Vancouver • Utah Hockey Club will be without ‘Spicy Tuna’ for the foreseeable future.
Liam O’Brien is sidelined with a lower-body injury for “about four weeks,” head coach André Tourigny said. The forward took a hit along the boards early in Friday’s game against the Seattle Kraken and did not return to action. O’Brien returned to Salt Lake City for treatment while the rest of the team continued its three-game road trip.
Utah’s last game of the regular season is on April 15, placing O’Brien’s potential return close to the end of the year if the team misses the playoffs.
“OB is an important part of our team… His emotion, his drive, his passion every day,” Tourigny said. “We’ve had an injury before so it’s just next man up. It’s unfortunate. We’re thinking about him but at the same time we’re moving on.”
(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Utah Hockey Club center Liam O'Brien (38) turn the puck around for a drive on Toronto during an NHL hockey game at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Monday, March 10, 2025.
That next man up is Nick Bjugstad, who was activated off of IR on Friday after dealing with an upper-body injury. Bjugstad will slot into O’Brien’s place on the fourth line with Kevin Stenlund and Michael Carcone in Sunday’s matchup against the Vancouver Canucks. It will be the 32-year-old’s first game since March 1.
“I’m feeling good. Nothing crazy, just trying to maintain — and I’ve had a lot of good skates. I’m feeling good and confident,” Bjugstad said. “Puck possession, down low and making the right play on the breakout — I think that’s where I start. If I’m moving my feet, usually good things happen.”
Sunday’s contest has a bevy of playoff implications for Utah. The Canucks currently sit in the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference with 73 points. The Club — who has 69 points — is chasing Vancouver in the standings and has the opportunity to shorten the gap and tie the St. Louis Blues and Calgary Flames who each have 71 points.
Dealing with injuries at this point in the season is not ideal, but it’s also nothing new to Utah. O’Brien’s absence leaves a hole in physicality and emotion — the veteran has 98 hits through 27 games and has gotten in six fights to shift the momentum for his team. Bjugstad shouldn’t try to replicate what O’Brien brings, but instead, heighten his own individual strengths.
Utah Hockey Club center Nick Bjugstad (17) smiles on the ice during warmups prior to an NHL hockey game against the San Jose Sharks, Monday, Oct. 28, 2024, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Melissa Majchrzak)
“What’s important for Bjugy is not to change his game. What makes him successful in the NHL for a long time is he’s a good skater, he’s a big body, he can protect the puck, bring the puck to the net,” Tourigny said. “He cannot change. He’s reliable on both sides of the ice. He can take faceoffs.”
Bjugstad has 15 points (five goals, 10 assists) through 53 games this season. Before getting injured, Bjugstad was on the fourth line with Alex Kerfoot and Stenlund. Kerfoot and now on the second line with Barrett Hayton and Dylan Guenther; Carcone is now in his left-wing placing. So, it should not be much of an adjustment for Bjugstad coming back.
“This is huge. I’ve had a few weeks off so should have my legs. It’s going to be a big one for both sides,” Bjugstad said. “It’s going to be a battle and I think the boys are ready for the test.”
