VANCOUVER, B.C. – The Utah Hockey Club took an important step in their playoff push Sunday night, earning a 3-1 victory over the Vancouver Canucks at Rogers Arena.
Logan Cooley broke a 1-1 tie early in the third period, capitalizing on a fortunate bounce to put Utah ahead for good. Nick Schmaltz fired a shot toward the net that deflected off the skate of Vancouver’s Teddy Blueger, landing in the right circle where Cooley pounced and fired past goaltender Kevin Lankinen.
Kevin Stenlund and Clayton Keller also found the back of the net, while Schmaltz recorded two assists. Goaltender Karel Vejmelka stood strong, making 18 saves to help Utah (30-26-11) secure the win after dropping three of their last four games.
The victory puts Utah just two points behind St. Louis for the final wild-card spot in the Western Conference.
Canucks Strike First, But Utah Responds
Vancouver (31-25-11) grabbed the lead on a second-period power play goal from Quinn Hughes, whose shot from the point deflected off Utah defenseman Mikhail Sergachev and slipped through Vejmelka’s pads.
Utah thought they had opened the scoring in the first period when Dylan Guenther buried a rebound, but the goal was waved off due to goalie interference on Michael Carcone.
Stenlund brought Utah level at 12:04 of the second period after a strong forechecking effort from the fourth line. Nick Bjugstad, filling in for the injured Liam O’Brien, wrapped the puck around the net and found Stenlund wide open in the right circle for a quick finish.
Strong Defense Seals the Win
Utah’s penalty kill came up big in the final period, shutting down three Vancouver power plays, including a double minor to Keller for high-sticking with just under 10 minutes remaining.
With Vancouver pressing for the equalizer late, Keller put the game away by scoring into an empty net from center ice with 31 seconds remaining.
Utah continues its road trip on Tuesday with a matchup against the Edmonton Oilers.
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