The Utah Hockey Club has fallen behind in the race for the NHL’s Western Conference wild card. With that, the odds are very much against them now. However, that has not stopped their captain from setting a pace that will most likely result in a career season. Clayton Keller was named the first captain in franchise history and the league’s fourth-youngest captain ever. After moving from Arizona to Utah, expectations were not high, but Keller’s play helped change that. Utah is still in the mix, but only by a very thin thread.
Utah Hockey Club Captain Performing Despite Slim Playoff Hopes
For Utah, it has been a long season. Inconsistent play and battling injuries up and down the lineup certainly has not helped. Key injuries included top forwards Dylan Guenther and Logan Cooley, while defencemen Sean Durzi and John Marino missed most of the season. Despite these setbacks, the team barely remains in the hunt for a playoff berth thanks to Keller’s outstanding season.
Power play goal for Utah!
Scored by Dylan Guenther with 16:14 remaining in the 1st period.
Assisted by Clayton Keller and Logan Cooley.
Utah: 1
Detroit: 0#DETvsUTA #UtahHC #LGRW pic.twitter.com/ttqHSNLNnY— NHL Goals (@nhl_goal_bot) March 25, 2025
Keller’s goal scoring dipped a little bit from the previous two seasons, but he is still just nine points away from breaking his career-high of 86 in the 2022-2023 campaign. The 26-year-old winger has 79 points (24 goals, 55 assists) and 192 shots on goal in 73 games this season. Keller recently recorded 15 points in 13 games during what has been a tough month for Utah. They will surely need contributions from other areas of the lineup.
Team Effort
In Thursday’s game, Utah suffered a dominating 8-0 defeat against the Tampa Bay Lightning. They did not seem to have the same level of effort from recent games, it was actually the worst loss in Utah’s history. The defence failed to protect goaltender Karel Vejmelka, who has started in 17 consecutive games. Vejmelka is doing everything in his power to keep the team’s slim playoff hopes alive, going 9-5-3 in the span.
Clayton Keller’s message to the team:
"There’s never going to be any quit in this room ever. We’re going to fight all the way until the end. We’re going to try to win every single game from here on out.”
“You never know what can happen. We’re going to stay motivated." pic.twitter.com/K3OfimoYgM
— Cole Bagley (@BagleyKSLsports) March 25, 2025
Utah recently ended a three-game losing skid, but lost in four of their last seven games. This includes a 7-1 defeat to the Edmonton Oilers as well. Keller believes there will not be any quitting mentality in the team, however, getting outscored 17-7 in the previous few games is not a good sign. In Tampa, Utah was completely outworked, not getting much offensively, and forcing backup Jaxson Stauber in after Vejmelka gave up four goals on seven shots. Utah will need strong efforts from everyone to even come close to the wild card.
Playoff Chances
Utah now sits nine points behind the St. Louis Blues for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference. The Blues pulled ahead further in the standings after winning their eight straight game. It was always going to be a tall task, but Utah’s overall play has contributed to their current situation. According to Moneypuck, Utah has a 0.7% chance of clinching a post-season berth.
With nine games left in the season, Utah has a big hill to climb. They have upcoming dates with the Calgary Flames, a team they are fighting with for the wild card. In addition to some of the best teams in the league, the Los Angeles Kings, Winnipeg Jets, and Dallas Stars. With Utah’s hopes quickly dwindling, there is now very little room for error and every point matters even more.
They are unable to control how the Blues play, but Utah commands their own fate. At this point, a big significant win streak is necessary to make the playoffs. While it sounds improbable, Keller still needs to continue leading the charge.
Main Photo Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images
