seth Jarvis scored a key goal with 19 seconds left in regulation to get the Canes a 3-2 win against the visiting Boston Bruins at Lenovo Center in Raleigh on Thursday night. Jarvis scored his goal from the short side at the left hash marks after defenseman Nikita Zadrorov broke his stick in an attempt to clear the puck in the right circle.

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

Utah HC Bedeviled As Swiss Snipers Snap Streak In 3-1 Loss

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Utah Hockey Club’s defenseman Mikhail Segachev scored Utah’s only goal against the New Jersey Devils at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Sat Mar 1, 2025 (AP News photo)

By Tom Walker

SALT LAKE CITY–Swiss Forwards Nico Hischier and Timo Meier solve Karel Vejmelka in 3-1 New Jersey Devils win over Utah HC, snapping Utah’s four-game home win streak.

The Utah Hockey Club looked to extend their 4-game home winning streak on Saturday against the visiting Devils who in October gave Utah their first road loss of the season in a 3-0 shutout in New Jersey.

Nico Hischier was first to strike in the game, putting New Jersey up 1-0 in the first with his 25th goal of the season, assisted by Luke Hughes and Tomas Tatar. The Devils edged Utah 9-7 in shots on goal for the period, a deceptive statistic considering how much time New Jersey spent in their offensive zone. Utah netminder Karel Vejmelka, who entered the matchup on a personal four-game winning streak, turned away two Grade A breakaways in the frame to limit the Devils to a single goal.

At 10:03 of the second period, Mikhail Sergachev tied things up with his 11th goal of the season, a new career season high for the Russian defenseman, assisted by Liam O’Brien and Kevin Stenlund. When the PA announcer called out the players who scored, the loudest shouts came for fan-favorite O’Brien who recorded just his 2nd point of the season in his 22nd game. Earlier in the first he fired up the crowd fighting New Jersey’s Brenden Dillon.

Just 14 seconds into the third period, Devils forward Timo Meier found the back of the net for his 16th goal of the season, assisted by Dawson Mercer and Johnathan Kovacevic. New Jersey’s offense continued to be relentless throughout the period, further padding their lead at 12:44 of the third on the second goal of the season by Curtis Lazar, assisted by Jack Hughes and Nathan Bastian. Devils goalie Nico Daws was brilliant in net, saving 24 of 25 shots for the win which ended streaks for Utah at home and Vejmelka overall.

After the game, Liam O’Brien spoke with the media about his assist on Sergachev’s goal. “Yeah, I mean, just Sergy getting into a good spot, and he’s got such a dangerous shot, so when you get him the puck, it’s gonna go in the net.” Talking about any adjustments the squad might make heading into the road trip, O’Brien said, “I think the biggest thing is just rest. I think it’s been kind of a grind since break. I think just doing the right things away from the rink, and taking care of our bodies and getting ready to roll on the road.” With regard to his fight, O’Brien added, “Just wanting to get the momentum, that’s it.”

Mikhail Sergachev commented on O’Brien’s assist. “Well, hell of a pass by Tuna. I was in the slot, so I had to shoot it. It was a knuckleball. Nothing special.” With regard to his new career high in goals, Sergachev added, “Obviously I want to score as many as possible, but it’s all about winning for me. If I can contribute scoring goals, great. If not, I’ll play defense. I’m not chasing goals.” Speaking of Vejmelka’s performance in goal, Sergachev said, “He’s been unreal all season long. He’s been a rock back there for us and an unbelievable goalie. Obviously it gives you confidence to play when you have a great goalie back there. He makes timeless saves for us.”

Head coach André Tourigny offered his takeaways from the game. “The first takeaway is that’s a really good team on the other side, and they played a really good game. They played with a really high pace and credit to them. Having that said, I think when you are in those kinds of games, you need to rise to the occasion. I think our level of focus and detail on what we knew they would do was not high enough. I think we went into that game wanting to play our game, which is fine, but you need to also know exactly the details of how you need to play against each opponent. I didn’t like our level of focus on those.” Tourigny also had praise for his netminder. “At key moments, he was great. In the first period, I think we were in deep water and he made key saves. He kept us there and allowed us to come back and tie the game. It’s a really good team. It’s a tight game. I’m not forgetting the fact we’re five games in eight days, and we’re at the end of it. It’ll be a welcome break for us to regroup, recover. But at the same time, in life you win or you learn, and it’s important. We had a few learning lessons in that game, and we cannot pass by.”

