WHEN: 7:00 p.m. MT
WHERE: Delta Center – Salt Lake City, Utah
TV: SEG+, UtahHC+, NashCast, Utah 16 | RADIO: KSL Sports Zone 97.5 FM, NHL App
Saturday night at Delta Center features a Central Division matchup between the Utah Hockey Club (18-19-7) and the St. Louis Blues (22-20-4). Utah is directly behind St. Louis in the chase for the second wild card spot in the Western Conference, and the Blues are currently five points ahead of Utah. The two clubs last met on Nov. 7 at Enterprise Center, and Utah claimed a 4-2 win.
ONE-TIMERS
- Logan Cooley has goals in back-to-back games.
- Utah has power-play goals in back-to-back games. The power play has also converted 15 times over the last 18 games.
- Defenseman John Marino played in his first two games of the season this week against Montreal and New York.
- Utah’s penalty kill has not allowed a power-play goal in four straight games.
- Utah’s line of Nick Bjugstad (6-foot-5), Lawson Crouse (6-foot-4), and Jack McBain (6-foot-4) is the tallest in the NHL.
NASHCAST
Tonight’s game will also feature a NashCast viewing experience on SEG+ to go along with the traditional game broadcast. Tyson Nash, a former NHL player and current NHL broadcast personality, and Austin Facer, host of the podcast SLC Puck!, will welcome special guests like Hockey Hall of Fame inductees, former players, notable Utahns, and other prominent characters in hockey and Utah. Together, Nash, Facer, and guests will watch the game live, tell stories, discuss the state of hockey, and more. Fans can sign up to watch tonight’s NashCast along with traditional game broadcasts and an entire library of content segplus.com.
TONIGHT’S MATCHUP
The Blues have won their last two games, both against the Calgary Flames in regulation, and three of their last four entering tonight. St. Louis allowed just one goal in each of their last two games against Calgary and has allowed only six goals total over the last four matches. Former Utah Grizzlies player Jim Montrgomery took over as head coach of the Blues on Nov. 25 and has steered his new club to a 13-8-3 mark since his arrival.
Jordan Kyrou leads the Blues with 39 points (20G, 19A), and offer sheet pickup Dylan Holloway has been a tremendous addition with 34 points (15G, 19A). The Blues also added defenseman Cam Fowler in a trade with the Anaheim Ducks on Dec. 14, and Fowler already has 12 points (4G, 8A) in 16 appearances with St. Louis after only four assists in 17 games with Anaheim.
WHO TO WATCH
UTAH: #63 MATIAS MACCELLI – Maccelli scored two goals in the first period two nights ago against New York and now has four goals in the month of January, tying him for the most amongst all Utah skaters this month. The 24-year-old Fin has 15 points (7G, 8A) this season, and six of his seven goals have come in multi-goal efforts.
ST. LOUIS: #55 COLTON PARAYKO – Known as a sturdy defenseman with a powerful shot, Parayko has goals in three straight games for the Blues to bring his season total to 10, matching a career high. The 10 markers ties him for the fourth-most amongst all NHL defensemen.
LOOK BACK
The New York Rangers came back to beat Utah 5-3 at Delta Center on Thursday night. The Rangers potted three straight goals in the third period to erase what was a 3-2 lead for Utah entering the final frame of regulation. Matias Maccelli scored two goals in the first frame to get Utah out to a 2-1 start, but a goal from New York’s Arthur Kaliyev tied the game at 2-2 late in the first. Logan Cooley netted a power-play goal for Utah just 57 seconds into the second frame to give the home team the edge, but goals in the third from New York’s Reilly Smith, Chris Kreider, and Artemi Panarin proved too much. Panarin scored twice in the game, including the empty-netter to seal the 21st win of the season for his club.
LAST MEETING
Utah knocked off the Blues with a 4-2 decision in St. Louis on Nov. 7 when the teams last met. Michael Kesselring scored just 18 seconds into the first period, and Utah never trailed in the contest. Matias Maccelli gave Utah a 2-1 edge late in the second, and after St. Louis tied the game in the third, Dylan Guenther netted his seventh tally of the year to give Utah a 3-2 advantage. Utah outshot St. Louis 31-15 in the contest.
JOHN MARINO
Defenseman John Marino, 27, made his Utah Hockey Club debut on Jan. 14 against the Montreal Canadiens after missing the first half of the season with an upper-body injury. Marino was acquired on the second day of the 2024 NHL Entry Draft on June 29 from the New Jersey Devils in exchange for a 2024 second-round pick and a 2025 second-round pick. Known for his defensive reliability and puck-moving prowess, Marino spent three seasons with the Pittsburgh Penguins before spending the last two with New Jersey. Last season with the Devils, Marino tabbed 25 points (4G, 21A) in 75 games.
LOGAN COOLEY
Logan Cooley is one of Utah’s brightest young stars, and he is on pace this season to produce 24 goals, 47 assists, and 71 points- all of which would be new career highs for the 20-year-old. After an injury to Cooley’s linemate Dylan Guenther, Cooley has slotted in on Utah’s top forward line with Clayton Keller and Nick Schmaltz for the last four games. The centerman has seen his role increase in those last four games, and he played a career high 24:50 on Tuesday against Montreal. The 24:50 of ice time for Cooley was also the most by any Utah forward in a game this season.
In his first 22 games of the season, he had just four goals. In his last 22 games, Cooley has nine tallies- the most of any Utah skater in that span. Taken third overall by the Arizona Coyotes in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft, Cooley leads all players taken in that draft in scoring this season with 38 points (13G, 25A).
After a second-period power-play goal to give Utah a 3-2 lead on Thursday, Cooley now has goals in back-to-back games for the second time this season. Six of Cooley’s last seven goals have come on the power play, and the center is now tied with Dylan Guenther for the most power-play goals on the team with seven.
LOOK AHEAD
Utah concludes a season-long seven-game homestand on Monday against the Western Conference-leading Winnipeg Jets. After that, Utah hits the road again to face the Minnesota Wild, Winnipeg, and Ottawa Senators on a three-game road trip.
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