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
The Utah Hockey Club (7-6-3) continues a three-game homestand tonight against the Vegas Golden Knights (10-4-2). Tonight also marks the first game during which Utah’s inaugural season jerseys will be available for sale at the Team Store. Doors at Delta Center open at 5:30 p.m. for the game tonight, and the Team Store will also be open to the public from noon to 3:00 p.m. Utah’s new team dog Archie will also be in attendance to meet fans at tonight’s game from 6:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. on the main concourse.
ONE-TIMERS
- Goaltender Karel Vejmelka made a career high 49 saves on Wednesday against the Carolina Hurricanes.
- Nick Bjugstad scored his first two goals of the season on Wednesday against Carolina.
- Utah’s three goals in 2:19 against the Hurricanes were its fastest three goals this season.
- Utah is 4-2-1 at home this season.
- Tonight is the sixth of an eight-game stretch in which Utah will face seven teams that reached the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
TONIGHT’S MATCHUP
Vegas remains one of the most deadly teams in the Western Conference and currently sits atop the Pacific Division with 22 points. The Golden Knights’ offensive attack has proved potent since the start of the season, and Vegas currently ranks third in the NHL with an average of 4.13 goals-for per game, marking the second consecutive game in which Utah faces a top-three offensive team. The power play has propelled Vegas’ offensive numbers with a conversion rate of 32.6%, good for second best in the NHL. Utah last faced Vegas on Nov. 2 and fell 4-3 in overtime.
WHO TO WATCH
UTAH: #17 NICK BJUGSTAD- Bjugstad scored his first two goals of the season on Wednesday with one in the first and one in the third period. The veteran center now has four points (2G, 2A) in eight games this season, and his two tallies against Carolina helped him pass the 150-goal mark for his NHL career. Last game, Bjugstad was moved to the top line with Clayton Keller and Nick Schmaltz in what proved to be a productive move by Head Coach Andre Tourigny.
VEGAS: #9 JACK EICHEL - Eichel leads Vegas with 25 points (5G, 20A) and has nine assists over his last four games. With a helper on Wednesday, Eichel joined Nathan MacKinnnon as the second player in the NHL this season to reach the 20-assist mark, and he passed teammate Mark Stone (20 games in 2020-21) as the fastest player in Golden Knights history to reach the 20-assist mark in a season.
LOOK BACK
Karel Vejmelka piloted Utah to one of the team’s most thrilling wins of the season in a 4-1 final over the Carolina Hurricanes Wednesday night at Delta Center. Vejmelka posted a career high 49 saves on 50 Hurricanes shots to earn his first win of the season. Utah scored three goals in a span of 2:19 in the third period. Nick Bjugstad scored his first two of the campaign, Jack McBain provided the game-winner, and Mikhail Sergachev picked up his third of the season. Utah also successfully killed off 10:26 worth of shorthanded time during a wild third period.
KAREL VEJMELKA
Karel Vejmelka dazzled Delta Center with his 49-save performance on Wednesday, marking the most stops in a game by a Utah goaltender this season. The 28-year-old goaltender saw as much rubber against Carolina as any netminder has this season; the Hurricanes’ 50 shots were tied for the most in a game by an NHL team in the current campaign. According to Sportlogiq analytics, Vejmelka recorded a goals-saved-above-expected mark of 4.24, meaning underlying numbers would have predicted Carolina to score 4.24 more goals than they actually did. The 4.24 goals-saved-above-expected for Vejmelka is the second best mark this season by a goaltender.
FOUR OR MORE
Wednesday marked the eighth time this season in 16 games that Utah has scored four or more goals. The team has a record of 6-0-2 when reaching the four-goal mark, and Utah has done so twice in two of its last three games. Vegas has also scored four or more goals in eight games this season.
LOOK AHEAD
Tonight is the second of a three-game homestand that culminates on Monday, Nov. 18 against the Washington Capitals. Alexander Ovechkin will visit Delta Center for the first time has he continues to chase Wayne Gretzky’s goal record. Ovechkin is currently at 863 career NHL goals and needs 32 more to surpass Gretzky’s 894.
