On Tuesday night, we saw the Utah Hockey Club match up with the Chicago Blackhawks for the first time since both teams opened their season back at the Delta Center in October. Utah dominated the first matchup between these two teams, earning their first win in franchise history. Tonight, the Blackhawks were looking for revenge against what could develop into a Central Division rivalry, with both teams attempting to come out of rebuilds.
Game Recap
The game started with Utah drawing two early power plays. The Blackhawks killed both off before drawing their first power play opportunity. Seth Jones scored his seventh goal on the ensuing power play on a tremendous individual effort. Jones walked the blue line, then stepped into a snap shot to beat Utah goalie Karel Vejmelka.
Jones’ goal was the only puck that found the back of the net in the first period. Despite carrying a 1-0 lead into the second frame, the Blackhawks only had 13.33% of the scoring chances and 12.8% of the expected goals as Utah dominated the puck for much of the period.
The second period was similar to the first, with Utah dominating most of the scoring chances and struggling to find the back of the net. That is until Clayton Keller whacked home a rebound off a Michael Kesselring shot with less than a minute left in the period, making the game 1-1 going into the final frame.
Utah continued to dominate the puck in the third period; they were finally rewarded with their first lead of the game when Lawson Crouse scored on a backhand shot from the slot, beating Blackhawks goaltender Arvid Soderblom upstairs to take a 2-1 lead with eight minutes to play.
Utah held this one-goal lead, thanks to a couple of big saves from Vejmelka, while the Blackhawks had the goalie pulled. With the win, Utah moves within three points of the Calgary Flames for the second Western Conference wildcard playoff spot. This felt like a must-win game for Utah, with the Blackhawks sitting second to last in the NHL.
With Utah trying to track down that final playoff spot, their final two matchups with the Blackhawks over the next month and a half will be pivotal four points in the standings for Utah. These must-win games will be on the road at the United Center in Chicago.
