Don’t look now, but the Utah Hockey Club is playing really well. They’re now on a six-game road winning streak following their 4-3 win over the San Jose Sharks on Saturday.

Clayton Keller scored the game-winner in the final minute of regulation, but the whole team deserves credit for the win. They frustrated their opponent, they peppered Sharks goalie Vitek Vanecek with shots and they drew enough penalties to justify a restraining order.

It hasn’t always been this way for Utah HC. They’ve come a long way in a short amount of time.

“When everything is sunshine and rainbows and everything is good, that’s one thing,” said head coach André Tourigny after the game. “But when you have adversity … the way we bounced back, that’s good stuff. That’s what you want to see from your team.”

How this works

This is a three-part article geared toward three different audiences.

  • First, we’ll have “Utah hockey for dummies” for all you new hockey fans. Welcome, by the way — we’re glad you’ve taken an interest in the greatest sport in the world.
  • Next, we’ll have a section titled “Utah hockey for casual fans,” aimed at those who have a basic understanding of the sport.
  • Finally, we’ll have “Utah hockey for nerds.” That will be for those of you who, like me, think about nothing but hockey all day, every day.

Feedback is welcome, so let me know what you think in the comments of this article or the comments section on “X."

Utah Hockey for dummies

Revenge is best served cold. Ice-cold, in fact.

In late October, the Utah Hockey Club suffered disappointing losses to the Colorado Avalanche and the Sharks, both on home ice. This week, they got their revenge on both teams in their respective buildings.

When they faced the Sharks in October, the problem was they didn’t stay disciplined the full 60 minutes. They were comfortable with their 4-1 lead with five minutes left in the third, but that’s all the time the Sharks needed to get back in it.

This time around, they played until the final buzzer. Keller, the team captain, scored the game-winning goal with less than a minute left. He drew a high-sticking penalty and then capitalized with the man advantage.

“We’ve had a lot of confidence,” Keller said after the game. “Guys are talking on the bench. You can just feel it. There’s a different feeling. To have that is a good thing. I’m looking forward to our next game.”

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Utah Hockey for casual fans

Whenever I mention Utah HC’s playoff chances, people always tell me how unrealistic it is to talk about this team and the playoffs in the same conversation, but if the last three weeks are a true indication of this team’s potential, it would be irresponsible to count them out.

They’re 7-2-2 in their last 11 games and they haven’t lost by more than one goal since their Nov. 18 contest against the Washington Capitals and they currently sit two points shy of the playoffs.

Remember, too, that they’re doing this with major injuries to some key players — almost all of whom play the same position. When Sean Durzi and John Marino are back, they’ll receive an instant boost to the lineup.

When Robert Bortuzzo and Maveric Lamoureux return, they’ll practically have enough depth to ice two teams. When Connor Ingram is healthy, they’ll have three NHL-caliber goalies.

Utah Hockey for nerds

Utah’s fourth line has arguably been its second-best group the last handful of games. Kevin Stenlund extended his point streak to five games — tied for the longest in franchise history; Michael Carcone now has four points in his last five games; Alexander Kerfoot has two goals and two assists in his last eight games.

At 5:29 of the third period Saturday, the line almost struck again, though a great positional save from Vanecek stopped Stenlund’s point-blank shot.

That line has been all over the place and should get a lot of the credit for Utah’s recent success. They also kill penalties, they play practice hard and they’re always positive.

A lot of players have been important to Utah HC this year, and these guys should not be counted out.

“Our line has been great,” Carcone said after the game. “(We’re) finding the back of the net lately. I guess that’s the NHL. That’s how it goes. Some weeks are going to be good ... Sometimes you’re going to be pretty low.”

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What’s next?

Utah HC gets a three-day break before its next action: a home game on Wednesday against the Vancouver Canucks.

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Like Utah HC, the Canucks have dealt with some major injuries this year, which has probably impacted their place in the standings. They finished first in the Pacific Division last year but they’re currently holding on to the second wild card spot, though with a few exceptions, they have gotten healthier in recent weeks.

It will be reigning Norris Trophy winner Quinn Hughes’ first regular season visit to the NHL’s newest arena — though he did play a preseason game there in 2019.

He’s a true treat to watch. Some offensive defensemen are compared to quarterbacks for the way they control the play, but it would be more accurate to describe Hughes as the maestro of a symphony.

Although the game is in Utah, it starts at 8 p.m. MDT. It will be available on Utah 16 and Utah HC+.

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