Utah Hockey Club management drew some criticism for signing Dylan Guenther to a long-term extension before playing a full NHL season. But those critics might eat their words as early as this season.
It’s probably still too early to form opinions, but Guenther scored twice again in Utah HC’s 5-4 overtime win over the New York Islanders on Thursday evening. It was his second two-goal game in as many games.
In Utah’s first-ever road game, Maxim Tsyplakov scored with 2:07 left in regulation to put the Islanders ahead by a goal. However, Josh Doan tied the game 13 seconds later on a partial breakaway, sending the game to overtime.
Guenther, 21, who is under contract for nine years, scored the overtime winner.
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“All three of us were in (the offensive zone) so if we didn’t score, it probably would have been a breakaway the other way,” Guenther said of the goal after the game.
Utah leaves UBS Arena with two points, starting the season 2-0.
How this works
This is a three-part article geared toward three different audiences.
First, we’ll have “Utah Hockey for dummies” for all you new hockey fans. Welcome, by the way — we’re glad you’ve taken an interest in the greatest sport in the world.
Next, we’ll have a section titled “Utah Hockey for casual fans,” aimed at those who have a base understanding of the sport.
Finally, we’ll have “Utah Hockey for nerds.” That will be for those of you who, like me, think about nothing but hockey all day, every day.
Feedback is welcome, so let me know what you think in the comments of this article or the comments section on “X.”
Utah Hockey for dummies
If this was your first hockey game, you probably think hockey is the greatest sport in the world. It was a nail-biter all the way until the end, and no matter which team you root for, you were entertained the whole time.
Not every game has this much drama, but the speed, physicality and excitement are always the same at the NHL level. Stick around. It only gets better.
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Utah HC is now 2-0-0 in the regular season, but their upcoming games against the New York Rangers and the New Jersey Devils will be good tests. Head coach André Tourigny called the Rangers “elite.”
New York Islanders’ Ryan Pulock (6) defends Utah Hockey Club’s Sean Durzi (50) during the third period of an NHL hockey game Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024, in Elmont, N.Y. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II) | AP
New York Islanders’ Anthony Duclair (11) and Mike Reilly (2) defend Utah Hockey Club’s Michael Carcone (53) during the third period of an NHL hockey game Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024, in Elmont, N.Y. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II) | AP
Utah Hockey Club’s Jack McBain (22) passes away from New York Islanders’ Alexander Romanov during the first period of an NHL hockey game, Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024, in Elmont, N.Y. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II) | AP
Utah Hockey Club goaltender Connor Ingram (39) stops a shot by New York Islanders’ Brock Nelson (29) during the second period of an NHL hockey game, Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024, in Elmont, N.Y. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II) | AP
New York Islanders’ Brock Nelson (29) fights for control of the puck with Utah Hockey Club’s Josh Doan (91) during the first period of an NHL hockey game Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024, in Elmont, N.Y. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II) | AP
Utah Hockey Club’s Jack McBain (22) fights for control of the puck with New York Islanders’ Maxim Tsyplakov (7) during the first period of an NHL hockey game Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024, in Elmont, N.Y. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II) | AP
Utah Hockey Club’s Dylan Guenther (11) celebrates with teammates after scoring during the third period of an NHL hockey game against the New York Islanders Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024, in Elmont, N.Y. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II) | AP
Utah Hockey Club’s Dylan Guenther (11) celebrates after scoring the game winning goal during the overtime period of an NHL hockey game against the New York Islanders Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024, in Elmont, N.Y. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II) | AP
New York Islanders goaltender Semyon Varlamov (40) protects the net during the first period of an NHL hockey game against the Utah Hockey Club Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024, in Elmont, N.Y. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II) | AP
New York Islanders goaltender Semyon Varlamov (40) leaves the ice as the Utah Hockey Club celebrate after an NHL hockey game Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024, in Elmont, N.Y. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II) | AP
The Utah Hockey Club celebrates a goal by Logan Cooley during the second period of an NHL hockey game against the New York Islanders, Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024, in Elmont, N.Y. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II) | AP
Utah Hockey Club goaltender Connor Ingram (39) stops a shot by New York Islanders’ Anthony Duclair (11) during the second period of an NHL hockey game, Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024, in Elmont, N.Y. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II) | AP
Utah Hockey for casual fans
Goalie Connor Ingram told me five days ago that he loves to be a boring goalie. With the amount of times I said “How did that stay out?” during this game, I have to disagree.
Being “boring” is a good thing for goalies because if you’re always in position, you rarely have to make desperate or flashy saves. It’s what made Carey Price as good as he was. But who doesn’t love a good flash of the leather?
In the first period, after a weird bounce behind the net, Ingram found himself way out of position with the puck on an Islander stick. He dove and blocked it in mid-air, bringing the crowd to its feet and immediately back to its seats.
“It is the most lonely feeling in the world being behind the net, looking through the net and seeing the wide open net,” he said. “There’s nothing you can say about it. It’s just pure desperation.”
A period later, he denied an Islander on the doorstep with a sliding pad save.
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“Sometimes you’ve just gotta be an athlete,” he said.
