After a roller-coaster of a game against the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday, the Utah Hockey Club heads to Colorado to take on the Avalanche on Thursday.
The Avalanche are on a tear. They’ve won three games in a row, thanks, in large part, to some solid goaltending from newly acquired Scott Wedgewood. Goaltending had been their biggest struggle until this point in the season, but a pair of trades in the last two weeks have landed them an entirely new tandem between the pipes.
Both Mikko Rantanen and Nathan MacKinnon had five-point nights against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday. Rantanen scored a hat trick and MacKinnon now leads the NHL in points. There’s no good way to contain those guys, but Utah will have to figure out how to do it if they want to win.
Utah Hockey Club’s key to victory
It’s a homecoming for the Avalanche, who have been on an Eastern Conference road trip the entirety of December so far. As glad as they’ll be to finally come home, they’re probably exhausted.
How do you beat a tired team? You play fast, physical hockey.
Utah HC has a number of players who are fast: Logan Cooley, Clayton Keller, Dylan Guenther — and another handful who are physical in Jack McBain, Lawson Crouse and Michael Kesselring. If everyone chips in, they should be able to wear down their opponents enough to take home a W.
Of course, the Avalanche are also fast and physical, and Utah HC isn’t exactly well-rested either. The beat reporters in the next state over might be writing the same thing at this very moment.
Utah Hockey Club vs. Colorado Avalanche, Oct. 24, 2024
The last time these teams faced each other, it did not go Utah’s way. Crouse potted a late goal to avoid being shut out, but Utah took the 5-1 loss regardless.
A lot can change over the course of seven weeks. Neither team is coming back with the same roster and both have been through significant peaks and valleys. This game starts at 0-0, not 5-1.
Former Avalanche of the Utah Hockey Club
If you’ve read enough of these articles, you’ve probably realized that Ian Cole has played for a lot of different teams. The Avalanche are one of them. He played two full seasons there, in addition to two games of the next season before being traded to the Wild in 2021.
Alex Kerfoot began his career with the Avalanche. His career high in goals came in his first season, where he tickled the twine 19 times. In 2019, they shipped him to the Toronto Maple Leafs as part of the Nazem Kadri deal.
Kevin Connauton, whom Utah called up from the minors on Wednesday, played a total of eight games for the Avalanche in the regular season and playoffs of the 2019-2020 season.
We can’t forget Liam “Spicy Tuna” O’Brien, who played 12 games in the blue and burgundy after signing there mid-season in 2021.
Last but not least, we have two members of the coaching staff: head coach André Tourigny and assistant coach Mario Duhamel. They both assisted former Avalanche head coach Patrick Roy from 2013 to 2015.
Where to watch
The game will be available on Utah HC+ and Utah 16. It starts at 7 p.m. MDT.