In a thrilling showdown held in Salt Lake City, Dylan Guenther came through with a clutch power-play goal with just under six minutes left in the third period, propelling Utah to a narrow 2-1 victory over the Vancouver Canucks on Sunday night. Making his return to the ice after a seven-game absence due to a lower-body injury, Logan Cooley also made his mark by finding the back of the net for Utah, marking the team’s second win in three games. Clayton Keller played a pivotal role with two assists, while John Marino and Nick Schmaltz contributed with one assist each. Karel Vejmelka of Utah made a solid 14 saves on the night.
Vancouver’s lone goal was scored by Jake DeBrusk, with Arturs Silos standing tall in the net with 30 saves. Elias Pettersson and Pius Suter combined to set up DeBrusk’s power-play goal at 1:43 of the second period, initially putting Vancouver in the lead. However, Cooley quickly responded at 3:51 to level the score at 1-1. The game was ultimately decided by Guenther’s deft tip-in from Schmaltz’s pass, securing the victory for Utah.
In terms of playoff implications, the Canucks managed to hold on to their second-place position in the wild-card race within the Western Conference, maintaining a three-point lead over the Calgary Flames. Utah, on the other hand, has now claimed victories in the first two meetings of the season series against Vancouver.
A key moment in the game arrived when Guenther managed to redirect Schmaltz’s shot for the decisive goal during a power play, putting Utah ahead for the first time in the game. The statistics also favored Utah, with a notable 32-15 advantage in shots on goal and a significant 20 blocked shots compared to Vancouver’s 12.
Looking ahead, Utah is set to host the Chicago Blackhawks on Tuesday, while Vancouver will face off against the Los Angeles Kings on Wednesday.
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