The Week Ahead: January 20-26

The Utah Hockey Club (19-19-7) recorded a crucial 4-2 win against the St. Louis Blues at Delta Center on Saturday to remain in the thick of the Western Conference wild card race, but the week ahead provides no relief. Utah will play four straight games against teams in current playoff position, including home and away games against the Central Division leading Winnipeg Jets, and road games against the Minnesota Wild and Ottawa Senators. Utah (45 points) currently sits six points behind Calgary (51 points) for the second wild card spot, but is also behind Vancouver (50) and St. Louis (48).

Upcoming Schedule:
Monday, 1/20: home vs. Winnipeg, 7:30 p.m. MT

Thursday, 1/23: at Minnesota, 6 p.m. MT

Friday, 1/24: at Winnipeg, 6 p.m. MT

Sunday, 1/26: at Ottawa, 3 p.m. MT

Scouting the Jets: Winnipeg (31-13-3) has won three of its past four games and leads the Central Division and Western Conference with 65 points. The Jets' plus-52 goal differential is the best in the NHL. They have the league's top power play at 32.1 percent.

Individual stats: Forward Kyle Connor leads the team in points (60, seventh in the NHL) and center Mark Scheifele leads the team in goals (27, tied for second in the NHL). Goaltender Connor Hellebuyck leads the league in save percentage (.929), goals against average (1.97) and goals saved above expected (35.06).

Injury update: The Jets' blue line is returning to health after a slew of injuries. Dylan Samberg returned recently after missing 21 games with a broken foot. Colin Miller is back after a puck fractured his larynx, and Haydn Fleury is nearing a return from a lower-body injury. Center Vladislav Namestnikov (lower body) is expected to return to the lineup on Monday.

Season series: Utah is 0-1 against the Jets this season, losing 3-0 in Winnipeg on Nov. 5.

Scouting the Wild: Minnesota (27-15-4) has lost four of its past five games, allowing 21 goals in the four losses. The Wild are just one point ahead of surging Colorado for third place in the Central Division. Minnesota has the NHL's 30th-ranked penalty kill at 70.8 percent.

Individual stats: Forward Kirill Kaprizov still leads the team with 23 goals and 50 points despite being sidelined since Dec. 23 with a lower-body injury. Kaprizov could return to the lineup against Utah. Forward Matthew Boldy has five goals and 10 points in his past seven games. Goaltender Filip Gustavsson has allowed 19 goals in his past four starts.

Injury update: The Wild have been beset by injuries. In addition to Kaprizov, defensemen Jonas Brodin (lower body) and Jared Spurgeon (lower body) are on injured reserve, as is forward Marcus Johansson (concussion). Defenseman Brock Faber (upper body) returned to the lineup on Saturday after an 11-day absence.
Season series: Utah is 1-0-1 against the Wild this season, losing 5-4 in a shootout at Delta Center on Dec. 10, and winning 2-1 on the road 10 days later.

Scouting the Senators: With a win at New Jersey on Sunday, Ottawa (24-18-4) climbed into the first wild card spot in the Eastern Conference. The Senators are 5-0-1 in their past six games after going 1-5-1 in their previous seven. It’s the first time Ottawa has had a six-game point streak since a seven-game run from March 2-14, 2017. Ottawa is sixth in the NHL in goals allowed per game at 2.74.

Individual stats: Center Tim Stützle leads the Senators in points with 45. Forward Brady Tkachuk leads the team in goals with 18. Jakob Chychrun is tied for 12th among NHL defensemen in points with 31. Goalie Leevi Meriläinen has four wins in his past five starts.

Injury update: Goalie Linus Ullmark joined the team on its current three-game road trip. He has been out of the lineup since Dec. 22 with a back injury. Forward David Perron (back) has not played since Nov. 23. Defensemen Travis Hamonic (lower body) and Jacob Bernard Docker (lower body) are on injured reserve. Forward Noah Gregor (lower body) is out indefinitely.

Season series: Utah is 0-1 against the Senators this season, falling 4-0 at Delta Center on Oct. 22.

Who's hot?

• Utah center Logan Cooley has a goal in three straight games — the longest streak of his NHL career — and six points in his past four games. Cooley had a season-high three points (G, 2A) against St. Louis, matching his career high. Cooley has posted 10 multi-point games in 2024-25, and his seven multi-assist games are tied with Nick Schmaltz for the team lead. Cooley has posted a point in 21 of his past 26 games, and 14 of his past 17 contests. He has also recorded a point in eight of his past 10 games at Delta Center.
• With four points against St. Louis (G, 3A), Utah forward Clayton Keller has seven points in his past three games, and 12 points in his past nine games (2G, 10A).

By the numbers

• Utah's 12 road wins are tied for the eighth most in the NHL
• In five career games against Minnesota, Utah goaltender Connor Ingram has a .937 save percentage.
• In 12 career games against Ottawa, Utah forward Nick Schmaltz has 17 points (six goals).

Quotable

• "He’s a gamer, for sure. Since day one you could see all the talent. He’s quiet a little bit, but he works tremendously hard and he really cares. It’s been great to play with him and build some chemistry."

— Clayton Keller on recent linemate Logan Cooley