The Utah Hockey Club got off to a red-hot start, winning the first three games of their inaugural season. However, they closed out their four-game road trip with a loss to the New Jersey Devils and an overtime loss to the Anaheim Ducks. This puts Utah at a 3-1-1 record with seven total points, which puts them in third place in the Central Division.
The Utah Hockey Club is finally back in Salt Lake City and are set to play their second home game of the season tonight at the Delta Center against an original six opponent in the Boston Bruins.
The Boston Bruins, like the Hockey Club, have five games under their belts. However, they are 3-2, and their two losses came against the defending Stanley Cup Champion Florida Panthers. Outside those two games, the Bruins have beaten the Montreal Canadiens and Los Angeles Kings and are coming off a win against the Colorado Avalanche.
The Bruins are known for playing a solid defensive and physical game, while the Utah Hockey Club is a high-flying team that loves to use its skill and speed. It will be interesting to see how these two styles match up.
Here is a full preview of the Boston Bruins vs Utah Hockey Club game being played tonight at the Delta Center:
Boston Bruins vs. Utah Hockey Club Preview
The Boston Bruins' season was off to a controversial start, not for their play on the ice. Instead, their General Manager, Cam Neely, publicly called out Bruins star goaltender Jeremy Swayman during their contract negotiations, which created a lot of unnecessary discourse around the organization, considering Swayman signed less than a week later.
Swayman is likely the guy we will see in the Bruins' net tonight, as Jonas Korpisalo made the start in the Bruins' last game against the Colorado Avalanche.
Swayman is off to a slow start by his standards, with a 2.98 goals-against average and a .893 save percentage. This is likely due to his missing training camp and preseason after holding out due to the contract dispute. However, Swayman is one of the best goalies in the NHL; last year, he ranked sixth in goals saved above expected. He can steal a game for his team on any night.
In Utah's net, we will likely see Connor Ingram make his fifth-season start. Despite an ugly 3.88 goals-against-average and .868 save percentage, Ingram has been solid to start the year. Utah has been piss-poor defensively in front of him, but Ingram has made a ton of huge saves to keep Utah in games.
But now, with Sean Durzi out, Utah is going to need Ingram to be a lot sharper. This team will really struggle defensively until Bill Armstrong can bring in some reinforcements on the blueline. The key to a Utah victory tonight will be staying out of the penalty box. As much as the Utah Hockey Club have struggled defensively to start the year, the Bruins have as well and have not looked like the same defensive beast as years past. If Utah can keep this game at five-on-five and not consistently play at a disadvantage, Utah should have a great chance to win despite their injury-riddled blueline.