The Utah Hockey Club will look to extend its season-high five-game point streak when it faces the Vancouver Canucks on Wednesday night in Salt Lake City.
During the 4-0-1 stretch, Utah won four road games and moved to within three points of Colorado for the final wild-card spot in the Western Conference. This strong run has helped erase the memory of a tough 7-9-3 start to the season.
The only loss in this stretch was a 5-4 shootout defeat to the Minnesota Wild at home on Dec. 10. However, Utah bounced back with wins against Buffalo (5-2), Philadelphia (4-2), and then a 4-1 victory at Colorado last Thursday and a 4-3 win at San Jose on Saturday.
Utah coach Andre Tourigny shared that the team’s confidence is high. “I think there’s a lot of growth,” he said. “I don’t think we had a great game for three periods (against San Jose), but I really liked how we bounced back in the third. It’s good because not every night is going to be your A-game, but you need to find a way to play well and win.”
At San Jose, Utah was trailing 3-2 before Michael Carcone tied the game midway through the third period. Clayton Keller then scored a power-play goal with 44 seconds left to secure the win.
Tourigny was pleased with the team’s response. “When everything is sunshine and rainbows, that’s one thing, but when you face adversity, the way we bounced back, that’s good stuff. Really proud of the boys.”
Keller emphasized the importance of staying balanced. “They always say you’re never as bad as you thought you were and never as good as you think you are,” said Keller, who has 10 goals and 28 points. “We’re playing the right way right now, and we’ve just got to keep it going.”
The Canucks are bringing their strong 10-2-1 road record to Salt Lake City. They are coming off a 3-1 win over the Colorado Avalanche on Monday. Kiefer Sherwood scored his first career hat trick, and goalie Thatcher Demko made 30 saves to earn his first win of the season.
Demko had a standout season last year with 35 wins and five shutouts, but a knee injury during the playoffs required surgery, delaying his start to this season. After losing his first two starts, Demko was glad to get the win. “Big one for me,” he said. “I wouldn’t have liked 0-3 my first three back. It’s been a long time.”
Vancouver coach Rick Tocchet also acknowledged Demko’s importance: “Demmer is a good goaltender, just to remind everybody.”
This game marks the first of a back-to-back road trip for the Canucks, with a game against the Vegas Golden Knights on Thursday.
