Clayton Keller’s five-point night fuels Utah Hockey Club win

Something almost felt off about the scoreline.

“It’s weird,” Utah Hockey Club head coach André Tourigny joked.

He’s right, it kind of was.

Tourigny’s team has had a habit of giving up late goals and being unable to extend its own gaps. But that was not the case in Thursday’s 6-1 win over the Minnesota Wild at Delta Center.

Fueled by a career-high five-point night from Clayton Keller, Utah put together one of its more cohesive and dominant performances of the season. And it came at a good time — the Club now sits two points out of the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference.

“Every game is so important and it’s an exciting time of the year. This is when you want to play your best and this is what you put all the extra work in for,” said Keller, who had one goal and four assists. “We’ve learned and gotten better as the year’s gone on with how to play with the lead and have confidence and swagger in the third period.”

That sentiment proved true. Utah carried a 3-1 advantage into the final stanza but did not sit back and wait for Minnesota’s push. Instead, Keller, Nick Schmaltz and Logan Cooley all scored to cushion their team en route to its third consecutive win — and fourth straight on home ice.

“All we can control is how we’re playing,” defenseman Sean Durzi said. “It’s a relentless brotherhood. We feel like a big family in here. We know that this is such an important time of the year. Every win, we get closer and closer — the fans included.”

The urgency was apparent from puck drop for Utah.

After going 0-for-5 on the power play Tuesday against the Chicago Blackhawks, Utah buried two goals on the man advantage in the opening frame against the Wild.

The first came from Barrett Hayton, who picked up a pass from Keller above the goal line and proceeded to drive to the net. The forward stick-handled the puck around the crease and his shot knocked off of Wild defenseman Brock Faber’s skate and in to make it 1-0 at 3:59.

It was Hayton’s 16th tally of the season and fourth in the last four games after notching the Club’s first-ever hat trick on Saturday.

“I think we were really consistent in that game,” Tourigny said. “I think we were really engaged and really connected all game long.”

Utah was put on a 5-on-3 late in the first. Jonas Brodin was called for hooking and, three seconds later, Marcus Foligno was dealt a double-minor (four minutes) for high-sticking Schmaltz who went down bleeding on the ice.

Schmaltz missed the end of the first and eight minutes of the second period as he got treatment for what appeared to be some missing teeth.

“I went to see him,” Tourigny said. “I told him he was much better looking that way.”

Utah’s Dylan Guenther was quick to capitalize from his office at the left face-off circle. Keller — with his second assist of the period — dished it over to Guenther who one-timed it past Minnesota goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury for the 2-0 boost at 19:30. The goal marked Guenther’s 22nd of the year. It was his 10th on the power play (another team-high).

While Frederick Gaudreau cut the Wild’s deficit to one at 16:02 of the second period, Durzi reclaimed the Club’s two-goal advantage with his first of the season — and, accordingly, first at Delta Center as a member of Utah Hockey Club.

The defenseman, in his fourth game back from injury, floated over to the right side before unleashing a snapshot from just above the circle for the 3-1 scoreline at 17:50.

“It was special. I got my grandparents — hopefully, they’re still up at home. I told them I’d get them one last game and I didn’t so hopefully they’re watching. I got them one tonight,” Durzi said. “The crowd’s been incredible. You get chills every time. To finally contribute and hear the crowd cheer when they call my name — it’s huge.”

Schmaltz, Keller and Cooley’s goals in the third helped Utah run away with the two points. Keller assisted on both of his linemates' scoring plays and potted a back-hander of his own while extending his point streak to six games. He’s had 12 points in that stretch.

“Just trying to do the same thing every single night. I think our line has done a good job lately,” Keller said. “My linemates, everyone that was out there, contributed to all the goals that we scored. We enjoy it for a little bit and then turn the page and be ready for the next one.”

The next one is Saturday against the New Jersey Devils in the last matchup of Utah’s four-game homestand before it hits the road again. Another important two points will be on the line. But that does not intimidate the Club like it might’ve earlier in the season.

Utah is learning to play with the expectation of winning.

“Now we have a stress without having a feeling of the pressure being so heavy at some points,” Tourigny said. “We see it more as a challenge, something we want to compete for than a pressure and a fear.”