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
The Utah Hockey Club (30-27-11) gears up for the start of a three-game homestand tonight against the Buffalo Sabres (27-33-6). Utah is 5-1-1 in its last seven games at home and returns to Delta Center after three games on the road. The team is four points behind the Vancouver Canucks for the eighth and final playoff position in the Western Conference, and with 14 games left the season including tonight, points are at a premium.
ONE-TIMERS
- Dylan Guenther’s 11 power-play goals are tied for the 11th most in the NHL.
- Kevin Stenlund’s 59.0 faceoff percentage is sixth best among NHL skaters who have taken at least 400 draws.
- Jack McBain and Liam O’Brien are tied for the team lead with six fighting majors each.
- Ian Cole is second in the league with 172 blocked shots.
- Utah has played 19 overtimes this season- tied for the most in the NHL.
TONIGHT’S MATCHUP
Buffalo sits last in the Eastern Conference with 60 points on the season, but the Sabres have picked up some quality victories and have won three of their last four entering tonight. Head coach Lindy Ruff’s team opened a four-game road trip on Monday with a 3-2 overtime win against the Boston Bruins, snapping an eight-game road winless skid.
The Sabres won on Monday despite missing Josh Norris, JJ Peterka, and Jiri Kulich from the lineup. Norris was acquired from the Ottawa Senators at the trade deadline and gives Buffalo a scorer who has 35 points (21G, 14A) in 56 total games this season.
Tage Thompson is Buffalo’s headliner up front with a team-best 34 goals that ties him for the fifth most in the NHL. With Thompson leading the attack, the Sabres score the 12th most goals in the league at 3.12 per game.
STANDINGS UPDATE
WC1: Minnesota Wild - 81 points
WC2: Vancouver Canucks - 73 points
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- St. Louis Blues - 73 points
- Calgary Flames - 71 points
- Utah Hockey Club - 71 points
- Anaheim Ducks - 65 points
WHO TO WATCH
UTAH: #53 MICHAEL CARCONE - Carcone picked up an assist on Utah’s only goal against Edmonton on Tuesday. The winger now has helpers in three straight games and has points in four of his last five. In 48 games this season, Carcone has totaled 17 points (6G, 11A) for Utah.
BUFFALO: #25 OWEN POWER - Power logged a goal and two assists in Buffalo’s last game against Boston on Monday. The former first overall pick from the 2021 NHL Entry Draft has 35 points (7G, 28A) this season- tied for a career high.
LOOK BACK
Utah suffered its worst defeat of the season on Tuesday at Rogers Place in a 7-1 loss to the Edmonton Oilers. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins scored shorthanded for the Oilers to open the scoring in the first period. Edmonton scored two more goals to close out the first, including a goal that deflected in off of Zach Hyman and a highlight-reel score from Connor McDavid.
Edmonton scored two more goals in the second and then in the third. Hyman scored his second of the night, while Vasily Podkolzin, Mattias Ekholm, and Viktor Arvidsson all found the back of the net. Sean Durzi scored Utah’s only goal.
LAST MEETING
Utah poured in five goals on Dec. 7 against the Buffalo Sabres at KeyBank Center in a 5-2 victory to pull back to .500. Trailing 1-0 after the first, Michael Kesselring, Mikhail Sergachev, and Nick Schmaltz all scored in the second period to flip the script.
Jack McBain and Kevin Stenlund added goals in the third period to cement the win, and goaltender Karel Vejmelka picked up his fourth win of the season with 23 saves on 25 Buffalo shots.
BOUNCING BACK
Tuesday’s 7-1 defeat to Edmonton marked Utah’s worst defeat of the season, but the Mountain Blue has proved to be a strong bounce back team throughout the year. Following games this season in which Utah has allowed four or more goals in a losing effort, Utah is 12-10-0 in the next contest. When Utah last allowed seven goals (7-3 loss to Carolina on Feb. 8), it came back the next day with a 5-4 shootout victory over the Eastern Conference-leading Washington Capitals.
Utah has also shown resiliency when faced with adversity within games this season. The club’s 16 comeback victories are tied for the ninth most in the NHL, and Utah’s seven third-period comeback wins are tied for the third most.
AGAINST THE EAST
Utah is 12-12-3 against the Eastern Conference this season compared to 18-15-8 against the Western Conference. Over the last seven games against Eastern Conference teams, the Mountain Blue is 4-2-1 with wins over Detroit, Washington, Columbus, and Philadelphia in that span.
Tonight is the first of five straight matchups against Eastern Conference opponents. After the current stretch, the final nine games on Utah’s schedule will come against Western Conference teams, including six games against Central Division foes.
LOOK AHEAD
Utah continues its three-game homestand on Saturday against the Tampa Bay Lightning in the first ever meeting between the two clubs.
