The goal lifted Utah Hockey Club to their second straight 2-1 win, their third straight home win, and it pulled them within three points of the Calgary Flames for the Western Conference's second wild card spot.
“I did a lot of reflecting over the break," Crouse said. "I felt that I was getting away from that shot-first mentality. I said to myself, 'I’m going to shoot more pucks whenever I can…and when I do get the puck, be ready to shoot it.'”
How dominant was Crouse's line? At 5-on-5, McBain was on the ice for 26 shot attempts for and one against for a Corsi For Percentage of 96.30. Doan was on the ice for 27 shot attempts for and two against (93.10). Crouse was on the ice for 24 shot attempts for and two against (92.31). Those eye-popping stats were part of Utah's season-high 93 shot attempts.
Keller scored his 21st goal of the season and Karel Vejmelka made 21 saves for Utah, which is 2-0 on this critical four-game homestand. Utah is 5-1-2 at Delta Center over its past eight games.
Clayton Killer: Maybe it's the fact that he grew up in the nearby and rival city of St. Louis. Maybe it helped that he arrived on the NHL scene just as the Blackhawks were exiting their Stanley Cup years. Whatever the reason, Keller likes playing Chicago almost as much as he likes playing his hometown team.
Keller scored his 21st goal of the season to tie the game with 44 seconds remaining in the second period. It was his 12th goal and 22nd point in 20 career games against the Blackhawks. It also extended his point streak to five games (three goals, seven points), keeping him on pace for a career-high in points (current pace of 88).
Playoff watch: Utah Hockey Club didn't get a lot of help on the out-of-town scoreboard, but at least they kept pace with the main contenders for the final Western Conference wild card spot. Calgary beat Washington to take over the second wild card spot and St. Louis beat San José, while Anaheim lost to Buffalo.
When the night concluded, the race was even tighter. Calgary has 64 points, Vancouver has 63, Utah has 61, St. Louis has 60 and Anaheim has 57.
Quotable: Coach André Tourigny on his team's ability to stay focused and not get frustrated in a tight game where the puck wasn't going in the net: "The baby is growing."
Up next: Utah hosts the Minnesota Wild at Delta Center at 7 p.m. on Thursday. Minnesota leads the season series, 2-1. The Wild won 5-4 in a shootout at Delta Center on Dec. 10, and 2-1 at Xcel Energy Center in Minnesota on Dec. 20. Barrett Hayton scored twice and Karel Vejmelka made 26 saves for his first shutout of the season in a 4-0 Utah victory in Minnesota on Jan. 23.
