By Miguel Mike Medina
Photo: Delta Center
The Utah Hockey Club (9-10-3) returns home to Delta Center tonight to face the Edmonton Oilers (11-9-2) for Utah’s first-ever Hockey Fights Cancer game.
The game will be at 9 pm tonight on ESPN Plus.
Edmonton enters as the favorite. The Oilers are a much better team and rank among the top five in shot attempts for and against per 60 minutes.
The Oilers are seventh in the NHL in penalty minutes with 165, compared to Utah’s 275 (32nd in the league).
Dylan Guenther leads the team with ten goals on the year, including three in his last three games.
Clayton Keller leads the way for Utah with 20 points in 21 games.
Michael Kesselring has been very impactful this season. He has three goals and 11 points over 22 games and logs an average of 19:10 per night.
Goaltender Karel Vejmelka has held the opposition to three goals or fewer in each of his last eight starts.
Oilers’ Zach Hyman hasn’t played a game since Nov 19. He had a collision with Ottawa Senators’ defenseman Nick Jensen. However, Hyman has returned to practice.
Hyman might or might not play tonight. If he does, it would be a huge boost for the Oilers, who are still working on their power-play possessions.
The Oilers do generate more expected goals. Utah’s defense will be the key to stopping the Oilers’ offense.
Despite their flaws, we are in for an exciting matchup tonight between two talented teams on this Black Friday.
For tonight’s special event, fans will receive an “I Stand With” sign upon entry and are encouraged to personalize their sign with the name of someone they support who has been affected by cancer.
Miguel Mike Medina is the publisher of The MMM Journal. He can be reached at medinamiguelmike@gmail.com
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