The clock ticked down until there was one second remaining in overtime.
That is when Dylan Guenther struck.
The Utah Hockey Club forward forced his way into the zone and sniped the puck into the back of the net, securing a 3-2 for his team Tuesday night at Delta Center just before the final horn.
“The game is super fast and really nothing to lose. Just tried to get through the [defenseman’s] stick and it went in,” Guenther said.
In moments, he was lost in a sea of Utah jerseys joining the on-ice celebration.
“I was so tired, I was just like, ‘Ah, please go in.’ And I had a big celly too so I was like, ‘Hopefully that counts otherwise that would kind of suck,’” Guenther said.
The game-winning tally marked Guenther’s second goal and third point of the night in his long-awaited return. The 21-year-old got his first action since Jan. 8 after dealing with a lower-body injury and missing 12 games.
His impact was felt immediately.
“He’s done it all his life,” head coach André Tourigny said. “He has no reason to not be confident. That’s the way you have to play as a hockey player — you have to believe in your abilities.”
Guenther’s first point of the matchup was an assist on Mikhail Sergachev’s goal which tied the game 1-1 at 3:32 of the second period after Rodrigo Abols gave the Flyers a 1-0 lead two minutes into the opening frame.
Guenther exploded out of the defensive zone and up the ice with the puck before dropping it to Barrett Hayton for the initial shot. He then dug up the rebound and popped it up to Sergachev who blasted it past Flyers’ netminder Samuel Ersson for the equalizer. The play marked Sergachev’s 10th goal of the season and second in four games.
(Bethany Baker | The Salt Lake Tribune) Utah Hockey Club defenseman Mikhail Sergachev (98) looks to pass down the ice during the second period of the game between the Utah Hockey Club and the Pittsburgh Penguins at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2025.
“It feels good. It’s tough getting injured. I’d never really gone through that before,” Guenther said. “It’s nice that the work that you put in paid off and just have to keep it rolling here. Try to get some more wins.”
Philadelphia was quick to respond, regaining its lead less than a minute later. Tyson Foerster tipped in Sean Couturier’s wrister from the left side to make it 2-1 at 4:29. However, Guenther knotted things 2-2 with his first goal since Dec. 20 to force overtime.
The former first-round pick ripped the puck from the high slot and it lasered in at 8:40 to place Utah right back into the fight after carrying play for stretches of the night without getting rewarded.
Sergachev and Hayton picked up their respective second points of the matchup with the assists on Guenther’s goal; Sergachev ultimately ended the contest with three, too.
(Bethany Baker | The Salt Lake Tribune) Utah Hockey Club right wing Dylan Guenther (11) looks to pass during the game between the Utah Hockey Club and the Ottawa Senators at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2024.
Guenther followed it up with the buzzer-beater in overtime and snapped The Club’s five-game losing streak.
“The crowd was buzzing the whole game,” Guenther said. “Even when they announced my name in the starting lineup, I think that feels really good as a player. It makes you excited to play, excited to be here in Utah. The support of the crowd helps us win games. It’s huge.”
Liam O’Brien also gave the Delta Center crowd something to cheer about with a first-period fight against Nicolas Deslauriers. To add to his expected physicality, O’Brien logged five shots on goal which ties his career high.
“I try to fight at the right time. I thought tonight was the right time,” O’Brien said. “Sometimes you just want to get the energy going and that’s what I tried to do tonight.”
O’Brien remained on the fourth line while Guenther skated on the second line with Michael Carcone and Hayton. He reclaimed his spot on the first power play unit and Josh Doan — who was filling in during Guenther’s absence — was moved to the second unit.
(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) Utah Hockey Club center Liam O'Brien arrives at the Delta Center for UHC's first game against the Chicago Blackhawks on Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2024.
When Guenther was ruled out with injury he was third on the team in points with 34 (16 goals, 18 assists). Even though he missed nearly a month of the season, Guenther remains in Utah’s top five for production — he’s now fourth on the team with 37 points. He is also tied with Clayton Keller for most goals on Utah with 18.
Utah has 13 forwards on the active roster with Guenther healthy. That meant someone had to come out of the lineup on Tuesday. This time, it was Lawson Crouse who sat for the first game this season.
“He told me, ‘I made my bed and I have to sleep where I made my bed,’” Tourigny said. “Crouse is an important player for us ... a great leader, a guy I like a lot. But it is what it is.”
(Bethany Baker | The Salt Lake Tribune) Utah Hockey Club left wing Lawson Crouse (67) brings the puck down the ice during the third period of the game at Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Friday, Nov. 15, 2024.
The associate captain has 11 points (seven goals, four assists) through 52 games this year, a significant drop from last season in which he finished with 42 (23 goals, 19 assists). Tourigny called it a “coach’s decision” to hold Crouse out.
The Club is now off on a three-game road trip ahead of the 4-Nations Face Off break with important points on the line.
The team has a timely boost in Guenther.
“We’ve been playing pretty well and haven’t been able to win,” Guenther said. “It’s really nice to get the two points and we have three more big games here, too.”
