WHEN: 7:30 p.m. MT
WHERE: Delta Center - Salt Lake City, Utah
TV: ESPN2 | RADIO: KSL Sports Zone 97.5 FM, NHL App
The Utah Hockey Club (16-12-6) renews a Rocky Mountain rivalry tonight with the Colorado Avalanche (21-15-0). Tonight is already the third matchup of the season between Utah and Colorado, and it was Utah that claimed victory last on Dec. 12 in a 4-1 final at Ball Arena. Utah’s 3-2 loss on Dec. 23 was the team’s first regulation loss in three weeks, and the club has won six of its last nine contests entering this evening.
ONE-TIMERS
- Captain Clayton Keller leads the team with 36 points (13G, 23A).
- Utah is currently fifth in the Central Division with 38 points and is only one game out of a playoff spot (second wild card position, currently held by Dallas).
- Utah had a season-long eight-game point streak broken on Dec. 23 in a 3-2 loss to the Dallas Stars.
- Barrett Hayton has goals in back-to-back games.
- Each of Utah’s last seven losses have been by just one goal.
TONIGHT’S MATCHUP
The Avalanche are catching stride with wins in each of their last three games and seven wins in their last 10 games. Colorado features the reigning Hart Trophy winner and current league scoring leader in Nathan MacKinnon, who paces the NHL with 57 points (14G, 53A). Star defenseman Cale Makar is tied for ninth in league scoring and tied for first amongst all NHL blueliners with 45 points (11G, 34A). On Dec. 9, Colorado traded to acquire goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood from the San Jose Sharks. In the four games Blackwood has appeared for the Avs, he has been stellar with a 3-1-0 record, 2.03 goals-against average, and .930 save percentage.
WHO TO WATCH
UTAH: #27 BARRETT HAYTON - Hayton, 24, has goals in back-to-back games for the third time this season and now has 16 points (7G, 9A) on the campaign for Utah. Hayton has been skating as Utah’s top line center in between Clayton Keller and Nick Schmaltz.
COLORADO: #13 VALERI NICHUSHKIN - Nichushkin has goals in four straight games for the Avs and now is tied for second on the team with 11 for the season. He has reached this goal total while playing in just 19 games this season, and he has 16 total points on the campaign (11G, 5A).
LAST MEETING
Utah knocked off their Central Division foe in 4-1 fashion on Dec. 12 at Ball Arena. Dylan Guenther scored twice, including once on the power play, and Vladislav Kolyachonok lit the lamp in his first game back into the lineup since Nov. 24. Kevin Stenlund provided the empty-netter to seal the victory and record a goal in his fourth straight game. Karel Vejmelka finished the night with 22 saves on 24 Avalanche shots.
LOOK BACK
Utah fell to Dallas 3-2 at Delta Center on Monday, Dec. 23. After the Stars took a 1-0 lead in the middle of the first, Kevin Stenlund quickly answered back with his sixth goal of the year to tie the game at 1-1 just 1:39 after Dallas took the initial edge. The Stars scored two more in the second period and outshot Utah 16-6 in the frame. Utah attempted a third-period comeback and pulled within one after Barrett Hayton bagged his seventh tally of the season, but the effort would fall short. Dallas goaltender Casey DeSmith picked up his second win of the season against Utah by stopping 24 of 26 shots, and Karel Vejmelka was handed the loss after 26 saves on 29 Stars shots.
CENTRAL DIVISION MATCHUPS
The NHL’s Central Division may very well be the toughest in the league. Six teams in the division are at .500 or better- a mark that no other division shares. Division games, like the one tonight, are doubly important for playoff positioning. Utah has a 4-5-1 record against Central Division teams while Colorado is 3-5-0 against the rest of the division. This evening is the 11th of 26 total Central Division games that Utah will play this season. The top three teams in each division automatically qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and the Avalanche currently hold the third spot in the Central table with 42 points (each conference also has two wild card spots). Utah has 38 points this season and is four points behind Colorado (with two games in hand).
MIKHAIL SERGACHEV
Mikhail Sergachev may not have the flashy numbers that Colorado’s Cale Makar boasts, but Utah’s No. 1 rearguard has been instrumental in the team’s success this season. Sergachev plays as much hockey as anyone in the NHL, ranking second in the league with an average of 25:53 worth of ice time per game. His 26 points (8G, 16A) rank first amongst all Utah defenseman and place him in a tie for the eighth-most points by a defenseman in the NHL. He is also tied with Makar for the most game-winning goals by a defenseman with three. The 26-year-old is the only blueliner in the NHL this season to have scored multiple overtime goals, doing so at Montreal on Nov. 26 and at home against Vancouver on Dec. 18.
LOOK AHEAD
Tonight wraps up three consecutive home games for Utah, after which the club hits the road for four straight. Utah will meet the Seattle Kraken and the Edmonton Oilers on Dec. 30 and Dec. 31 respectively, and then open their 2025 calendar with matchups against the Calgary Flames and Dallas Stars on Jan. 2 and Jan. 4.
