Recreation Preview, 4/15: Utah Hockey Membership vs. St. Louis Blues – NHL.com

WHEN: 6:00 p.m. MT
WHERE: Enterprise Heart – St. Louis, Missouri
TV: SEG+, UtahHC+, Utah 16 | RADIO: KSL Sports activities Zone 97.5 FM, NHL App
On the shut of an unforgettable Inaugural Season, the Utah Hockey Membership (38-30-13) concludes the 2024-25 common marketing campaign with a matchup in opposition to the St. Louis Blues (43-30-8) at Enterprise Heart. Tonight would be the fourth assembly of the season between Utah and St. Louis, with Utah incomes a 2-1-0 report by way of the earlier three conferences.
ONE-TIMERS
TONIGHT’S MATCHUP
Recreation 82 is essential for St. Louis, which presently occupies the second wild card spot within the West with 94 factors. The Calgary Flames, sitting simply behind with 92 factors and two video games left, are nonetheless in hanging distance. If St. Louis wins in regulation tonight, they are going to cement a visit to the postseason. Ought to they lose or win in further time, Calgary might doubtlessly steal the place outright or by advantage of tiebreakers.
To succeed in 94 factors, the Blues went on the second-longest win streak within the NHL this season, racking up 12 straight victories from Mar. 15 to Apr. 5. Because the streak ended, St. Louis is 0-2-1, together with a 4-3 shootout loss to the Seattle Kraken of their final contest on Apr. 12.
Because the 4 Nations Face-off break, the Blues are 18-4-3 with these 18 wins main the NHL in that span. Robert Thomas leads the league with 30 assists and 38 factors (8G, 30A) since play resumed following the break. His 79 factors (21G, 58A) for the season lead the workforce and mark the second highest single-season level whole of his profession.
WHO TO WATCH
UTAH: #9 CLAYTON KELLER – Raised within the St. Louis space, Utah’s captain returns to his hometown tonight to face his childhood workforce. Keller is coming off a four-point effort (2G, 2A) in opposition to Nashville, and his 89 factors are tied for the eleventh most within the NHL.
ST. LOUIS: #89 PAVEL BUCHNEVIC – Buchnevic was held scoreless on Saturday at Seattle, snapping what was a four-game aim streak. The Russian has 5 targets over his final seven video games after lacking 4 video games attributable to an sickness in March. Buchnevic is fourth on the workforce in scoring with 54 factors (19G, 35A).
LOOK BACK
Utah hung seven targets on the Nashville Predators final night time in a 7-3 win at Bridgestone Enviornment- Utah’s first win of the season over Nashville.
After the Preds led off the scoring within the first, Michael Kesselring, Nick Bjugstad, Logan Cooley, and Nick Schmaltz scored 4 straight targets to place the Mountain Blue up 4-1 within the second. Nashville pushed again with scores from Luke Evangeslista and Michael Bunting. An ice delay late within the second interval compelled the groups to the dressing rooms early.
Main 4-3 heading into the third, Clayton Keller assumed management for Utah and scored his twenty eighth and twenty ninth targets of the season, together with an empty-netter, to seal Utah’s win. Kevin Stenlund added a tally with 25 seconds left for good measure.
Keller completed his night time with 4 factors (2G, 2A) in his 600th profession recreation, however a giant piece of the story was on the opposite finish of the ice. Goaltender Matt Villalta made his season debut with Utah and earned his first NHL win with 27 saves on 30 photographs.
LAST MEETING
A 3rd-period pushback from Utah fell brief in a 2-1 ultimate in opposition to the St. Louis Blues at Delta Heart on Feb. 2. Alexandre Texier scored the primary aim of the sport for the Blues within the first interval, and ultimately Utah’s Michael Kesselring scored early within the third to tie the sport at 1-1.
3:46 after Kesselring scored his sixth aim of the season, Jordan Kyrou returned the result in St. Louis’ fingers along with his twenty second aim of the marketing campaign after a crisp feed from Robert Thomas.
Utah goaltender Connor Ingram was excellent with 27 saves on 29 Blues photographs.
CLAYTON KELLER
With 89 factors (29G, 60A) this season, Utah’s captain has set a brand new profession excessive in factors and assists in his first season on the Wasatch Entrance. His earlier excessive of 86 factors (37G, 49A) with the Arizona Coyotes in 2022-23 tied an Arizona single-season scoring report along with his former youth hockey coach Keith Tkachuk.
Keller’s 60 assists are tied for ninth most within the NHL, his 36 power-play factors (9G, 27A) rank fifth, and his 27 power-play assists are tied for sixth.
The Chesterfield, Missouri native is the one Utah skater to report 4 factors in a recreation, doing so thrice this season, together with final night time.
MATCHING UP
With a win final night time in opposition to Nashville, Utah now has wins over each Central Division workforce this season and is unbeaten in regulation by way of its final eight video games in opposition to division foes.
Utah has primarily been chasing 4 groups for playoff positioning all through the season: the Minnesota Wild, St. Louis Blues, Calgary Flames, and Vancouver Canucks. Whereas Utah received’t leapfrog sufficient of these golf equipment to achieve a playoff spot, it has confirmed its superiority over that group of 4 groups in head-to-head matchups this season. The Mountain Blue is a mixed 11-1-1 in opposition to these 4 groups mixed, shedding in regulation solely to St. Louis in a 2-1 ultimate on Feb. 2.
Utah is 4-6-1 in opposition to the highest three groups within the Central: the Winnipeg Jets, Dallas Stars, and Colorado Avalanche.
LOOK AHEAD
Tonight is the ultimate recreation of the season for the Utah Hockey Membership. Arising in the summertime, the workforce will take part within the 2025 NHL Entry Draft from June 27 to June 28 on the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles.

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