The Utah Hockey Club comes into Monday’s game against the Dallas Stars on an all-time high.
The team beat the Vegas Golden Knights 6-0 on Saturday, and now Utah will look for its first set of consecutive wins this season.
Monday’s game will be the second half of a back-to-back for the Stars, who hosted — and beat — the first-place Winnipeg Jets on Sunday before flying to Salt Lake City for Monday’s game.
If there’s one advantage Utah HC has in this game, it will be the extra day of rest.
Monday’s game is the first of three games between these two teams in the next four weeks. Here’s what Utah HC fans need to know about the Stars before they battle it out.
What you need to know about the Dallas Stars
The Stars reached the Western Conference Final in last year’s playoffs, but ultimately fizzled out in six games against the Edmonton Oilers. Their sole focus this year is to win the Stanley Cup.
They’re currently in third place in the Central Division, but don’t let that fool you into thinking they’re below average. The two teams ahead of them — the Winnipeg Jets and the Minnesota Wild — are currently the two best teams in the league. This is a very good hockey team with the tools to win in any fashion.
They have allowed the second-least goals against this season. They allow fewer shots per game than all but five other teams. Their penalty kill is the sixth-best in the league. Needless to say, Utah will need to bring their “A” game if they’re going to score enough goals to win.
Matt Duchene is having a particularly good season for the Stars. The 33-year-old center is 15th in the NHL in goals and 22nd in points. That’s not bad for a player making $3 million on a one-year deal.
Tyler Seguin, another veteran, is also having a comeback year. In each of his last four full seasons, he has scored 50 points (give or take two points). That’s not bad production, but as one of the highest-paid players in the league, they’ve needed more from him. He’s finally doing that this year.
The Stars also have Miro Heiskanen and Jake Oettinger. Heiskanen is widely regarded as one of the best defensemen in the world and most people would rank Oettinger as a top-10 goalie.
Again, the Stars are a good team. It will take a complete effort — like the one Utah HC showed against the Golden Knights — for Utah to claim victory on Monday.
Utah Hockey Club milestones
It’s Mikhail Sergachev’s 500th regular season game in the NHL. If you include playoff games, it’s his 600th.
Sergachev has done nothing but dominate. He has two Stanley Cup rings, more than 300 points (regular season and playoffs combined) and is one of the league’s premier defensive defensemen. He gives his team a better shot at winning, night in and night out.
You couldn’t ask for anything more from a player.
Additionally, it will be Michael Kesselring’s 99th game, meaning he’ll play Game 100 in Buffalo on Saturday, barring any extremes. Kesselring has taken a major step up this season, proving to be an invaluable member of the team.
He never hesitates to jump up in the rush, which has allowed him to score half a point per game thus far. But when he doesn’t score, he always gets back in time to defend.
Where to watch Utah Hockey Club vs. Dallas Stars
The game will be available on both Utah 16 and Utah HC+. Tickets are also available on a number of platforms, including Ticketmaster, where they’re as low as $42.