WHEN: 6:00 p.m. MT
WHERE: Canada Life Centre - Winnipeg, Manitoba
TV: SEG+, UtahHC+, Utah 16 | RADIO: KSL Sports Zone 97.5 FM, NHL App
A three-game road trip continues for the Utah Hockey Club (21-19-7) tonight against the Winnipeg Jets (32-14-3) at Canada Life Centre. Tonight is also the second game of a back-to-back for Utah following a 4-0 win over the Minnesota Wild last night. Utah has now won three straight games, including a 5-2 victory over the Jets on Monday at Delta Center.
ONE-TIMERS
- Clayton Keller has goals in three straight games and now leads the team with 17 goals.
- Karel Vejmelka recorded the second shutout in Utah Hockey Club history last night with 26 saves against Minnesota.
- Tonight is Utah’s third straight game against the top two teams in the Central Division (Minnesota, Winnipeg).
- Utah has won four straight games against divisional opponents and is now 7-6-2 against the rest of the Central.
- Utah is four points behind the Calgary Flames for the second wild card spot in the Western Conference.
TONIGHT’S MATCHUP
Utah and Winnipeg saw each other just four days ago at Delta Center, and Utah cruised to a 5-2 victory after leading 4-0 at one point in the third period. The Jets have since rebounded with a 3-2 overtime win over the Colorado Avalanche on Wednesday, and they remain at the top of the Central Division with 67 points. Winnipeg is third in the league in both goals for (3.47 per game) and goals against (2.45) entering tonight. Utah’s five-goal outburst against the Jets on Jan. 20 was a rarity in Winnipeg games; the Jets have only allowed more than three goals once (Utah) in their last eight contests. Despite the fact that Utah scored four past him on Monday before adding the empty-netter, Winnipeg still features the league’s top goalie in Connor Hellebuyck, who leads the NHL in wins (29), goals-against average (2.02), and save percentage (.927).
WHO TO WATCH
UTAH: #8 NICK SCHMALTZ - After assisting on Clayton Keller’s power-play goal last night, Schmaltz now has points in seven straight games (3G, 6A), tying him for the longest point streak of Utah’s inaugural season. Schmaltz is third on the team in scoring with 38 points (9G, 29A) in 47 games.
WINNIPEG: #62 NINO NIEDERREITER - Niederreiter has three goals in the previous two meetings against the Utah Hockey Club, including two on Nov. 5 when the teams first met. The Chur, Switzerland native has 13 goals in 49 games this season, giving him a double-digit goal total in every season he has played since 2013-14 in which he has appeared in more than 50 games.
LOOK BACK
Karel Vejmelka picked up the second shutout in Utah’s NHL history with 26 saves against the Minnesota Wild last night in a 4-0 road win at Xcel Energy Center. Barrett Hayton scored two goals for Utah, both on tipped Nick DeSimone shots, while Clayton Keller added a power-play tally, and Lawson Crouse bagged his seventh goal of the season. Hayton led off the scoring just 1:46 into the first period, and Utah never looked back in their second win of the season over the Wild.
LAST MEETING
Utah tamed the top team in the Western Conference on Monday night at Delta Center with a 5-2 win over the conference-leading Winnipeg Jets. The game was scoreless until 36 minutes in, when Olli Määttä buried a slapshot from the blue line for his first goal of the season. Later in the second with just 18 seconds remaining in the period, Logan Cooley scored on a two-on-one to extend Utah’s lead. The line of Barrett Hayton, Josh Doan, and Matias Maccelli produced two more tallies in the third to cement Utah’s lead; Hayton netted a crafty setup from Doan off the rush, and Maccelli lit the lamp after a tic-tac-toe passing play that involved the entire line. Winnipeg pushed back with two goals of their own in the third, but Clayton Keller scored the empty-netter to clinch the win.
CLAYTON KELLER
With a goal last night against Minnesota, Clayton Keller now has goals in three straight games. During his current five-game point streak, the Utah captain has amassed 10 points (3G, 7A), including a four-point night on Jan. 18 against St. Louis. The 26-year-old got off to the best statistical start of his career, and he currently leads Utah with 51 points (17G, 34A). He reached the 40-point plateau in just 39 games this season- five games faster than his previous fastest 40 points which came last season with the Arizona Coyotes in 44 contests. Keller is on pace for 90 points this season, which would be a new career high.
BARRETT HAYTON
Barrett Hayton has multiple points in back-to-back outings for the first time this season after a goal and two assists against Winnipeg on Jan. 20 and two goals last night against Minnesota. The centerman has also notched the game-winning goal in each of those last two games, and now has four game-winners on the season. With 25 points (11G, 14A) in 47 games, Hayton is on pace for 44 points this season, which would be a new career high. The 24-year-old is second on the team with a +9 rating.
LOOK AHEAD
Utah finalizes its three-game road trip on Sunday, Jan. 26 against the Ottawa Senators. Ottawa downed Utah 4-0 on Oct. 22 at Delta Center, and Sunday will be the second and final meeting of the season between the two teams.