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, NHL App
A four-game homestand continues tonight for the Utah Hockey Club (25-24-9) against the Chicago Blackhawks (17-33-7) at Delta Center. After a crucial win against the Vancouver Canucks on Sunday to pull within two games of a playoff spot, Utah must continue to make up ground in a crowded Western Conference. The Mountain Blue has won four of its last six and each of its last two at home.
ONE-TIMERS
- Clayton Keller leads the team with 63 points (20G, 43A) and has points in four straight games (2G, 4A).
- Utah has now secured 13 comeback wins this season, with seven of those coming in the third period—tied for the second most in the NHL.
- Jack McBain ranks sixth in the NHL with 199 hits.
- 14 of Utah’s 24 games remaining are at Delta Center.
- Since Jan. 1, Utah is 4-2-1 against Central Division teams.
TONIGHT’S MATCHUP
The 2024-25 season has been a challenging one for the rebuilding Chicago Blackhawks. The Blackhawks are second to last in the NHL with just 41 points, and despite a flurry of acquisitions in the offseason, Chicago still ranks near the bottom both offensively (28th - 2.65 goals per game) and defensively (30th - 3.49 goals against per game). Anders Sorensen took over as interim head coach on Dec. 6, but wins have still been hard to come by for the young squad. Chicago has won back-to-back games on just three occasions this season, and the Hawks enter tonight having lost each of their last three and six of their last seven.
The future is now for the Hawks, and several of their high picks over the last several drafts have begun to make an impact. Connor Bedard, taken first overall in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft, leads the team in scoring with 49 points (16G, 33A) and is one of the most exciting young players in the game. Alex Vlasic, a second-round pick from 2019, has become a staple on Chicago’s blue line. Frank Nazar, taken 13th overall in 2022, has shown flashes of his ability and has 12 points (4G, 8A) in 28 games.
WHO TO WATCH
UTAH: #92 LOGAN COOLEY - Cooley missed seven games with an injury but scored his 16th goal of the season in his return on Sunday night. The Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania native scored goals in four straight games from Jan. 14 to Jan. 20 and is tied for the third most goals this season amongst NHL players 20 years old or younger (Macklin Celebrini-18, Matvei Michkov-17, Connor Bedard-16, Adam Fantilli-16).
CHICAGO: #86 TUEVO TERAVAINEN - Teravainen has goals in two of his last three games and ranks second on Chicago with 41 points (13G, 28A). After eight seasons with the Carolina Hurricanes, Teravainen returned to the Blackhawks where he previously played in parts of three seasons and won a Stanley Cup in 2015.
LOOK BACK
Utah picked up two points in regulation after knocking off the Vancouver Canucks 2-1 at Delta Center on Sunday night. Vancouver’s Jake DeBrusk opened the scoring in the second period, but Logan Cooley found the back of the net just 2:08 later to tie the game at 1-1. With 5:53 left in the third, Dylan Guenther capitalized on Utah’s fourth power play of the night with his team-best ninth power-play goal.
Utah outshot Vancouver 32-15, marking the second-fewest shots allowed in a game by Utah this season. Goaltender Karel Vejmelka earned the win, stopping 14 shots.
LAST MEETING
History was made when Utah and Chicago last met on Oct. 8 at Delta Center in Utah’s first ever game. Dylan Guenther didn’t wait long to start the party, scoring the first Utah Hockey Club goal just 4:56 into the third period. Clayton Keller and Barrett Hayton followed up with goals of their own before Chicago pulled within a goal after tallies from Tuevo Teravainen and Nick Foligno.
Up 3-2 in the third, Guenther scored his second of the game with an empty-netter and Lawson Crouse tacked on the fifth goal of the night for good measure.
Before the game, Utah Hockey Club owners Ryan and Ashley Smith addressed the crowd, and Ashley Smith performed the ceremonial puck drop after a special delivery from Lauri Markkanen, center for the Utah Jazz. The game aired nationally on ESPN, and NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman held a press conference outside Delta Center, praising the Smith Entertainment Group for exceeding the League's expectations on an unprecedented timeline.
DYLAN GUENTHER
Dylan Guenther now ranks fourth on the team with 43 points (21G, 22A) and leads the club in goals. 15 of his 21 goals have either tied the game or given Utah the lead, and his nine power-play goals rank first on the team.
After missing 12 games due to injury from Jan. 10 to Feb. 2, Guenther now has points in each of his six games since his return, tabbing nine points in that span (5G, 4A). He also has recorded the game-winning goal in three of Utah’s last four victories.
POWER PLAY
Utah’s power play came through when needed in the third period of Sunday’s game against Vancouver. The specialty unit has now struck six times in the last four games and is now 6-for-12 in that span. From a power-play goal against the Carolina Hurricanes on Feb. 8 through a 1-for-1 effort on Feb. 9 against the Washington Capitals to a 2-for-2 night against the Los Angeles Kings on Feb. 22, the Utah power play scored on four consecutive opportunities. The six power-play goals in a four-game stretch is tied for the most power-play goals in a four-game sample size for Utah this season; the other instance came from Dec. 8 to Dec. 14 when the man-advantage went 6-for-14 through four contests.
LOOK AHEAD
Utah matches up with the Minnesota Wild on Thursday night at Delta Center. The Mountain Blue knocked off the Wild 4-0 in the last meeting on Jan. 23 at Xcel Energy Center.
