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- Clayton Keller scored in the final minute, securing Utah's 4-3 victory over San Jose.
- Utah outshot San Jose 17-3 in the third period, showcasing relentless offense.
- Utah has won four of its last five games, nearing a playoff position.
SAN JOSE, Calif. — Call him Captain Clutch.
With 43 seconds remaining in regulation, Utah captain Clayton Keller skated into the slot and sent a quick wrister into the back of the net to lift Utah to a 4-3 win over the San Jose Sharks Saturday at SAP Center.
"I just tried to be patient," Keller said. "I'm always looking for (Dylan Guenther), as well. And I think I just had some good patience, and I was able to kind of slide a shot low blocker there, and it's good to see it go in."
That game-winner was the exclamation point to a strong third period that saw the Hockey Club flip the script a bit on the Sharks. In late October, San Jose stunned Utah with three late goals to steal a win at the Delta Center.
On Saturday, Utah got some revenge.
Utah forward Michael Carcone tied the game midway through the third, and then Utah won it on Kessler's snipe during a four-on-three power play.
"I didn't like a lot of stuff in the first two periods, but I think we showed up in the third," head coach André Tourigny said. "Put our nose over the puck, won battles, moved the puck, went at the net — we attacked from different ways, different angles, so we were tougher to handle."
After giving up a power-play goal to Fabian Zetterlund five minutes into the third and falling down 3-2, Utah was relentless in the offensive zone. The team outshot San Jose 17-3 in the final 20 minutes as it searched for the equalizer, and later the winner.
With a little over 10 minutes remaining in the game, Kevin Stenlund found Carcone at the doorstep for an easy tap-in goal. Stenlund appeared to have a lane for a shot of his own, but his patience paid off when Carcone popped open in front of an open net.
"I was just trying to get lost," said Carcone, who has 5 points in the last seven games. "I was hoping he saw me. I couldn't really jump around or hit my stick, but he's got some good vision. I know he wanted to shoot that puck, but it was a good pass."
That set up Keller's heroics at the end. Regulation was already set to finish on a four-on-four skate after a 10-man skirmish resulted in Jack McBain and Jan Rutta being sent to the penalty box. Utah was gifted a golden opportunity when San Jose's Cody Ceci was called for high sticking, giving Utah a late power play.
And Keller took full advantage with his 10th goal of the season.
"He wants to be a difference maker," Tourigny said. "Right now, our power play is rolling, and he's a big part of that."
The team as a whole is rolling, too. Utah has won four of its last five games and is now just 2 points out of a playoff position. Saturday's win was a game that a few weeks ago Utah probably would have found a way to lose; instead, the team is figuring out how to win.
"Yeah, I think that shows the character of our team," Carcone said of the gritty finish. "You've got to find some ugly ways to win sometimes. That's what the best teams do, and we're putting ourselves in that conversation."
So what changed since the meltdown against San Jose six weeks ago?
"I think earlier in the season, we were gripping our sticks too tight or kind of not playing offense," Carcone said. "Now, I think we're a confident group that's kind of trying to run it down their throats a little bit."
It's been working. Utah extended its point streak to five games (4-0-1) and has now won six straight on the road.
Nick Schmaltz had a goal and an assist, and Logan Cooley and Mikhail Sergachev each had two assists for the Hockey Club. Guenther had his team-leading 13th goal in the first.
