It was not two points but Utah Hockey Club will take it.
After giving up three goals in the second period against the Chicago Blackhawks to go down 3-1, Utah came back and forced overtime Friday night at the United Center.
Connor Bedard’s game-winning goal ultimately dealt the Club a 4-3 loss, however, the team still came away with a point in the standings as the Western Conference playoff push continues. Utah collected three of the four points available on its two-game, back-to-back road trip.
“You learn from every game. Take the mistakes and move on,” John Marino said. “It’s huge for playoff standings with how tight the race is so we’ll take that.”
(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) Utah Hockey Club center Nick Schmaltz (8) as Utah Hockey Club hosts the Minnesota Wild, NHL hockey in Salt Lake City on Thursday, Feb. 27, 2025.
Nick Schmaltz got Utah on the board 54 seconds into the first period. The first-line forward dropped into the slot and one-timed a loose puck — which was redirected in front from Clayton Keller’s initial pass — past Chicago goaltender Spencer Knight for the 1-0 lead.
Schmaltz — who was the 20th overall pick of the Blackhawks in the 2014 NHL Draft — logged his 14th goal of the season, second in two games and fifth point in the last four games.
And then came a middle frame which arguably cost Utah the matchup.
Wyatt Kaiser found the 1-1 equalizer after Sean Durzi misplayed the puck while trying to break out of the zone, allowing Chicago to regain possession. Kaiser proceeded to rip one home at 9:23.
(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Chicago Blackhawks left wing Nick Foligno (17) battles Utah Hockey Club center Jack McBain (22) during an NHL hockey game at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, February. 25, 2025.
Chicago earned its first advantage of the night with a backhanded move in close from Ilya Mikheyev at 12:50 which made it 2-1. Frank Nazar was awarded a penalty shot less than two minutes later; Marino interfered with the forward from behind when he was driving the net. Nazar scored on the all-alone opportunity to widen the gap, 3-1, ahead of the third period.
The Club proved it had more to give in the final stanza. It started with Marino potting his first goal with Utah to pull his team within one. The defenseman picked up a pass from his partner Mikhail Sergachev and wristed it from the point for the 3-2 scoreline at 5:04.
“Just trying to get the puck to the net. McBain had a great screen in front,” Marino said of his goal. “We were kind of doing that the whole night — low to high — and one was bound to go in. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to win.”


Marino gets us within one 🙌

His first of the season comes up BIG! pic.twitter.com/zfe9SwtU0W
A tripping call on Bedard put Utah on the power play at 11:30 and — for the fourth time in four games — capitalized while skating up a man. Keller stationed himself by the right circle and unleashed a rocket off a pass from Sergachev at 12:16 to knot things 3-3.
The play marked Keller’s second point of the night and ninth point in the last five games. The goal also tied the captain with Dylan Guenther for most on the team (23) to force overtime.
“I liked the third period. I think our guys were resilient. I think we stuck together,” head coach André Tourigny said. “I liked the mindset when we got there.”
(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Utah Hockey Club center Clayton Keller (9) during a game against the New York Rangers at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Thursday, Jan. 16, 2025.
The Blackhawks grabbed the contest’s second point in the five-minute, 3-on-3 period. Bedard circled behind the net and up between the hash marks before wiring it past Vejmelka for the 4-3 victory.
Vejmelka started in back-to-back games for Utah on its two-game road trip. The goaltender — who signed a five-year contract extension with the Club on Thursday — made a cumulative 59 saves over the two nights and was one of Utah’s best players in both performances.
“I think everyone is pretty sick of losing,” Marino said. “We expect to win every game and that’s the mentality that we have.”
Utah Hockey Club goalie Karel Vejmelka (70) skates on the ice during the third period against the Colorado Avalanche at an NHL hockey game, Thursday Oct 24, 2024, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Melissa Majchrzak)
Utah — which remains less than four points out of the playoff picture — has two days before its next game, which is Monday against the Toronto Maple Leafs at the Delta Center.
The Club is getting battle-tested down the stretch but it seems it is up to the task.
“Our team is a young team that needs to keep growing. The stress we are in, the situation we are in — it’s adversity, it’s challenging and we like it,” Tourigny said. “I can see the players embracing it. They stay together in those moments. We will learn a ton in the next couple of weeks.”

Note to readers • This story is available to Salt Lake Tribune subscribers only. Thank you for supporting local journalism.
Report a missed paper by emailing subscribe@sltrib.com or calling 801-237-2900
For e-edition questions or comments, contact customer support 801-237-2900 or email subscribe@sltrib.com
sltrib.com © 1996-2025 The Salt Lake Tribune. All rights reserved.

source