Though the Utah Hockey Membership was 1,064 miles from Salt Lake Metropolis on Sunday night, it didn’t cease them from making franchise historical past. The staff beat the St. Louis Blues 5-3 in Des Moines, Iowa to earn their first-ever preseason win in franchise historical past. The sport gave followers their first probability to look at their staff play stay and stars like Dylan Guenther and Logan Cooley didn’t disappoint. Listed here are some takeaways from Sunday’s sport.
Dylan Guenther and Logan Cooley Are Again
After the All-Star Break final season, Guenther and Cooley rapidly discovered chemistry on a line collectively. Guenther’s depraved wrist shot and Cooley’s wonderful passing on prime of the duo’s mixed velocity made for a deadly line. The 2 racked up factors combining for 79 within the season.
Now, after an offseason topped off with a transfer to Salt Lake Metropolis, the 2 picked up proper the place they left off. Guenther scored the game-tying aim whereas Cooley assisted and scored the game-winner off a penalty shot. Each gamers discovered one another everywhere in the ice quite a few instances with wonderful passing and regarded in regular-season type.
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Jack McBain was additionally on the road with the 2 younger forwards. He offered a wonderful bodily presence when wanted and even recorded the first help off of Guenther’s aim. After staying on the third line for many of final season, McBain might substitute Lawson Crouse on the Cooley-Guenther line if he retains taking part in like he did on Sunday.
The primary line confirmed why they had been the primary line towards the Blues. They made an influence on the ice each shift, which is what you wish to see from among the finest gamers on the staff, even throughout the preseason.
Michael Carcone Makes Historical past
Down 2-0 within the second due to his staff placing the puck in their very own internet throughout a delayed penalty, Michael Carcone determined to take issues into his personal fingers. On a breakaway with Ben McCartney, he put the puck behind Blues’ goaltender Vadim Zherenko to attain Utah’s first aim in preseason historical past.
Carcone would rating as soon as extra into the empty internet to provide Utah their first preseason win in franchise historical past. The ahead had his finest season within the NHL in 2023-24, scoring 21 targets with the Arizona Coyotes. Now Utah is on the lookout for him to turn into certainly one of their constant producers within the backside six.
If Carcone performs something like he did within the preseason sport, he’ll be a fan favourite in Salt Lake Metropolis. He helped elevate the video games of Cole Beaudoin and Kailer Yamamoto who appeared on his line. Yamamoto had an attention grabbing sport, getting a number of pictures on internet together with one which rang off the pipe. Beaudoin didn’t look too shabby both however it was Carcone who was named first star of the sport.
Ben McCartney Battling for a Roster Spot
In 4 seasons on the professional degree, Ben McCartney has solely performed two NHL video games. He’s been a mainstay with the Tucson Roadrunners, placing up round 20-30 factors every season. He’s additionally racked up a ton of penalty minutes in every of these seasons. Now, McCartney is doing his finest to attempt to beat the chances and make Utah’s roster.
McCartney performed properly, serving to arrange Carcone’s first aim. Then, his dedication and presence in entrance of the web helped Kevin Connauton rating Utah’s second aim. His physicality was noticeable all through the evening, serving to him earn the third star of the sport.
Whereas McCartney most definitely received’t make Utah’s roster as a result of quantity of depth they’ve, he might push himself into the dialog of being the following man up. If he retains up his onerous work, McCartney might discover himself in his first NHL sport because the 2021-22 season.
With the 5-3 win, Utah has received their first preseason sport in franchise historical past. Karel Vejmelka and Jaxson Stauber helped backstop the staff to the win. With the loss, the Blues fall to 0-2-0 within the preseason. In the meantime, Yamamoto, Cooley, and Noel Nordh scored within the shootout to provide Utah followers in Des Moines one other factor to have a good time. It’s a fantastic begin for the brand new franchise and their followers to start the preseason 1-0-0. It’s even higher to see that the staff’s regulars are already trying their finest forward of the common season.
Utah will play their first-ever sport on the Delta Middle on Monday towards the LA Kings. The Kings have but to play a preseason sport this 12 months. Nonetheless, the 2 groups did meet within the rookie match a few weeks in the past the place Utah received 4-3 due to an Owen Allard additional time winner.