Utah Hockey Club center Jack McBain (22) and St. Louis Blues defenseman Tyler Tucker (75) engage in a fight during an NHL game held at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Sunday, Feb. 2, 2025. (Photo courtesy of Tess Crowley, Deseret News)
(Photo courtesy of Tess Crowley, Deseret News)
SALT LAKE CITY – Fights, goals, and a rowdy crowd.
The first period between the Utah Hockey Club and Minnesota Wild gave Delta Center fans the ultimate hockey experience.
This is a hockey fight. My goodness.
Props to McBain for staying it in and continuing to get up. Middleton is a UNIT and was landing blows with his elbows.
Great scrap. https://t.co/5AyPvWQY9e
— Cole Bagley (@BagleyKSLsports) February 28, 2025
The action started early as Utah rattled off multiple shots with no response from Minnesota.
Finally, on the fourth go-around, Barrett Hayton broke through to give Utah a 1-0 lead.
RELATED: Barrett Hayton Scores On Power Play, Gives Utah Early Lead Against Wild
Great goal from Hayton on the PP here.
Goes right at the net and wastes no time finding the back. Special teams desperately needed that one.
Hayton continues to make more of an impact for this team. https://t.co/Vz2X2sJ1T3
— Cole Bagley (@BagleyKSLsports) February 28, 2025
Almost immediately after the opening score, the gloves came off.
Jack McBain and Jake Middleton got into it and it turned out to be one of the better fights of the season.
McBain took a beating but continued to fight back. With every thrown punch, the crowd got louder.
McBain is a warrior for getting up after those punches.
Yeesh. https://t.co/RZp2xPwpHm
— Cole Bagley (@BagleyKSLsports) February 28, 2025
Finally, before the first intermission, the Hockey Club was on the favorable end of a five versus three.
Dylan Guenther set up from the left faceoff circle and sent a strike into the back of the net.
Yeah, that’ll play 😮💨
Gunner makes it a 2-0 game! pic.twitter.com/SKZPCD7V24
— Utah Hockey Club (@utahhockeyclub) February 28, 2025
As the Utah Hockey Club embarks on the final stretch of their inaugural season, every game has to be treated like a game seven.
Utah is 11 points back from an outright bid into the postseason and four points back from the Wild Card. The Hockey Club has heated up at the perfect time as they enter the Thursday matchup with two straight victories and five wins in their last seven games.
This is the fourth time these teams will face off this season. Utah has a slight advantage in the season series with two wins and one shootout loss.
Before the final matchup between Minnesota and Utah, the division rivals have a relatively different outlook on the final stretch of the NHL season.
With a 26-24-9 record, Utah sits fifth in the Central Division and 10th in the Western Conference. At 34-20-4, Minnesota holds the third spot in the Central Division and the fourth spot in the conference.
The Hockey Club has an 11-12-6 record on the road while the Wild are 21-7-3 at home. Utah comes in with five wins in its last seven games while Minnesota has four wins in its last seven.
Utah Hockey Club games can be viewed on SEG+. Fans can also tune in on the KSL Sports app or 97.5 and 1280 The Zone. Click here for the full schedule.
Find KSLSports.com coverage of the Utah Hockey Club here.
