The Utah Hockey Club didn’t need long to get the first goal in franchise history, and it was scored by a player who will be a big part of the team’s future.
Forward Dylan Guenther gave Utah a 1-0 lead less than five minutes into the club’s season opener Tuesday night at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, and later added an empty-netter for a 5-2 victory against the Chicago Blackhawks. He ripped a one-timer past Blackhawks goalie Petr Mrazek for the first goal after being set up by Logan Cooley and Michael Kesselring.
Guenther, 21, who’s entering his third season in the NHL, recently signed an eight-year extension worth more than $57 million. His goals were the 25th and 26th of his career in his 79th NHL game.
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Utah is technically a first-year NHL team. Utah Jazz owners Ryan and Ashley Smith acquired the hockey assets of the Arizona Coyotes, who became an inactive franchise. The deal was done in April, so it was a quick turnaround to opening night with an official nickname still in the works.
Guenther made sure Utah got off to a good start. Newly named captain Clayton Keller also scored in the first period and offseason acquisition Mikhail Sergachev set up Barrett Hayton for a 3-0 lead in the second period.
Connor Bedard pulled Chicago close with assists on goals by Teuvo Teravainen and Nick Foligno. But Guenther’s empty-netter put the game away and Lawson Crouse scored later for the franchise’s first win.
‘It’s been a pretty crazy day, the first game in franchise history,’ Keller told ESPN. ‘We had butterflies all day and we couldn’t wait to get out on the ice. The crowd was amazing and I thought the guys played pretty hard and it was nice to get the win at home.’
(This story was updated to add new information.)
