Two teams hoping to end their seasons on a high note meet Monday night when the Nashville Predators host the Utah Hockey Club.
Utah (37-30-13, 87 points), eliminated from playoff consideration last week, has won three of its last four games (3-0-1). The only loss came last Thursday in a shootout with the Predators (29-43-8, 66 points).
On Saturday, Utah scored four power-play goals en route to a 5-3 victory at the Dallas Stars. Five players found the back of the net and nine players registered points, with Logan Cooley leading the way with the only even-strength goal and two assists.
Barrett Hayton added a goal — recording the first 20-goal season of his career — and posted an assist. Dylan Guenther and Jack McBain both assisted on two goals as the first-year franchise claimed its first win over the Stars (1-2-1).
“This was a huge game for us. We’ve competed with this team all year,” Hayton told the Salt Lake Tribune. “This was one we had marked off. This road trip is huge for us — we built a standard this year and we want to keep that and keep growing that in this final stretch.”
Utah is 10 for 18 on the power play in its last five games.
Cooley has six points (two goals, four assists) in his last three games, while Guenther has a goal and six assists during a four-game points streak.
Goalie Karel Vejmelka has started each Utah game since Feb. 23, a total of 23 straight. The Czech native is the first netminder in a decade to string together a streak that long. He is 13-6-4 with a .902 save percentage and a 2.45 goals-against average in that stretch.
The Predators are wrapping up what has been a very disappointing season in the Music City. They were considered a potential Stanley Cup contender last summer after making a splash in free agency with the signings of Jonathan Marchessault from the Vegas Golden Knights and Steven Stamkos from the Tampa Bay Lightning.
However, Nashville started the season with five straight defeats and endured a subsequent eight-game skid that put the team at 7-16-6 through 29 games — and coach Andrew Brunette’s team never recovered.
Marchessault is second on the team in points with 54 (20 goals, 34 assists). Stamkos ranks second with 27 goals and third with 52 points.
Nashville saw its two-game winning streak snapped Saturday in Vegas after the Golden Knights scored twice in the final two minutes to pull out a 5-3 victory. The Predators rallied from a 3-1 deficit with two goals in the first five minutes of the final period.
Nashville plays its final two games at home.
“We’re still trying to hang on to something here down the stretch,” Brunette said after Saturday’s loss, according to NHL.com. “There’s a couple home games; we can get a good feeling before we break for the summer. You’re always going to remember your last couple, so hopefully we play the right way. We’ll get excited to play and try to end on the right note.”
–Field Level Media
