Estimated read time: 3-4 minutes
- Dylan Guenther scored twice, leading Utah to a 2-1 victory over Minnesota.
- Utah has won four straight games, emerging as a playoff threat.
- Goaltender Karel Vejmelka's 28 saves contributed to Utah's strong defensive performance.
ST. PAUL, Minn. — André Tourigny is long past being surprised by Dylan Guenther's heroics.
The Utah Hockey Club head coach saw him score the golden goal for Canada at the World Juniors, and there have been multiple game-tying tallies (like on Wednesday) and overtime winners.
So his power-play goal with 9:59 remaining on Friday to lift the Utah Hockey Club to a 2-1 win over Minnesota? That's just Guenther being Guenther.
"There's some guys like that — it's just in their DNA," Tourigny said. "Gunner from the time I know him, that's what he does. Honestly, he has poise and he has composure and doesn't change his game in those key moments."
Guenther scored twice on Friday, extending his team lead to 16 goals on the season, as Utah won its fourth straight game and seventh straight on the road.
The common denominator of those four wins? That would be Guenther.
He has scored six goals in the last four games as Utah has suddenly emerged as a playoff threat. Utah is now just 1 point off a wild card spot and the No. 3 spot in the division.
"We're growing as a group," defenseman Mikhail Sergachev said. "We're a young group, but we can make the playoffs. We can play in the playoffs. We can play against playoff teams, and we show it on a nightly basis."
Friday was just the latest example.
Minnesota is one of the top teams in the Western Conference paced by early-season MVP favorite Kirill Kaprizov. The Wild looked every bit like that top team in the game's opening minutes.
They lived on the attack in the first 10 minutes, generating seven shots on goal before Utah could muster one. The Wild broke through when Mats Zuccarello beat Utah goaltender Karel Vejmelka on an odd-man rush.
But that was the only time the Wild were able to beat Vejmelka — though it was far from the only time he was challenged.
The Wild had 29 shots on goal, including multiple breakaway chances and power-play opportunities. Minnesota went 0-of-5 on the power play despite no shortage of great looks. Vejmelka, who made 28 saves for a gaudy .966 save percentage on Friday, was the main reason for that.
"It's a huge, huge game for us, especially against those guys," Vejmelka said. "They are one of the best teams. So it's a great, great win for us. Huge, huge 2 points."
It didn't take long for Utah to respond after going down in the first period. One minute after the Wild's opening goal, Guenther got his first of the evening when he rebounded Jack McBain's shot that fell right at the doorstep.
"It was a huge moment when we were able to tie the game pretty quick after they scored," Vejmelka said. "And then we just got better every period. And we had a strong, strong finish too."
Strong finishes are becoming the norm for the Hockey Club. The team has now scored a tying or a lead-changing goal in the third period in each of its last games.
"Just really good composure," Guenther said. "We've been in that situation a lot and so I think we are getting better at it."
No one has been better than Guenther.
Midway through the third, at the opening moments of a power play, Guenther sent a low puck toward net. He appeared to be trying to feed Logan Cooley — who was crashing on the far side — but the puck was deflected by a Minnesota stick into the net.
A little lucky? Sure, but also Guenther being Guenther.
And, suddenly, Utah just being Utah.
"Since mid-November, we're playing good hockey," Tourigny said. "You don't go from struggling a little bit to winning on a consistent basis. It climbs slowly. We started to play better defensively. Then, even if we weren't winning a lot, we were playing better. It was coming. … Now, we're there."
