WHEN: 7:00 p.m. MT
WHERE: Delta Center - Salt Lake City, Utah
TV: SEG+, UtahHC+, Utah 16 | RADIO: KSL Sports Zone 97.5 FM 1280 AM, NHL App
After a four-game road trip, the Utah Hockey Club (6-6-3) returns to Delta Center tonight to face one of the NHL’s hottest teams in the Carolina Hurricanes (11-3-0). Utah looks to return to form tonight at home where the team is 3-2-1 this season, including wins over the Chicago Blackhawks, Boston Bruins, and Calgary Flames.
ONE-TIMERS
- Utah went 1-2-1 on a road trip that featured two of the league’s top eight teams in terms of points (Winnipeg, Vegas).
- Captain Clayton Keller continues to lead the team in scoring with 13 points (6G, 7A).
- Ian Cole spent the 2021-22 season with Carolina and posted 19 points (2G, 17A) in 75 games.
- Dylan Guenther leads all NHL players 21 or younger with seven goals.
- Mikhail Sergachev ranks third in the league in average ice time per game at 25:38.
TONIGHT’S MATCHUP
Carolina had their eight-game win streak snapped on Saturday in a 6-4 loss to the Colorado Avalanche, but then got back on track Monday evening with a 5-2 victory over the Vegas Golden Knights. The Canes are excellent on both sides of the puck, ranking second in goals-for per game (4.21) and fifth in goals-against per game (2.57). Head Coach Rob Brind’Amour has led Carolina to the postseason in each of his last six seasons behind the bench, and the club has advanced past the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs in five of those six campaigns.
WHO TO WATCH
UTAH: #53 MICHAEL CARCONE - Carcone played in three of Utah’s first five games of the season and then did not return to the lineup until the last two contests. The Ajax, Ontario native scored 21 goals in a career-best campaign last season. Working his way through the ranks of professional hockey, Carcone played seven seasons in the AHL before cracking an NHL lineup for the first time in the 2021-22 season with the Arizona Coyotes.
CAROLINA: #88 MARIN NECAS - With an assist on Monday night against Vegas, Carolina forward Martin Necas extended his assist streak to 10 games. Necas is on pace for a record year and currently ranks third in NHL scoring with 24 points (8G, 16A). His best season to date was the 2022-23 campaign in which he posted 71 points (28G, 43A) in 82 games.
LOOK BACK
The Nashville Predators found a groove and topped the Utah Hockey Club 4-0 on Saturday at Bridgestone Arena. Nashville’s Filip Forsberg scored 2:37 into the first period and eventually added a second score. Jonathan Marchessault also potted two goals for the Preds, and goaltender Juuse Saros stopped all 27 Utah shots for his second shutout of the season.
LINE SHUFFLE
Searching for the right recipe, Head Coach Andre Tourigny is expected to move some of his pieces around the chessboard to reignite Utah’s offense. Notably, veteran center Nick Bjugstad practiced alongside Clayton Keller and Nick Schmaltz on Tuesday. Should the three see action together tonight, it would be their first significant time together as a trio since they played 161 minutes together and outscored opponents 11-8 last season with the Arizona Coyotes according to MoneyPuck.com. Barrett Hayden was practicing as the third line center along with Lawson Crouse and Alexander Kerfoot.
AGAINST THE EAST
Utah is 3-2-0 against teams from the Eastern Conference this season with wins over the New York Islanders (Oct. 10), New York Rangers (Oct. 12), and Boston Bruins (Oct. 19). All three wins against Eastern Conference teams have come in overtime for Utah.
LOOK AHEAD
Tonight is the first of three straight home games for the Utah Hockey Club. Utah will face the Vegas Golden Knights on Friday, Nov. 15 and the Washington Capitals on Monday, Nov. 18 at Delta Center. The combined record for Utah’s opponents during the homestand is 30-11-2.
