It’s the first game of a potential long-standing rivalry: the Utah Hockey Club vs. the Colorado Avalanche.
Being the closest NHL team to Salt Lake City until 2017, there are still lots of Avalanche fans in Utah. Both teams play in the Central Division and will likely contend with each other for a playoff spot.
It’s nice to win any game, but winning against divisional rivals accomplishes two tasks at once: You gain two points and you prevent the other team from gaining those points. It’s too early in the season for this to be a “must-win” game, but it is important either way.
“Colorado’s a great hockey team,” said Utah HC defenseman Ian Cole, who played parts of three seasons with the Avalanche. “They’ve had a ton of success over the past handful of years. They have great personnel on their team. (They’re a) highly skilled team. We’re going to have to be ready.”
Utah Hockey Club’s keys to success against the Colorado Avalanche
The Avalanche have struggled this year for two reasons: Their goaltending has been bad and injuries have demobilized their top-six forward group.
Most — if not all — of the Avalanche’s injured forwards are expected to return to the lineup at some point this season, so using that cap space to add extra support would handicap them in the long run. This is the same predicament that the New Jersey Devils were in last season and it ended up costing them a playoff spot.
The Avalanche claimed Kaapo Kähkönen off of waivers from the Winnipeg Jets almost two weeks ago in an attempt to remedy their goaltending issues, but he hasn’t played a game yet.
Whether Kähkönen or one of the other Avalanche goalies plays Thursday, the key for Utah HC will be to take a lot of shots. That’s something it struggled with earlier in the season, but its managed 30 or more shots in each of the last three games.
Utah HC head coach André Tourigny believes that the key to defending against the Avalanche is to reduce the chances they get from the slot.
“They shoot a lot from the slot,” he said. “They’re a team who penetrates the slot by skating and (they) pass the puck to (the) slot a lot. The coverage in our slot got better in the last 10 days. Tomorrow will be a great test.”
It might surprise some to know that Utah HC’s penalty kill has been good (82%) and its power play has been mediocre (21%). The team has also allowed three goals at 4-on-4 this season. Improving its special teams will be critical to their success going forward.
Colorado Avalanche team history
In their first year in Colorado, 1996, the Avalanche won the Stanley Cup. They followed it up with another championship in 2001, and eventually another in 2022.
They moved to Colorado from Quebec City, where they were called the Nordiques. Though they never had much playoff success and they struggled to make money, the people of Quebec City were and still are passionate fans. Even now, Quebec City is always rumored to be in the running for the next NHL expansion team.
The Avalanche are currently in a seven-year playoff streak. That’s what happens when your lineup boasts Cale Makar, Nathan MacKinnon, Gabriel Landeskog and Mikko Rantanen.