The Utah Hockey Club (21-21-7) will open a four-game homestand against the Pittsburgh Penguins at Delta Center on Wednesday. None of the four opponents on this homestand is currently in a playoff spot so this stretch offers Utah an opportunity to climb back into the Western Conference wild card race after slipping six points behind the Calgary Flames.
Utah is just 8-11-1 on home ice but has won their past two games at Delta Center. Getting on a roll in Salt Lake City is critical to the team's playoff hopes.
Utah hopes to get a big reinforcement on this homestand. Defenseman Mikhail Sergachev is day to day with an upper-body injury. He did not accompany the team on its just-concluded three-game road trip, but he could return at some point during this homestand.
Upcoming Schedule
Wednesday, 1/29: home vs. Pittsburgh, 7:30 p.m. MT
Friday, 1/31: home vs. Columbus, 7 p.m. MT
Sunday, 2/2: home vs. St. Louis, 5 p.m. MT
Scouting the Penguins: A veteran cast that has won the Stanley Cup three times is showing its age. Pittsburgh (20-23-8) began the week in second-to-last place in the Eastern Conference. The team has lost 10 of its past 13 games (3-7-3) and has allowed 3.63 goals per game, the second worst mark in the NHL. Pittsburgh's power play still ranks sixth in the NHL at 26.9 percent, but the team's .891 save percentage ranks 29th.
Individual stats: Center Sidney Crosby leads the Penguins with 38 assists and 52 points in 51 games. Forward Rickard Rakell leads the team in goals with 23.
Injury update: Forward Evgeni Malkin left Saturday's game against Seattle with a lower-body injury after colliding with Chandler Stephenson. There has been no update on his status. Forward Bryan Rust is day to day with a lower-body injury. So is center Blake Lizotte.
Season series: Utah leads, 1-0. Dylan Guenther had two goals and an assist, Clayton Keller had three assists and Karel Vejmelka stopped 27 shots in a 6-1 victory on Nov. 23 at PPG Paints Arena.
Scouting the Blue Jackets: Playing in the aftermath of the Johnny Gaudreau tragedy, Columbus (24-19-7) is in the Eastern Conference playoff hunt after a four-year hiatus. Under first-year GM Don Waddell and first-year coach Dean Evason, the Jackets are playing inspired hockey. Forward Kirill Marchenko, center Adam Fantilli, forward Kent Johnson, Forwards Dmitri Voronkov, forward Cole Sillinger, and defenseman Denton Mateychuk are all becoming impact regulars. Columbus was tied with Tampa Bay (the Lightning held the tiebreaker) for the Eastern Conference's final wild card spot.
Individual stats: Marchenko leads the team with 20 goals and defenseman Zach Werenski has put himself in the Norris Trophy conversation with a team-high 54 points that ranks second only to Colorado's Cale Makar among NHL defensemen.
Injury update: Center Sean Monahan (wrist) and defenseman Erik Gudbranson (shoulder) are both expected back in late March or early April. Forward Yegor Chinakhov (ankle) is out indefinitely. Sillinger (upper body) is day to day.
Season series: The teams have not met this season.
Scouting the Blues: St. Louis (23-23-4) led Utah by one point in the Central Division when play began on Monday. The Blues have not won more than two straight games at any point this season. St. Louis' penalty killing unit ranks 28th in the NHL at 73 percent. Utah GM Bill Armstrong spent 16 seasons with the Blues organization; six as a scout, and 10 as the director of amateur scouting. He was also assistant GM for the last two seasons.
Individual stats: Forward Jordan Kyrou leads the team in goals (21) and points (42). Goaltender Jordan Binnington has struggled this season with an .898 save percentage.
Injury update: Defenseman Torey Krug (ankle) is on long-term injured reserve. Defenseman Nick Leddy (lower body) is out indefinitely.
Season series: Utah leads, 2-0, winning 4-2 in St. Louis on Nov. 7, and 4-2 at Delta Center on Jan. 18. Clayton Keller has a goal and five points in those two meetings.
Who's hot?
- Keller is riding a seven-game point streak (four goals, 13 points)
- Utah center Barrett Hayton has eight points (four goals) in his past six games.
- Utah defenseman John Marino has logged more than 22 minutes of ice time in three of his past four games.
By the numbers
- Utah forward Nick Schmaltz is one point shy of 400 for his career.
- Utah forward Liam O'Brien has 50 hits in just 12 games this season.
- Either Hayton or Keller has contributed a goal or an assist on 19 of Utah’s past 20 goals.
Quotable
"I'd like to see our team at full strength. Let's see what we can really do when everybody's back. Let's grow organically. I think it's better to do that. You make less mistakes when you go through everything and you see what you have naturally instead of just plucking people out of free agency and putting them in there and then wondering why it doesn't work."
— Utah GM Bill Armstrong on staying patient with a roster that at varying points this season has been without key defensemen John Marino, Sean Durzi, Mikhail Sergachev, forward Dylan Guenther, center Nick Bjugstad and goaltender Connor Ingram
