Now that the Utah Hockey Club has figured out how to win games at home, it’s hitting the road again. Up first are the Minnesota Wild.
The Wild are 1-3-0 in their last four games, but they’re still the second-placed team in the Central Division and the fourth-best team in the Western Conference overall.
ESPN has the exclusive rights to broadcast this game, so it will not be streamed on UtahHC+ or Utah16. Instead, tune into ESPN+ or Hulu.
Previous meetings and injuries
This is the third of four games between the two teams this season. Utah HC is 1-0-1, having lost 5-4 in a shootout on Dec. 10 and won 2-1 on Dec. 20.
A regulation win on Thursday would secure the season series for Utah, though that’s not what it’s most concerned about. UHC simply needs points.
Both teams are struggling with injuries to players who had big impacts during previous games against each other.
Dylan Guenther, who scored both of Utah’s goals on Dec. 20, is out indefinitely with a lower-body injury. Mikhail Sergachev, who had three assists in those two games, is listed as day-to-day with an upper-body injury. It’s unclear whether he’ll be ready to play Thursday.
Wild forward Marcus Johansson, who had 3 points on Dec. 10, did not practice with the team on Wednesday, per Michael Russo of The Athletic. He took an elbow to the chin from Connor McDavid on Jan. 15 and hasn’t played since.
Wild leading scorer Kirill Kaprizov, who had 2 points in those two games, hasn’t played since Dec. 23, but he skated on Wednesday and may be ready to play on Thursday.
Additionally, Wild captain Jared Spurgeon is coming up on three weeks since his last game and Jonas Brodin is four days behind him in missed time.
Utah HC defensemen Sean Durzi and Robert Bortuzzo are also out long term.
Something to prove
Six days after the announcement of the 4 Nations Face-Off rosters, Clayton Keller, a Team USA snub, got the chance to show USA general manager Bill Guerin what he passed up on.
Keller scored two goals — both on the power play — against the Wild, the team that Guerin manages in his day job. The next time they played, he added an assist.
“That’s a team that everyone wants to be a part of and when you’re not selected, you look yourself in the mirror and you go to work the next day with a little extra jump,” Keller said after his two-goal game.
In Guerin’s playing days, where he participated in more than 1,400 NHL games (regular season and playoffs combined), he was known for decimating opponents both offensively and physically. He was tough.
Although Keller is a fraction of Guerin’s size and doesn’t get as physically involved as Guerin did, nobody can accuse him of not being tough.
He took a deflected puck just above his right eye on Monday. He went to the medical room, got a dozen stitches, returned to the ice and tallied 2 points.
Teams can replace injured players before the tournament starts. If anything happens to a Team USA forward, Keller will probably garner consideration.
Where to watch Utah Hockey Club vs. Minnesota Wild
As mentioned, the nationally broadcast game will be available exclusively on ESPN+ and Hulu. It starts at 6 p.m. MST.