Utah now hits the road for a pair of games in Detroit and Chicago before returning March 10 against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Utah HC Runs Wild Over Minnesota In 6-1 Outburst

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Utah Hockey Club center Jack McBain (22) mixes it up with Minnesota Wild defenseman Jack Middleton (5) in the first period at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Thu Feb 27, 2025 (AP News photo)

By Tom Walker

SALT LAKE CITY–Clayton Keller registers Utah franchise record 5 points and nine different players made the score sheet in commanding victory over Minnesota Wild for fourth straight home win.

The Utah Hockey Club concluded their February home schedule with a bang on Thursday night, exploding with 6 goals in regulation for the first time this season against Marc-Andre Fleury and the Wild, winning the season series against Minnesota with a 3-0-1 record.  The victory gave Utah a 4-1 home record for the month during which they outscored their opponents 14-7.

Just over 3 minutes into the first period, Wild defenseman Declan Chisholm went to the penalty box for holding against Clayton Keller.  Utah forward Barrett Hayton promptly cashed it in for his 16th goal of the season, assisted by Keller and Mikhail Sergachev.  Shortly after dropping the puck, Jack McBain and Jake Middleton dropped their gloves for a spirited bout which brought the Delta Center faithful to their feet roaring with approval.  With less than a minute remaining in the period, Minnesota defenseman Jonas Brodin went to the sin bin for hooking against Nick Schmaltz, and Marcus Foligno joined him 3 seconds later with a double minor penalty for high-sticking against Nick Schmaltz who left behind a pool of blood on the ice.  The Wild didn’t have a chance against Utah’s 5-on-3 power play as Dylan Guenther scored his 22nd goal of the season on a slap shot, assisted by Keller and Hayton, giving the home squad a 2-0 lead heading into the locker room.

At 16:02 of the second period, Minnesota forward Frederick Gaudreau cut the lead in half with a snap shot for his 12th goal of the season, assisted by Matt Boldy, but Utah defenseman Sean Durzi, who returned to the ice last Sunday after a 52-game absence, restored Utah’s lead with his first goal of the season, assisted by Josh Doan and Olli Määttä.

In the third period, Utah turned on the afterburners to deny the Wild any chance at a comeback while making Marc-Andre Fleury’s life miserable.  At 3:47 of the period, forward Nick Schmaltz put Utah up 4-1 with his 12th goal of the season, assisted by Logan Cooley and Keller.  At 9:30, Keller netted his 22nd of the season, assisted by Schmaltz and Sergachev.  Finally, putting an exclamation point on Utah’s dominant performance, Cooley scored his 17th of the season, assisted by Keller – his 47th helper overall and 4th on the night – and Schmaltz.

Earning the victory, Karel Vejmelka stopped 15 of 16 shots for his 4th consecutive win, allowing just 5 goals over that span.

In the locker room, Sean Durzi talked about the team’s defense finally being healthy again.  “It’s a lot of good depth. We got six guys going right now, we got guys who aren’t playing who can do just as good. It’s so important to have that, but it’s our energy we’re bringing. Guys are rooting for each other, breakouts are huge. Just small plays that take a little bit of poise. We’re making that extra play that is allowing our forwards to get speed, and then guys like (Clayton Keller) and (Logan Cooley) to show their skill, and it shows. We do our best we can, but to have six defensemen going with good energy, shift after shift, is so important.”

Captain Clayton Keller spoke of his team’s effort on a night where he set a franchise record with 5 points.  “I think ever since the break, even the game against (Los Angeles), we’ve just had a different feel in our game. We’ve had more confidence, we’re playing for each other, we’re playing the right way, and this is the time of year that you want to do that. So we’ll enjoy this for a couple minutes and turn the page and be ready for the next one here. … Like I said, I think we’re playing with a lot of confidence, even the games where they were tight, and 2-1 we still liked our looks. Like you said, we just had some poise, some confidence with the puck and (we) got to keep it going.” When asked about the team’s recent success at home, Keller commented, “It’s great. We struggled there for a little bit at home. I liked how we bounced back. And, like I said, we’re playing with a lot of confidence right now. Just got to keep it going. Every game is so important. It’s an exciting time of year. This is when you want to play your best, and this is what you put all the extra work in for.”

Head coach André Tourigny addressed his team’s depth, with six different players finding the back of the net on Thursday night.  “It’s really important. The way we played that game was shift after shift. Everybody was connected; everybody was engaged. They were resilient. When (Minnesota) pushed, I never felt we were shaky in any shape or form.” When asked about playing with a multi-goal lead in the final period, Tourigny said, “It’s weird. I think we were consistent in the way we played. When we went up 3-1, 4-1, we did not change. We did not start to play differently or start to peel back. We stayed engaged and we stayed in the moment. We just kept going.”

Utah, which finds itself just 2 points out of a Wild Card spot, has a chance to complete a perfect homestand on Saturday night when they host the New Jersey Devils. 

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.