Until last week, the Utah Hockey Club had never scored seven goals in a game.
With their win over the Nashville Predators on Monday, they’ve now done it twice.
This wasn’t the most conventional game of all time. It started with an early 5-on-3 power play in the Predators’ favor, during which they scored the opening goal.
In the second period, Utah HC matched it with a 5-on-3 goal of their own. A failed coach’s challenge worked against Nashville, and an ice maintenance issue caused them to go to the second intermission early.
In the end, Utah HC came out on top by a score of 7-3.
Utah Hockey for dummies
Whether you care about hockey or not, you can’t help but feel good for a kid whose lifetime of hard work has finally paid off: Goaltender Matt Villalta secured his first-ever NHL win on Monday night.
Villalta had spent the entire season with the AHL’s Tucson Roadrunners until he was called up on March 28. With the Roadrunners, he had played more minutes this season than anyone else in the AHL, logging a .906 save percentage and a 3.01 goals-against average.
As gratifying as it probably is to make a living playing pro hockey in the AHL, that’s not what Villalta or any other child dreamed of during all those early-morning practices growing up.
The goal is the NHL.
That had been Villalta’s key focus in Tucson this year: turning himself into an NHL goaltender. He said simplification and predictability were among the specific things he worked on.
“It was unbelieveable,” he said after the game. “It’s a dream come true — something you dream of as a kid, getting your first game and then eventually winning.”
It’s likely that Karel Vejmelka plays the second half of the back-to-back in St. Louis on Tuesday, but with another year remaining on his contract, it’s highly possible that Villalta gets additional NHL opportunities next season.
As for the game puck, which associate captain Lawson Crouse made sure to snag for him after the game, Villalta said he plans to give it to his grandmother, whom he said keeps all of his shutout pucks.
Utah Hockey for casual fans
Team Captain Clayton Keller scored his 86th, 87th, 88th and 89th points of the season on Monday, besting his previous career high of 86 points in a season.
Nick Schmaltz also set a personal best with 62 points, but they’re far from the only ones to have career years this season. They join the following players in that regard:
- Dylan Guenther (goals, assists and points)
- Logan Cooley (goals, assists and points)
- Barrett Hayton (goals, assists and points)
- Michael Kesselring (goals, assists and points)
- Kevin Stenlund (goals, assists and points)
- Josh Doan (goals, assists and points)
- Jack McBain (goals and points)
- Nick DeSimone (assists and points)
- Mikhail Sergachev (goals)
- Michael Carcone (assists)
- Karel Vejmelka (wins, save percentage and goals-against average)
That’s not normal, and it can mean one of two things: either everyone is over-performing or the rebuild is trending in the right direction.
I think it’s safe to call it the latter.
Utah Hockey for nerds
If it wasn’t clear already, it should be now: Nick Bjugstad is playing for his NHL life.
The 32-year-old had the second-best season of his career in all statistical categories last year, but he hasn’t been able to come close to those numbers since the move to Utah.
This season started with a long-term injury that kept him out of training camp and he just never really hit his stride — until now.
Bjugstad has three goals in his last five games after scoring just five in his previous 60, but it’s not just his stat line that has improved. He has a newfound ability to impose his will upon the opposition, seemingly skating through defensemen as opposed to around them to get the puck to the net.
Being just one year removed from the second-best season of his career, Bjugstad surely believes he has much more to give.
The 6-foot-6 center does not currently have a contract for next season. Whether he wants to return to Utah or find a new home in 2026, playing well down the stretch can only be a good thing for his resume.
What’s next?
Utah HC suits up for the final time this season on Tuesday in St. Louis against the Blues.
The game doesn’t have playoff implications for the visiting team, but the Blues’ season could hinge upon it. The Blues are currently hanging on to the second and final wild card spot in the NHL’s Western Conference, but the Calgary Flames are just two points back with a game in hand, so the Flames have the potential to pass them.
In other words, this is not, by any means, a throwaway game.
It starts at 6 p.m. MDT and can be streamed on Utah HC+, Utah 16 and ESPN+.