Barrett Hayton scores twice, Karel Vejmelka earns first shutout of season as Utah Hockey Club beats Minnesota, 4-0, for third straight win

Karel Vejmelka made 26 saves for his first shutout of the season, Barrett Hayton scored twice and Utah beat the Minnesota Wild 4-0 on Thursday night for its third straight victory. Clayton Keller and Lawson Crouse also scored,

The Utah Hockey Club pulled off a great game against the Minnesota Wild on Thursday to begin their three-game road trip, beating them 4-0 to get closer to the second wild card spot in the Western Conference.

Karel Vejmelka made 26 saves for his first shutout ... Utah is two points out of the second wild-card spot in a crowded Western Conference playoff field. Less than two minutes into the game ...

Makar gained possession, started a 3-on-1 and made a pass from the right circle to Lehkonen, who lifted the puck over Igor Shesterkin. Newcomer Jack Drury and Juuso Parssinen also scored for the Avs, while Nathan MacKinnon and new acquisition Martin Necas set up both Makar goals.

Clayton Keller's 18th goal of the season not enough as Utah falls, 3-1, in Ottawa

Vejmelka will get the road start Sunday against the Senators, Belle Fraser of The Salt Lake Tribune reports. Vejmelka is coming off his first shutout of the season, a 26-save effort against Minnesota on Thursday. Overall, the 28-year-old netminder is 11-13-3 with a .913 save percentage and 2.45 GAA this year.

Vejmelka recorded a 26-save shutout in Thursday's 4-0 win over Minnesota. This was technically Vejmelka's second personal shutout of the season, as the previous one was a 4-0 loss to Ottawa in which he stopped the 14 shots he faced after coming in as relief after Connor Ingram got the hook,

At first glance, the Utah Hockey Club played a perfect game on Thursday. But the stats suggest there was lots of room for improvement.

Utah Hockey Club left wing Lawson Crouse (67) and goaltender Karel Vejmelka (70) hug after a win over the Minnesota Wild of an NHL hockey game, Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025, in St. Paul, Minn. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr) St. Paul, Minn. • Utah Hockey Club has had this week circled on the calendar.

Game Preview, 1/24: Utah Hockey Club vs. Winnipeg Jets WHEN: 6:00 p.m. MT WHERE: Canada Life Centre - Winnipeg, Manitoba TV: SEG+, UtahHC+, Utah 16 | RADIO: KSL Sports Zone 97.5 FM, NHL App

The Jets will be facing the Utah Hockey Club for the second time this week when the teams meet on Friday in Winnipeg.