28985741_NHL__Utah_Hockey_Club_vs__Columbus_Blue_Jackets_Hunter_Dyke_20250202_190813

The Utah Hockey Club enters the final week of play before the 4 Nations Face-Off break needing to go on a run. Utah trails the Calgary Flames by eight points for the final Western Conference wild card spot with 30 games remaining in the season.

The team has lost five straight (0-3-2), it has won just five times in its past 20 games, and a four-game homestand concludes on Tuesday with the struggling Philadelphia Flyers coming to town before Utah hits the road for games against three Eastern Conference opponents currently in playoff spots: the Columbus Blue Jackets, Carolina Hurricanes and Washington Capitals.

"We're in the sprint," coach André Tourigny said. "It's a race. Every step is important. It's certainly a huge game for us against Philly. We need the two points. We need to finish the homestand at least at .500 and hit the road and have a hell of a road trip before the break. There's no doubt about it."

Upcoming Schedule
Tuesday, 2/4: home vs. Philadelphia, 7 p.m. MT

Thursday, 2/9: home at Columbus, 5 p.m. MT

Saturday, 2/8: at Carolina, 11 a.m. MT

Sunday, 2/9: home at Washington, 10:30 a.m. MT

Scouting the Flyers: The big story surrounding the Flyers (23-25-6) right now is the fallout from a trade that sent forwards Morgan Frost and Joel Farabee to the Calgary Flames for forwards Andrei Kuzmenko, Jakob Pelletier, a 2025 second-round pick, and a 2028 seventh-round pick. Both were popular players in the dressing room, but GM Danny Briére decided neither fit with the long-term plan. The move was a clear signal that the Flyers are looking to the future, rather than the 2025 postseason despite being seven points off the second wild card spot in the Eastern Conference. Philadelphia has been shut out in three consecutive games, the first time that's happened in Flyers history in the regular season.
Individual stats: Forward Travis Konceny leads the Flyers with 21 goals and 38 points. No other Flyer has topped the 40-point plateau. The Flyers are allowing 3.33 goals per game, the sixth-worst mark in the NHL. Philadelphia's power play (15.5 percent) ranks 28th in the NHL and its penalty kill (77.4 percent) ranks 21st.
Injury update: Forward Owen Tippett is battling an upper body injury and probably won't play Tuesday. Forward Nic Deslauriers is nearing a return from a back injury but is still on injured reserve (IR). Defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen left Sunday's game in Denver with an injury. No update was immediately available. Pelletier and Kuzmenko, the players Philadelphia got in the trade from Calgary, aren't yet available due to Visa issues. The Flyers are hoping that will be cleared up by Tuesday and they can play vs. Utah.

Season series: Utah leads, 1-0. Jaxson Stauber stopped 22 shots and Utah got goals from four players to defeat the Flyers on Dec. 8 in Philadelphia.

Scouting the Blue Jackets: The Dallas Stars snapped the Blue Jackets' three-game winning streak with a 5-3 victory on Sunday in Dallas, but Columbus (26-20-7) still holds the second wild card spot in the Eastern Conference. The Blue Jackets have won 10 of their past 14 games (10-3-1).

Individual stats: Forward Kirill Marchenko leads the team with 21 goals and defenseman Zach Werenski is in the Norris Trophy conversation with a team-high 57 points that ranks third in the NHL to Vancouver's Quinn Hughes (59) and Colorado's Cale Makar (57) among NHL defensemen.
Injury update: Marchenko left Sunday's game in Dallas in the second period with an undisclosed injury and did not return. Defenseman Dante Fabbro (upper body) left in the first period and did not return. Center Sean Monahan (wrist) and defenseman Erik Gudbranson (shoulder) are both expected back in late March or early April. F Boone Jenner (shoulder) is expected back this month. Forward Yegor Chinakhov (ankle) is out indefinitely.

Season series: Columbus leads, 1-0, having rallied from a two-goal, third-period deficit to defeat Utah, 3-2, in overtime on Friday at Delta Center.

Scouting the Hurricanes: Carolina (32-17-4) made it crystal clear that it is playing for the Cup right now with the acquisition of superstar forward Mikko Rantanen from the Colorado Avalanche in a three-way deal. The Hurricanes are 6-2-2 in their past 10 games and sit in second place in the Metro Division.

Individual stats: Center Sebastian Aho leads the Hurricanes with 51 points and forward Seth Jarvis leads the team with 20 goals. Goaltender Pyotr Kochetkov is ninth in the NHL with a 2.47 goals against average.
Injury update: Forward Andrei Svechnikov (upper body) is day to day. Forwards Tyson Jost (lower body) and William Carrier (lower body, surgery) are out indefinitely. F Jesper Fast (neck) is on LTIR.
Season series: Utah leads 1-0. Nick Bjugstad scored his second goal of the game in a three-goal Utah outburst in a 2½-minute span of the third period to give Utah a 4-1 victory on Nov. 13 at Delta Center.

Scouting the Capitals: The Capitals (34-11-7) lead the Eastern Conference with 75 points despite the absence of star Alex Ovechkin for more than a month with an injury sustained at Utah on Nov. 18. Ovechkin has 24 goals in 36 games. He is 18 goals shy of breaking Wayne Gretzky's career record for goals (894). Washington is 7-1-2 in its past 10 games, but it has lost its past two games in overtime.

Individual stats: Center Dylan Strome leads the team with 50 points. Ovechkin leads the team in goals. Goaltender Logan Thompson is second in the NHL with a .924 save percentage and 26.53 goals saved above expected.

Injury update: Forward Sonny Milano (upper body) is on injured reserve. Forwards Nicklas Backström (hip) and TJ Oshie (back) are on LTIR and will not return this season.
Season series: Washington leads, 1-0. Alex Oevchkin scored twice before leaving with an injury to lead Washington to a 6-2 victory over Utah on Nov. 18 at Delta Center.

Who's hot?

  • Utah goalie Connor Ingram has allowed two goals or fewer in four of six games since returning to the lineup on Jan. 11.
  • Clayton Keller has five goals and 19 points in his past 15 games.
  • Utah's penalty killing unit has killed 68 of opponents' past 76 opportunities over the past 29 games (Nov. 30 to present). The 89.5 percent success rate leads the NHL over that time span.

By the numbers

  • Only nine NHL teams have more road wins than Utah's 13.
  • Utah has 10 games remaining before the March 7 NHL trade deadline.
  • Michael Kesselring's sixth goal of the season on Sunday established a new career high.

Notable: Tourigny said that forward Dylan Guenther is "really day to day" now as he rehabs a lower-body injury that has sidelined him since Jan. 8. Guenther is second on the team with 16 goals in 40 games.