Author: Jesse

All Dylan Guenther does is score big goals. With all of Utah Hockey Club’s main wild-card competitors earning points on Thursday, none was bigger than Guenther’s 25th of the season.

That goal at the 14:13 mark of the third period came off a hustle play by Michael Carcone and a set-up by Barrett Hayton. It lifted Utah to a 5-2 win against the Buffalo Sabres at Delta Center.

Six of Guenther’s past eight goals have given Utah a lead, and 14 of his 25 this season have done the same. In each game he has scored, Utah has earned at least a point, and his nine game-winning goals are one off the league lead.

“He’s unbelievable,” center Logan Cooley said. “He can probably score from anywhere on the ice.”

Defenseman Mikhail Serghachev had a pair of goals including the second empty-net goal of the game, and Utah stayed within four points of the final wild card spot in the Western Conference. Sergachev’s 13 goals are a career high and he is tied for seventh among NHL defensemen in goals.

Goaltender Karel Vejmelka made 25 saves in a great bounce-back game after the team’s lopsided loss in Edmonton on Tuesday. Utah is 8-2-3 in the past 13 games at Delta Center.

“All season long, we’re really demanding of ourselves and we believe in ourselves and we know we can achieve great things,” coach André Tourigny said. “We talked about the process of a young team to live with that expectation and that pressure. What’s going on here, it’s a lot of learning. It’s learning on steroids and we need to keep going.”

Playoff picture: It was all bad news for Utah Hockey Club on the out-of-town scoreboard. Calgary (75 points) won at New Jersey and the red-hot St. Louis Blues (77 points) beat Vancouver (76 points) in OT in the dreaded 3-point game. Utah (73 points) got a badly needed win at home to keep pace with those three teams that it is chasing for the final wild card spot in the Western Conference.

Maccelli returns: Utah forward Matias Maccelli returned to the lineup for the first time since Feb. 8 at Carolina. He has been a healthy scratch as Tourigny looks for the spark that made Maccelli such a dangerous playmaker the past two seasons.

“There’s two ways you can look at it,” Tourigny said. “You can feel sorry for yourself, or you can jump in this game and prove what you can do.

“We want Celli to be himself and what he’s been for us for a long time. I believe he’s in a good frame of mind. I think at the beginning when he was scratched a little, he was maybe not at the right place mentally. I like his mindset [now]. I like his desire to prove [himself.]”

Maccelli was sharp in the first period against the Sabres, creating two scoring chances on his trademark, pinpoint passing. He also had a great scoring opportunity by cutting to the front of the net early in the second period. He logged 10:46 of ice time and had two shots on goal. The Alex Kerfoot-Kevin Stenlund-Maccelli line had an eye-popping Corsi For Percentage (shots for vs. shots against) of 82.2.

Quotable: Sergachev was asked about Vejmelka’s strong play after the second period. “He’s a goalie, he has to play,” the Utah defenseman quipped. Sergachev got the chance to clarify that comment after the game. “I didn’t want to jinx him. That’s why I had a stupid answer.”

Up next: Utah hosts the Tampa Bay Lightning. The teams have not played this season. After winning back-to-back Cups in 2020 and 2021, and making it to a third straight Final in 2022, Tampa has renewed Cup hopes that most analysts thought were dead. Entering play Friday, the Lightning were two points off the Atlantic Division lead.

The limited-time offer creates opportunity for more fans to subscribe and stream all remaining regular season games and first round games of the NHL’s Stanley Cup playoffs, if Utah qualifies.

Subscribers also gain 24/7 access to engaging content that chronicles Utah’s inaugural NHL season

SALT LAKE CITY (March 20, 2025) — Today, Smith Entertainment Group introduced a limited-time, $1 subscription option for UtahHC+ – the official streaming service of Utah Hockey Club – that includes the ability to stream all of the team’s remaining 14 regular season games and any games Utah would play during the first round of the NHL’s Stanley Cup playoffs, if they qualify. The offer is open to fans across Utah, along with six neighboring states, inviting them to tune in and support Utah Hockey Club as they continue their push for the playoffs during a historic inaugural season. Utah is currently four points out from securing a wild card position in the NHL Western Conference and would be the 13th franchise to qualify for the playoffs in their first year in the NHL.

Fans can secure the $1 “Push for the Playoffs” UtahHC+ subscription offer now through March 31 at 11:59 P.M. MT by visiting www.segplus.com. In addition to live games, the subscription includes access to video-on-demand (VOD) content, game replays, game-specific alternative broadcasts, and other engaging behind-the-scenes content. Users who take advantage of this limited-time $1 offer will have access to the platform from the date of subscribing until May 14, 2025.

Utah’s remaining regular season NHL games conclude on April 15 against the St. Louis Blues. The NHL’s Stanley Cup playoffs are expected to begin in the second half of April, with a full schedule of games available in the coming weeks.

More than 16.8 million plus hockey fans can subscribe to UtahHC+ including all 3.5 million Utahns, as well as those living in Arizona, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, Wyoming, and parts of Nevada.

Fans can learn more about subscription availability and sign up for the promotional offering by visiting www.segplus.com.

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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3. St. Louis Blues – 73 points
4. Calgary Flames – 71 points
5. Utah Hockey Club – 71 points
6. 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.

Indiana Hoosiers (19-12, 11-9 Big Ten) vs. Utah Utes (22-8, 13-6 Big 12)

Columbia, South Carolina; Friday, 1:30 p.m. EDT

BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Hoosiers -1.5; over/under is 138.5

BOTTOM LINE: Utah plays in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament against Indiana.

The Utes’ record in Big 12 games is 13-6, and their record is 9-2 in non-conference games. Utah is seventh in the Big 12 with 24.3 defensive rebounds per game led by Maye Toure averaging 5.1.

The Hoosiers’ record in Big Ten games is 11-9. Indiana has a 1-1 record in games decided by less than 4 points.

Utah averages 76.7 points, 12.6 more per game than the 64.1 Indiana gives up. Indiana has shot at a 45.2% rate from the field this season, 4.1 percentage points above the 41.1% shooting opponents of Utah have averaged.

TOP PERFORMERS: Gianna Kneepkens averages 3.0 made 3-pointers per game for the Utes, scoring 19.2 points while shooting 45.0% from beyond the arc. Toure is averaging 13 points and 6.8 rebounds over the past 10 games.

Yarden Garzon is averaging 14.5 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.2 assists for the Hoosiers. Shay Ciezki is averaging 14.0 points over the last 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Utes: 7-3, averaging 74.9 points, 32.3 rebounds, 18.2 assists, 7.6 steals and 3.1 blocks per game while shooting 46.0% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 65.1 points per game.

Hoosiers: 5-5, averaging 71.2 points, 27.8 rebounds, 17.1 assists, 6.1 steals and 2.7 blocks per game while shooting 46.5% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 66.3 points.

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.