Barrett Hayton scores twice, Karel Vejmelka earns first shutout of season as Utah Hockey Club beats Minnesota, 4-0, for third straight win

Karel Vejmelka made 26 saves for his first shutout of the season, Barrett Hayton scored twice and Utah beat the Minnesota Wild 4-0 on Thursday night for its third straight victory.

At first glance, the Utah Hockey Club played a perfect game on Thursday. But the stats suggest there was lots of room for improvement.

Utah Hockey Club did not have much left come the third period. The team was tied 1-1 with the Ottawa Senators at the beginning of the final 20 minutes, but allowed two goals against and dropped its second consecutive game Sunday at Canadian Tire Centre.

Claude Giroux broke a third-period tie and added an assist, rookie Leevi Merilainen made 34 saves and the Ottawa Senators beat Utah 3-1 on Sunday night.

McBain is a natural center but has been used on the left wing this season. Nick Bjugstad has occupied the pivot position on the third line for most of the season but was moved to play with Liam O’Brien and Kevin Stenlund on the fourth line in which Stenlund is the center.

Utah Hockey Club left wing Lawson Crouse (67) and goaltender Karel Vejmelka (70) hug after a win over the Minnesota Wild of an NHL hockey game, Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025, in St. Paul, Minn. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr) St. Paul, Minn. • Utah Hockey Club has had this week circled on the calendar.

The 28-year-old has dropped three of those contests while allowing three or more goals in each defeat. However, the lone win was a 26-save shutout in a 4-0 win over the Wild on Jan. 23. Even though Vejmelka has been all over the place of late,

Clayton Keller's 18th goal of the season not enough as Utah falls, 3-1, in Ottawa

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Karel Vejmelka made 26 saves for his first shutout of the season, Barrett Hayton scored twice and Utah beat the Minnesota Wild 4-0 on Thursday night for its third straight ...

The Pittsburgh Penguins (20-24-8) have one more chance to salvage a good feeling from this extended seven-game road trip that seemingly began a lifetime ago with a joyous victory over the Buffalo Sabres and Alex Nedeljkovic’s goalie goal.

The Pittsburgh Penguins continue their road trip as they visit the Utah Hockey Club at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City. Welcome back to NHL Predictions here at Last Word on Hockey!