WHEN: 8:00 p.m. MT
WHERE: Delta Center - Salt Lake City, Utah
TV: TNT, truTV, Max(HBO) | RADIO: KSL Sports Zone 97.5 FM, NHL App
The Utah Hockey Club (17-14-7) ignites a season-long seven-game homestand tonight against the defending Stanley Cup Champion Florida Panthers (24-15-2) in a nationally televised showdown. Utah has earned points in each of its last two games and is currently four points out of the second wild card spot in the Western Conference, currently held by the Calgary Flames. Tonight is the first-ever meeting between Utah and Florida, and Utah holds an 8-5-0 record against Eastern Conference teams.
ONE-TIMERS
- Utah is 2-0-0 in nationally televised games (Oct. 8 vs. Chicago 5-2, Dec. 18 vs. Vancouver 3-2 in overtime)
- Lawson Crouse (2015 - 15th overall), Nick Bjugstad (2010 - 19th overall), and Vladislav Kolyachonok (52nd overall) were all drafted by Florida.
- Utah has outscored its opponents 12-4 on the power play over the last 13 games.
- Utah will face Florida, San Jose, New York Islanders, Montreal, New York Rangers, St. Louis, and Winnipeg during the seven-game homestand.
- Ian Cole ranks third in the NHL with 110 blocked shots.
TONIGHT’S MATCHUP
The Panthers have not shown many signs of a Stanley Cup hangover, and Florida remains one of the league’s top teams in 2024-25. Head coach Paul Maurice’s squad sits second in the Atlantic Division with 50 points, but the Panthers have won just two of their last six games.
While the Panthers are a top-10 offense with 3.24 goals per game, scoring has been an issue recently for Florida as the team has just five total goals across its last three contests. Sam Reinhart, Matthew Tkachuk, Aleksander Barkov, Carter Vergaeghe, Sam Bennett, and Evan Rodrigues represent six of Florida’s top eight scorers and some of the best forwards in the Eastern Conference, but those six players have produced only four non-empty-net goals in the last eight games. Nonetheless, the Panthers have difference-makers up and down their lineup. 14 players recorded multiple Stanley Cup Playoff goals for Florida in their run to the Cup last season, and 14 players from that championship roster returned for 2024-25, including the team’s top eight scorers.
WHO TO WATCH
UTAH: #63 MATIAS MACCELLI - Maccelli broke through offensively for Utah last Saturday against Dallas with two goals to bring his season total to five. The winger is coming off a career season with the Arizona Coyotes in 2023-24 in which he ranked third on the team in scoring with 57 points (17G, 40A).
FLORIDA: #19 MATTHEW TKACHUK - Tkachuk has 36 points (14G, 22A) this season to rank second on Florida’s roster behind only Sam Reinhart (22G, 24A). Matthew’s father Keith played 1201 games in the NHL and coached Utah’s Clayton Keller’s youth hockey team in St. Louis while he played for the Blues.
LOOK BACK
Utah earned a point in a 3-2 overtime loss to the Dallas Stars on Saturday, Jan. 4 at American Airlines Center. After a scoreless first, the two teams erupted for a four-goal second period, including a goal from Dallas’ Jamie Benn just 16 seconds into the frame. Utah’s Matias Maccelli responded 1:14 later with his first of two goals on the night. Maccelli’s second came three minutes after Oskar Bäck gave the Stars a 2-1 lead. After a scoreless third, Thomas Harley banged in the overtime-winner to conclude the contest. Utah outshot Dallas 33-29 in the loss.
KEVIN STENLUND
One of General Manager Bill Armstrong’s successful signings in the offseason was Kevin Stenlund. Stenlund, 28, is on pace for a career year with Utah and has 11 points (7G, 4A) in 39 games. The Swedish-born center set a career high of 11 goals last season with the Florida Panthers, and he appeared in all 24 of Florida’s postseason games while helping the team capture its first Stanley Cup in franchise history. Stenlund’s defense, penalty killing, and faceoff ability make him an integral piece to a winning roster. The centerman ranks fourth amongst all NHL skaters with a 59.9% conversion rate at the faceoff dot, and he has won the second-most shorthanded faceoffs in the league. Only one forward in the NHL (Jake Evans - Montreal) plays more on the penalty kill than Stenlund (112:53 total this season).
AT HOME
While Utah has been a solid road team this season, the club will have a better chance to improve its 5-7-4 home record over the second half of the season. Five home wins is the fewest in the NHL, but Utah has also played fewer home games than any team in the league. Only 16 of Utah’s 39 games this season have been within the friendly confines of Delta Center, meaning 59% of games so far have been outside of the Beehive State. Captain Clayton Keller leads Utah with 16 points (7G, 9A) in 16 games at home this season, and defenseman Mikhail Sergachev ranks second with 13 points (5G, 8A) including an overtime winner on Dec. 18 against the Vancouver Canucks.
LOOK AHEAD
Utah continues its seven-game homestand on Friday, Jan. 10 against the San Jose Sharks and then on Saturday, Jan. 11 against the New York Islanders at Delta Center. Utah has a combined record of 2-0-1 against the Sharks and Islanders this season.
