Utah Hockey Club coach André Tourigny breathed a sigh of relief when he reached the podium for his postgame news conference on Sunday.
He knew how important a 2-1 regulation win against the Vancouver Canucks was.
Had Utah lost, they would have fallen eight points off the pace for the final Western Conference wild card spot; an almost insurmountable deficit this late in the season.
“We gave ourselves a chance,” Tourigny said.
Now Utah must take advantage of that opportunity. That means taking care of home ice. Thirteen of Utah’s final 24 games are at Delta Center where the team has won just 10 times this season; the second fewest home wins in the NHL.
Utah has a chance to alter that script on this four-game homestand that continues on Tuesday. Here’s a look at the big week ahead.
Upcoming Schedule
Tuesday, 2/25: home vs. Chicago, 7 p.m. MT
Thursday, 2/27: home vs. Minnesota, 7 p.m. MT
Saturday, 3/1: home vs. New Jersey, 7 p.m. MT
Scouting the Blackhawks: Chicago (17-33-7) has lost three straight games, six of its past seven, and nine of its past 11 (2-5-4). The Blackhawks are headed toward a fifth straight season without a playoff berth, which would tie for the second longest drought in franchise history; one short of the record. Chicago has the NHL’s second-lowest point total at 41. Chicago’s power play ranks sixth in the NHL at 25.2 percent and its penalty kill ranks eighth at 81.2 percent.
Individual stats: Forward Ryan Donato leads the team in goals with 19. Connor Bedard leads the team with 33 assists and 49 points. Chicago’s goaltenders have combined for a 3.46 goals against average (30th in the NHL).
Injury update: Center Jason Dickinson (ankle) and goalie Laurent Brossoit (knee) are on injured reserve.
Season series: Utah leads, 1-0. In the first game in Utah Hockey Club history, Dylan Guenther had two goals, Connor Ingram made 24 saves and Utah beat the Blackhawks, 5-2 at Delta Center on Oct. 8.
Scouting the Wild: The Wild (34-19-4) returned from the break with a 4-3 overtime victory in Detroit on Saturday, giving the team three straight wins and wins in six of its past eight games. Wild goalie Marc-André Fleury reached another milestone on Saturday, passing Roberto Luongo for second all-time in games played by a goaltender (1,045). Forward Ryan Hartman was suspended 10 games for roughing Ottawa Senators forward Tim Stützle on Feb. 1.
Individual stats: Forward Kirill Kaprizov leads the team with 23 goals and 52 points in 37 games. Forwards Matt Boldy and Marco Rossi are tied with Kaprizov for the team lead in assists with 29. Goaltender Filip Gustavsson is eighth in the NHL with a .915 save percentage.
Injury update: Kaprizov (lower body) will be out “longer than we originally expected,” GM Bill Guerin said Friday, per NHL.com. Center Jakub Lauko (lower body) is on injured reserve.
Season series: Minnesota leads, 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.
Scouting the Devils: Goalie Nico Daws made 29 saves for his first NHL shutout, and Nico Hischier had three assists for the Devils (32-21-6) in a 5-0 win against Nashville on Sunday that kept New Jersey comfortably inside the Eastern Conference playoff picture. This will be Utah defenseman John Marino’s first meeting with his former team.
Individual stats: Center Jack Hughes leads the Devils with 26 goals and 68 points. Forward Jesper Bratt, who is riding a 10-game point streak (two goals, 14 assists), leads the team with 51 assists. Jacob Markström is second in the NHL with a 2.20 goals against average, and 10th in the NHL with a .912 save percentage.
Injury update: Defenseman Jonas Siegenthaler underwent a lower-body procedure during the 4 Nations Face-Off break and will be re-evaluated in two weeks. Markström (knee) is on injured reserve.
Season series: New Jersey leads, 1-0. The Devils outshot Utah 32-20 in a 3-0 victory at Prudential Center in Newark on Oct. 14.
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“That’s what you play for. You play to eventually get into the playoffs and one day win a Stanley Cup. For us, that’s what we’re building for. It’s fun to be in these games, especially when you’re winning – it’s the best feeling.”
– Utah forward Logan Cooley on being in the playoff race
