Recreation Preview, 2/22: Utah Hockey Membership vs. Los Angeles Kings – NHL.com

Recreation Preview, 2/22: Utah Hockey Membership vs. Los Angeles Kings
WHEN: 7:00 p.m. MT
WHERE: Crypto.com Enviornment – Los Angeles, California
TV: SEG+, UtahHC+, Utah 16 | RADIO: KSL Sports activities Zone 102.7 FM HD 2, NHL App
The Utah Hockey Membership (24-23-9) begins the ultimate 26-game dash to the top of the common season tonight towards the Los Angeles Kings (29-17-7) at Crypto.com Enviornment. Utah gained three of its final 4 video games earlier than the 12-day 4 Nations Faceoff break, and the Mountain Blue is now six factors behind the Vancouver Canucks for the second wild card spot within the Western Convention. This night is the primary of a back-to-back for Utah; the staff will return dwelling tomorrow evening to face Vancouver at Delta Middle.
ONE-TIMERS
TONIGHT’S MATCHUP
The Kings have been one of many Pacific Division’s finest squads for the reason that begin of the season, and Los Angeles is at the moment third within the Pacific desk with 65 factors. Top-of-the-line defensive golf equipment within the NHL, Jim Hiller’s staff permits the fifth fewest targets at simply 2.53 per sport. Shot suppression is a key to LA’s defensive success, and the Kings enable the second fewest pictures per sport at 25.5.
Offensively, Los Angeles is led by one of many extra underrated gamers within the league in Adrian Kempe together with his 46 factors (25G, 21A) in 53 video games. Anze Kopitar ranks second on the staff in scoring with 45 factors (13G, 32A), and he’s considered one of three holdovers from the Kings’ two Stanley Cup Championship groups in 2012 and 2014; Drew Doughty and Utah native Trevor Lewis are the opposite two.
WHO TO WATCH
UTAH: #11 DYLAN GUENTHER – Guenther missed 12 video games resulting from damage from Jan. 10 to Feb. 2. Within the 4 video games since his return, the 21-year-old has totaled 4 targets and three assists, together with two extra time winners and a aim and an apple in Utah’s final sport towards Washington.
LOS ANGELES: #22 KEVIN FIALA – Fiala is second on the staff with 21 targets this season, and 5 of them have come throughout the final 4 video games. His three-game aim streak was snapped in LA’s final contest towards Anaheim on Feb. 8.
LOOK BACK
Previous to a 12-day break, Utah claimed a 5-4 shootout victory over the Japanese Convention-leading Washington Capitals on Feb. 9. Josh Doan and Michael Carcone scored throughout the first 1:42 of the primary interval to place Utah up 2-0 early. The Capitals pushed again, however twice Utah re-extended its result in two targets, ultimately main 4-2 heading into the third interval after two extra strikes from Jack McBain and Dylan Guenther. Tom Wilson scored twice for Washington, together with a aim with 1:31 left within the third to tie the sport at 4-4. After a scoreless extra time, Karel Vejmelka, who had entered the sport for an injured Connor Ingram within the first interval, stopped all three Caps makes an attempt within the shootout to safe the win. Nick Schmaltz supplied the one shootout aim that Utah wanted.
LAST MEETING
Utah misplaced its third straight sport in a detailed match towards the Kings on Oct. 26 at Cyrpto.com Enviornment. LA’s Joel Edmundson recorded his first-ever two-goal sport, and Utah obtained targets from Clayton Keller and Logan Cooley. Connor Ingram stopped 20 of 23 Los Angeles pictures within the defeat.
SEAN DURZI
Durzi has missed the final 52 video games after he suffered a shoulder damage towards the New Jersey Devils on Oct. 14 however is predicted to make his return to the lineup tonight. The defenseman posted two assists in 4 video games previous to lacking time, and he recorded the primary combating main in Utah Hockey Membership historical past on Oct. 8 towards the Chicago Blackhawks.
On June 30, Durzi signed a 4 yr, $24 million extension with the Mountain Blue after main the Arizona Coyotes in scoring by a defenseman final season with 41 factors (9G, 32A) in 76 video games. The 26-year-old from Mississauga, Ontario spent the primary 4 years of his profession within the Los Angeles Kings group earlier than he was traded to the Coyotes in 2023.
26 GAMES REMAINING
Together with tonight, Utah has 26 video games remaining in its Inaugural Season. 15 of the remaining 26 video games are towards groups at the moment within the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoff image, and 9 of the remaining video games are towards Central Division opponents. 14 dwelling video games and 12 highway video games stay on Utah’s schedule, together with a four-game homestand beginning Feb. 23 and a five-game dwelling stretch starting Apr. 1. Utah has three contests left towards the 2 groups immediately forward within the standings; two video games towards the Vancouver Canucks and one towards the Calgary Flames.
LOOK AHEAD
A four-game homestand opens up for Utah tomorrow night at Delta Middle towards the Vancouver Canucks with puck drop at 6 p.m. MT. When Utah final hosted Vancouver on Dec. 18, Mikhail Sergachev scored the extra time winner in a 3-2 victory to cap a two-goal third-period comeback.

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