Utah Hockey Club: New lineups, another goalie and a trip to the captain’s old stomping grounds

Boston • Utah Hockey Club opened its four-game road trip on Thursday with a matchup against the Boston Bruins at TD Garden.

Following offensive struggles this month, Utah showcased changes during Wednesday’s practice to try to kickstart some of its top players.

Here’s how UHC is mixing it up:

Lines, power-play units change

Head Coach André Tourigny has not gotten enough from, frankly, any of his forwards. So, he decided to make some changes.

Dylan Guenther has moved up to the first line right wing alongside Nick Bjugstad and Clayton Keller, and Lawson Crouse is filling in on the second line with Logan Cooley and Matais Maccelli. Nick Schmaltz — who is still looking for his first goal of the season — was moved down to the third line with Alex Kerfoot and Barrett Hayton. The fourth line of Jack McBain, Kevin Stenlund and Michael Carcone remains the same.

“It’s a message of accountability,” Tourigny said. “Guenther and Keller have chemistry a little bit before, so try to spark that. … I think Maccelli is capable of finding Crouse and Crouse knows where to get into space. Hopefully that will spark him offensively.”

Tourigny also made adjustments on Utah’s two power-play units after the team went 0-for-7 on the man advantage Monday against the Washington Capitals and have scored one power-play goal in the last seven games. Utah’s 5-on-5 showing, for the most part, has been fine. It is special teams that are losing games.

Maccelli was moved up to the first unit while Schmaltz was moved down to the second unit. Additionally, Bjugstad has taken Hayton’s net-front positioning on the second unit. On paper, it looks like Schmaltz has been demoted in two areas of the game, but Tourigny said “I think it’s to take some pressure off him.”

Having Bjugstad on the second unit offers some versatility for Utah down low on the power play because he has a right shot while Crouse has a left shot. Before, when Hayton was on the second unit, Utah had two lefties, which limited options for both face-offs and movement or tips around the crease.

“We think that can give an option on both sides because they can rotate inside,” Tourigny said. “[Bjugstad and Crouse] are two big bodies and Kesselring has a really good shot. Two big guys in the middle, hopefully we can take advantage of it.”

Goaltending update

Jaxson Stauber was called up by Utah Hockey Club from the team’s AHL affiliate, the Tucson Roadrunners, on an emergency basis on Wednesday.

Stauber’s arrival comes after the team announced that goaltender Connor Ingram is day to day with an upper-body injury and he remained in Utah for further evaluation. Tourigny said Ingram’s injury occurred during Monday’s game in which he was pulled out early in the second period after giving up four goals.

For the time being, Karel Vejmelka is now tabbed as Utah’s starter with Stauber as his backup. Vejmelka has posted a 2.58 goals against average and .915 save percentage through seven games this season. Stauber, who is 25 years old, has a 2.29 GAA and .930 SV% through seven games with the Roadrunners.

With a heavy schedule and tough road trip ahead, Tourigny said Utah will still need to rely on two goaltenders for load management.

“Probably,” Tourigny said of whether Stauber will get a start. “Playing four games in six nights so it’s a lot. Probably, I don’t know when. One day at a time, his time will come.”

Clayton Keller returns to his college rink

Utah practiced at Boston University’s Agganis Arena on Wednesday, a rink Keller is quite familiar with.

The captain played one year of NCAA hockey with the Terriers in the 2016-17 season, during which he logged 45 points (21 goals, 24 assists) through 41 games as a freshman.

“It’s the best time of your life. It’s a special feeling playing for something bigger like the school,” Keller said of his time at BU. “It’s always good to come back. … Had such a great group of guys, great teammates, guys I still talk to.”

One of Keller’s Terrier teammates was Charlie McAvoy, who is now a defenseman for the Boston Bruins. The two will face off at TD Garden on Thursday.

While at Agganis Arena, Keller said he caught up with current BU players Quinn and Cole Hutson. Their brother, Lane, also played for the Terriers and is currently in his rookie season with the Montreal Canadiens.

The Hutsons’ dad, Rob, owned the rink in Fairview Heights, Illinois, which was near Keller’s childhood home.

“He’s honestly one of the guys that taught me how to skate when I was five years old. We still have a relationship. We talk all the time,” Keller said of Rob. “It was kind of a free-for-all all. He let us go out there whenever we wanted no matter the time or day. He was there and did everything for me growing up in the small rink.”

Keller said he might’ve put in a good word for BU when the Hutson brothers were picking which NCAA school to play college hockey at.

Turmoil in Boston

Thursday’s game at TD Garden will be the Boston Bruins’ first since former head coach Jim Montgomery was fired.

Montgomery was released from his position on Tuesday after the Bruins opened the year with an 8-9-3 record through 20 games. Associate coach Joe Sacco is now acting as the interim head coach.

Beyond the instability with the coaching change, the Bruins have struggled as of late, dropping four of their last five games, including three losses on home ice. Similar to Utah, Boston’s top players have not been showing up on a nightly basis.

But it is no reason to underestimate the historied franchise.

“With the coaching change, I know they have to come out with a lot of energy, a lot of grit [Thursday],” Tourigny said. “They will do so. I think their management sent a clear message that they’re not satisfied – there will be a push.”