WHEN: 3:00 p.m. MT
WHERE: Canadian Tire Centre – Ottawa, Ontario
TV: SEG+, UtahHC+, Utah 16 | RADIO: KSL Sports Zone 97.5 FM, NHL App
The Utah Hockey Club (21-20-7) finalizes a three-game road trip tonight against the Ottawa Senators (25-20-4). Utah had won three straight before Friday’s 5-2 defeat to the Winnipeg Jets, and look to even the count tonight against an Ottawa team that bested Utah 4-0 back in October. Both teams are in similar positions entering tonight with Utah six points out of the second wild card spot in the Western Conference and Ottawa one point out of the second wild card position in the Eastern Conference.
ONE-TIMERS
- Barrett Hayton has four goals in the last three games.
- Nick Schmaltz is riding an eight-game point streak (4G, 6A) into tonight.
- Either Barrett Hayton or Clayton Keller have contributed a goal or an assist on 18 of Utah’s last 19 scores.
- Today is Utah’s third and final game of a road trip before returning home for a four-game homestand.
- Utah is 13-9-3 on the road.
TONIGHT’S MATCHUP
The Ottawa Senators are a stone’s throw away from a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference after picking up two more points last night in a 2-1 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs. Scoring has been an issue for the Sens as of late, and Ottawa has scored two or fewer goals in each of their last four games. On the flip side of the coin, Travis Green’s Senators have been excellent defensively and have allowed two or fewer goals in seven of their last nine games. Ottawa has won six of those last nine and is now 6-5-2 in January. Tim Stützle leads the team with 46 points (16G, 30A) in 49 games.
WHO TO WATCH
UTAH: #27 BARRETT HAYTON – Hayton has four goals in his last three contests, including a game-tying goal in the third period on Friday against Winnipeg. Hayton now has 12 goals on the season to rank fourth on Utah’s roster, and his five game-winning goals lead the club.
OTTAWA: #7 BRADY TKACHUK – Tkachuk leads Ottawa with 18 goals this season, though he has not found the back of the net for the last 10 games. Born in Scottsdale, Arizona when his father Keith Tkachuk played with the Phoenix Coyotes, Brady grew up alongside Utah’s Clayton Keller in the St. Louis area when Keith was playing for the Blues.
LOOK BACK
Utah came up short against the Western Conference-leading Winnipeg Jets on Friday at Canada Life Centre in a 5-2 defeat. Utah answered Winnipeg’s first-period power-play goal with a special teams goal of its own from Nick Schmaltz early in the second frame to tie the game at 1-1. Later in the second, an awkward bounce off the glass gave David Gustafsson and the Jets a 2-1 advantage. Barrett Hayton scored his fourth goal in three games to open the third frame and tie the game 2-2 before Cole Perfetti scored his second of the night to put Winnipeg back on top. Perfetti would eventually score the empty-netter for his first career hat trick, assisted on the play by Nikolaj Ehlers’ 500th career point.
LAST MEETING
Utah is looking for revenge on the Senators tonight after a 4-0 shutout loss to Ottawa on Oct. 22 at Delta Center. Utah stormed out of the gates and outshot Ottawa 8-0 in the first 12 minutes of the first period, not allowing a shot on goal until the 11:43 mark. The Senators scored two goals at 4-on-4, one on the power play, and one goal at 5-on-5 in the second half of the first frame. Utah outshot Ottawa 31-22 for the game.
POWER PLAY
Utah’s power play has connected in back-to-back games after Nick Schmaltz’s power-play goal in the second period on Friday. The specialty unit has cashed in five times in the last five games and 18 times in the last 22 contests. Clayton Keller has registered either a goal or an assist in 16 of Utah’s last 18 power-play tallies and has five power-play goals on the season. Dylan Guenther and Logan Cooley are tied for the team lead in power-play goals with seven each. Utah now has the 13th best power play in the NHL at 22.4% for the season.
STEPPING UP
Utah has been playing without some of its best players over the last two weeks. Dylan Guenther, currently second on the team with 16 goals, has missed the last eight games with a lower-body injury, and top defenseman Mikhail Sergachev has missed the last four games with an upper-body injury. As a result of Guenther’s injury, 22-year-old Josh Doan was recalled from the AHL’s Tucson Roadrunners and has three points (1G, 2A) and a +1 rating in his last eight games up with Utah. Defenseman Nick DeSimone was claimed off waivers on Jan. 5 and has three assists through six games with his new team. Defenseman John Marino was activated from injured reserve on Jan. 14 and has two helpers with a +2 rating in his first six games with Utah. As a team, Utah has lost 175 man-games to injury.
LOOK AHEAD
Utah returns home to face Sydney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins on Wednesday, Jan. 29 at Delta Center. When the teams last played on Nov. 23, Utah skated away with a 6-1 victory. Wednesday’s game will be the start of a four-game homestand for Utah that also features the Columbus Blue Jackets, St. Louis Blues, and Philadelphia Flyers.
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