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

WHEN: 6:00 p.m. MT
WHERE: Enterprise Middle – 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 towards the St. Louis Blues (43-30-8) at Enterprise Middle. Tonight would be the fourth assembly of the season between Utah and St. Louis, with Utah incomes a 2-1-0 report via the earlier three conferences.
ONE-TIMERS
TONIGHT’S MATCHUP
Sport 82 is essential for St. Louis, which at the moment 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 may probably 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 staff and mark the second highest single-season level complete 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 staff. Keller is coming off a four-point effort (2G, 2A) towards 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 purpose streak. The Russian has 5 objectives over his final seven video games after lacking 4 video games on account of an sickness in March. Buchnevic is fourth on the staff in scoring with 54 factors (19G, 35A).
LOOK BACK
Utah hung seven objectives on the Nashville Predators final evening 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 objectives 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 objectives 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 evening with 4 factors (2G, 2A) in his 600th profession sport, 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 pictures.
LAST MEETING
A 3rd-period pushback from Utah fell brief in a 2-1 last towards the St. Louis Blues at Delta Middle on Feb. 2. Alexandre Texier scored the primary purpose 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 purpose of the season, Jordan Kyrou returned the result in St. Louis’ palms together with his twenty second purpose of the marketing campaign after a crisp feed from Robert Thomas.
Utah goaltender Connor Ingram was excellent with 27 saves on 29 Blues pictures.
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 together 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 sport, doing so thrice this season, together with final evening.
MATCHING UP
With a win final evening towards Nashville, Utah now has wins over each Central Division staff this season and is unbeaten in regulation via its final eight video games towards 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 gained’t leapfrog sufficient of these golf equipment to succeed in 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 towards these 4 groups mixed, shedding in regulation solely to St. Louis in a 2-1 last on Feb. 2.
Utah is 4-6-1 towards the highest three groups within the Central: the Winnipeg Jets, Dallas Stars, and Colorado Avalanche.
LOOK AHEAD
Tonight is the ultimate sport of the season for the Utah Hockey Membership. Developing in the summertime, the staff 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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