Game Preview, 10/19: Utah Hockey Club vs. Boston Bruins
Game Preview, 10/19: Utah Hockey Club vs. Boston Bruins
WHEN: 7 p.m. MT
WHERE: Delta Center – Salt Lake City, Utah
TV: SEG+, UtahHC+, Utah 16 | RADIO: KSL Sports Zone 97.5 FM, KZNS 1280 AM, NHL App
The Utah Hockey Club (3-1-1) returns home to Delta Center for the team’s first ever homestand, starting tonight against the Boston Bruins. Tonight is just the second ever regular season home game for Utah with tickets expected to sell out at Delta Center for the second straight contest.
ONE-TIMERS
- Saturday is Utah’s first ever game against Boston, and its third against an Original Six franchise
- Utah is tied for second with 20 goals scored to start the season
- Dylan Guenther is tied for second in the NHL with five goals and was named as the NHL’s First Star for the week ending Oct. 13.
- Mikhail Sergachev leads all Utah defenseman with four points (0G, 4A).
- Utah’s last home game on Oct. 8 against the Chicago Blackhawks resulted in a 5-2 win in front of a sold-out crowd of 16,020 at Delta Center.
TONIGHT’S MENU
Boston enters this evening 3-2-0 with three wins in its past four games. The Bruins are led by David Pastrnak’s five points (4G, 1A) through their first five games of the season. Similar to Utah, Boston has started the campaign strong offensively with 20 goals in their first five matches, tied for second in the NHL.
WHO TO WATCH
UTAH: CLAYTON KELLER – Utah’s captain has had a roaring start to the 2024-25 season with a team-best seven points (4G, 3A). This is the first time in Keller’s eight-year NHL career that he has started a season with four goals in five games. The St. Louis, Missouri native scored the overtime winner at Madison Square Garden against the New York Rangers in a 6-5 victory last Saturday.
BOSTON: DAVID PASTRNAK – Pastrnak paces his club with four goals this season. The 28-year-old Czech has posted at least 40 goals in each of his last three seasons and is among the most dangerous scoring threats in the league.
LAST TIME OUT
Utah battled back to earn a point for the standings in Wednesday’s 5-4 overtime loss to the Anaheim Ducks. Defenseman Michael Kesselring and forward Clayton Keller each scored in the third period to pull Utah ahead, but Anaheim’s Leo Carlsson scored in overtime to seal a Ducks victory. The game signaled the end of Utah’s eight-day road trip on which the team earned five of a possible eight points across four games.
GUENTHER NAMED NHL’S FIRST STAR OF THE WEEK
Utah announced on Monday that Dylan Guenther was named as the NHL’s First Star for the week ending Oct. 13. The 21-year-old paced the NHL with five goals in Utah’s first three games, including the franchise’s first goal on Oct. 8 against the Chicago Blackhawks. Guenther would go on to score again that night, along with two goals on Oct. 10 against the New York Islanders (including the overtime winner) and again on Oct. 12 against the New York Rangers. The Edmonton, Alberta native was selected ninth overall by the Arizona Coyotes in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft.
HOT HAYTON
Utah’s Barrett Hayton is tied for second on the team with four goals through the club’s first five games. Hayton had just three goals in 33 games last season, missing significant time due to injury. The 24-year-old centers Utah’s top forward line in between Clayton Keller and Nick Schmaltz.
LOOK AHEAD
The homestand continues for the Utah Hockey Club with games on Tuesday, Oct. 22 against the Ottawa Senators and Thursday, Oct. 24 against the Colorado Avalanche.