WHEN: 7:00 p.m. MT
WHERE: Scotiabank Saddledome - Calgary, Alberta
TV: SEG+, UtahHC+, Utah 16 | RADIO: KSL Sports Zone 97.5 FM, NHL App
The Utah Hockey Club’s (16-14-6) tour of Alberta continues tonight against the Calgary Flames (18-12-7) at Scotiabank Saddledome. Utah is five points behind Calgary who currently sits in the second wild card spot in the Western Conference with 43 points. Utah and Calgary met previously at Delta Center on Oct. 30, and Utah claimed a 5-1 victory. Tonight is also the third of a four-game road trip for Utah that will conclude on Jan. 4 against the Dallas Stars.
ONE-TIMERS
- Dylan Guenther leads the team with seven power-play goals.
- Logan Cooley has assisted on each of Jack McBain’s last five goals.
- McBain’s 10 goals this season is already more than his total of eight last season.
- Mikhail Sergachev is tied for the fourth-most goals by a defenseman in the NHL with eight.
- Utah’s 23 goals allowed in the first period is the second-best mark in the league for the opening frame.
TONIGHT’S MATCHUP
When Utah and Calgary last met on Oct. 30 at Delta Center, the Flames lost their fourth consecutive game and gave up five goals for the third straight contest. Since then, Calgary has only lost back-to-back games in regulation once, and the team has gone 13-8-6. The Flames hover near the middle of the league in most statistical categories and are currently in the middle of the Pacific Division standings with 43 points- good enough to hold the second wild card spot in the Western Conference. Utah might have an advantage at the start of the game as Calgary has scored the fewest first-period goals in the NHL this season with 22. Utah’s +10 differential in the first frame is the fifth-best in the league.
WHO TO WATCH
UTAH: #4 JUUSO VÄLIMÄKI - Välimäki, 26, was selected 16th overall by the Flames in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft. The Finnish defenseman played parts of three seasons with Calgary before he was claimed off waivers by the Arizona Coyotes at the start of the 2022-23 campaign. Välimäki has two goals and two assists for Utah in 31 games this season.
CALGARY: #10 JONATHAN HUBERDEAU - Huberdeau has five goals in his last five games for Calgary, and had eight total tallies in the month of December, tied for the 11th most in the league during that span. Huberdeau is in his third year with the Flames after he was traded from the Florida Panthers, and he leads the club with 29 points (16G, 13A).
LOOK BACK
A 4-1 loss to the Edmonton Oilers two nights ago at Rogers Place gave Utah its fifth straight defeat. After Matias Ekholm started the scoring in the first period, Jack McBain produced a quick response with his 10th goal of the year to tie the game at 1-1 just 1:34 after Edmonton’s first tally. Later in the second period, the Oilers struck twice within 20 seconds to take a 3-1 lead on goals from Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Troy Stetcher. Leon Draisaitl extended his point streak to 12 games by scoring the empty-net goal for Edmonton. Goaltender Jaxson Stauber was busy for Utah and stopped 34 of the 37 shots he faced.
LAST MEETING
Utah snapped a four-game skid with a 5-1 victory over the Calgary Flames on Oct. 30 at Delta Center. Alexander Kerfoot scored his first goal of the season 4:41 into the contest, Maveric Lamoureux scored his first NHL tally later in the second, and Olli Mӓӓttӓ made his Utah Hockey Club debut. Goaltender Connor Ingram turned in a stellar outing with 30 saves on 31 Calgary shots.
WORLD JUNIORS
Ottawa is currently hosting the 2025 IIHF World Junior Championships, and five Utah Hockey Club prospects are in action. Cole Beaudoin (Canada, 2024 1st round), Michael Hrabal (Czechia, 2023 2nd round), Vojtĕch Hradec (Czechia, 2024 6th round), Veeti Väisänen (Finland, 2024 3rd round), and Melker Thelin (Sweden, 2023 5th round) are all representing their countries at the U20 tournament. 15 of Utah’s players have appeared at World Juniors previously:
- Nick Bjugstad (USA) - 2012 (U20), 2011 Bronze (U20)
- Ian Cole (USA) - 2009 (U20), 2008 (U20), 2007 Silver (U18)
- Logan Cooley (USA) - 2023 Bronze (U20), 2022 (U20), 2022 Silver (U18), 2021 (U18)
- Lawson Crouse (CAN) - 2016 (U20), 2015 Gold (U20), 2014 Bronze (U18)
- Dylan Guenther (CAN) - 2023 Gold (U20), 2021 Gold (U18)
- Barrett Hayton (CAN) - 2020 Gold (U20), 2019 (U20)
- Connor Ingram (CAN) - 2017 Silver (U20)
- Clayton Keller (USA) - 2017 Gold (U20), 2016 Bronze (U18), 2015 Gold (U18)
- Vladislav Kolyachonok (BLS) - 2020 Bronze (U20 D1A), 2019 (U18), 2018 (U18)
- Olli Mӓӓttӓ (FIN) - 2013 (U20), 2012 (U20), 2011(U20), 2010 (U18)
- Matias Maccelli (FIN) - 2020 (U20)
- Jack McBain (CAN) - 2018 (U18)
- Mikhail Sergachev (RUS) - 2017 Bronze (U20), 2016 (U18), 2015 (U18)
- Jusso Välimäki (FIN) - 2018 (U20), 2017 (U20), 2016 Gold (U18), 2015 Silver (U18)
- Karel Vejmelka (CZE) - 2014 Silver (U18)
PENALTY KILL
Utah’s penalty kill has been perfect in the last four games, going 10-for-10 in that stretch, including a 3-for-3 effort on New Year’s Eve against Edmonton’s top-10 power play. Utah is 40-for-44 on the kill over the last 14 games (90.9%) and is tied for the second-best penalty kill percentage in the NHL over that span. For the season, Utah’s PK ranks 15th in the league at 80.9%.
LOOK AHEAD
Utah wraps up its four-game road trip in two day’s time on Jan. 4 against the Dallas Stars at American Airlines Center. Utah has played Dallas twice at Delta Center, and both have resulted in one-goal wins for the Stars.
