Clayton Keller's career-high five points propel Utah Hockey Club to 6-1 rout of Minnesota Wild
Six players score as Utah pulls within two points of final playoff spot in Western Conference
It took a few months to establish the vibe, but Delta Center has become a decided home-ice advantage for Utah Hockey Club.
Captain Clayton Keller had a career high and franchise record five points, a career-high four assists, and six different players scored as Utah tied its season-high for goals in a game with a 6-1 rout of the Minnesota Wild on Thursday. It was Utah’s third straight win against Minnesota this season.
The win pulled Utah (27-24-9) within two points of the Vancouver Canucks for the final wild card spot in the Western Conference. Utah is 3-0 on this critical four-game homestand, and 6-1-2 over its past nine games at Delta Center.
“All four lines are playing with a lot of confidence and we’re getting a lot of chances,” Keller said. “It’s great to see some go in but that doesn’t change the process. Just keep doing the same thing and good things happen.
“Every game for the rest of the year is huge for us. We’re fighting for that playoff spot. I like our swagger right now.”
Keller, Barrett Hayton, Dylan Guenther, Sean Durzi, Nick Schmaltz and Logan Cooley all scored for Utah, while Karel Vejmelka made 15 saves against the Wild, who played without star forward Kirill Kaprizov and do-everything center Joel Eriksson Ek.
It was the ninth time this season that Minnesota has lost by four or more goals. Keller had a major hand in that result. With five points in the game, he is just 17 points away from his career high of 86 with 22 games remaining.
“The thing about Kells is you know he’s going to bring it every single day — practice, games, he’s locked in,” Durzi said. “Wins, losses, he’s going to bring that focus every single day.”
Playoff watch: With the win, Utah pulled within two points of the Vancouver Canucks for the final wild card spot in the Western Conference, and within one point of Calgary for ninth place in the Western Conference, while remaining a point ahead of the St. Louis Blues. Calgary lost at Tampa Bay. St. Louis won in Washington. Vancouver lost at Anaheim.
Shot suppression: In the first three games of this homestand, Utah has held all three of its opponents below their season average in shots on goal. Vancouver had 16 shots on goal in a 2-1 loss on Sunday. The Canucks average 25.2. Chicago had 22 shots on goal in a 2-1 loss on Tuesday. It averages 24.8. Minnesota had 17 shots on goal. It averages 27.9. Minnesota had no shots on goal in the first 13 minutes of the third period.
Carcone injured: Forward Michael Carcone missed the game with a lower-body injury. Coach André Tourigny said he is day to day.
Quotable: Nick Schmaltz took a stick to the mouth late in the first period that left blood all over the ice and forced Schmaltz to the dressing room for some medical attention. Schmaltz did not require any stitches but Tourigny did not know the full extent of the damage. “I went to see him and I told him he was much better looking that way,” Tourigny quipped.
Up next: Utah closes out this four-game homestand with a game against the New Jersey Devils on Saturday at 7 p.m. The Devils lead the season series, 1-0. New Jersey outshot Utah, 32-20, in a 3-0 victory at Prudential Center in Newark on Oct. 14. This will be defenseman John Marino’s first game against his former team. Utah assistant coach John Madden played 712 games for New Jersey from 1998-2009.