Utah Hockey for nerds
The hockey die-hards appreciate a solid defensive play just as much as a fancy goal. “Solid” would describe Utah HC’s defensive game on Thursday — especially on the penalty kill.
Utah HC took six penalties and killed five of them.
“I think our PK was probably the best part of our game,” Tourigny said after the game. “A lot of the guys who played PK, they came out big. They made big plays.”
On Thursday, Utah did all the little things right: blocking shots and passing lanes, playing hard in the corners and backchecking and forechecking as if its season depended on it.
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Tourigny specifically shouted out Mikhail Sergachev, Ian Cole and Michael Kesselring for doing the little things right, but he emphasized that there are many more players that did virtually everything right.
What’s next?
Utah HC plays its third and final home opener of the year on Saturday as they take on the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden. The Rangers are expected to be Stanley Cup contenders this year.
Interesting fact: It will be color commentator Dominic Moore’s first time ever calling a game at MSG, where he played five seasons for the Rangers.
What’s Tourigny’s key focus for the upcoming game?
“Rest for now,” he said.
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On Monday, Utah HC visits the New Jersey Devils, followed by the Anaheim Ducks on Wednesday to round out the road trip.
Saturday’s game is at 5 p.m. MDT, Monday’s is at 11 a.m. and Wednesday’s is at 8 p.m. All three games will be available on Utah HC+ and Utah 16.
The Utah Jazz’s experiment to bring in 18-year league veteran Kevin Love thus far into the 2025-26 campaign has been a pretty solid success in the first two-plus months of the season.
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Love has been a positive voice in the locker room as the most tenured NBA veteran on the roster, he’s been vocal about enjoying his time and role with the organization, and for his time on the floor throughout the first 30 or so games of the regular season, he’s nestled into a consistent rotational player as the Jazz’s backup center as Walker Kessler has been out with a shoulder injury.
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But when he first arrived in Utah via a three-team trade from the Miami Heat, packed within the deal that sent John Collins to the LA Clippers, Love didn’t quite know what to expect out of his experience; he didn’t even anticipate being traded to the Jazz in the first place.
“I didn’t know what to expect when I got here, but I’ve been very pleasantly surprised from everything, from ownership, and Ryan Smith to the front office to the coaching staff, players all the way through,” Love said of the Jazz on The Old Man and the Three. “It’s been a blessing in my 18th year to be a part of this team and some place, I mean, you never know where you’re going to end up.”
“I did not expect to be traded but as far as a landing spot goes and just saying, yeah, so many people are saying ‘Oh what if it doesn’t work out? What if it doesn’t work out?’ I’m like ‘What if it does?’, right?And I think just adding value whether I’m playing or not is something that’s given me a lot of happiness and a lot of joy this late in my career. And I think that has allowed me to see a lot of the good and what this team has been able to bring and move forward.”
Kevin Love Settling in Nicely With Utah Jazz
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Love’s value stretches both on and off the floor for the Jazz, which makes sense for why the veteran big man has been loving his time since being on the roster. The 2016 NBA champion was vocal before the season about his desire to be a value add for wherever that may be, including Utah, and he’s been able to carve out just the right role for himself at this point in his career.
During his 20 games played for the Jazz this season, Love has averaged 7.2 points, 5.4 rebounds, and shooting 41.1% from the field in just over 17 minutes a night when he plays, and has proven he can still be a guy worthy of a few minutes down the rotation to fill out an NBA frontcourt, as he has for the year in Utah so far.
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Dec 15, 2025; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Dallas Mavericks forward Caleb Martin (left) speaks with Utah Jazz forward Kevin Love (right) before the game at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images | Rob Gray-Imagn Images
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It remains to be seen just how long Love’s time in Utah will last. There’s not even a guarantee that the 37-year-old will finish the regular season on the roster, depending on how the next few weeks transpire around the trade deadline and as the buyout market begins to gain some traction. But, for the time that he is in Salt Lake City, he’s made it into a nice home for what’s now the fourth roster he’s been on through nearly two decades in the league.
Be sure to bookmark Utah Jazz On SI and follow @JazzOnSI on X to stay up-to-date on daily Utah Jazz news, interviews, breakdowns and more!
Utah has significantly benefited from this week’s series of storms.
Alta, Brighton, Snowbird and Solitude resorts in the Cottonwood canyons all received over 2 feet of snow between Sunday and Tuesday, while several other resorts across the state’s northern half gained close to or even over a foot to 1½ feet of fresh powder.
What turned into the biggest storm of the season so far was great for winter recreation and for the state’s water supply. Alta gained nearly 4 inches of water through the storm, which helped Little Cottonwood Canyon’s snowpack jump from 58% of its median average on New Year’s Day to 110% of its median average for this point in the year.
The state’s average snowpack jumped from 57% of its median to 74% in just one week.
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“(It) was some wet, water-logged snow,” said KSL meteorologist Matt Johnson, adding that many communities north of Salt Lake City were big winners, as Kaysville, the Ogden bench and Logan all ended up with over 0.75 inches of precipitation.
There’s at least one more storm before things begin to settle down, which this time includes more valley snow.
The National Weather Service issued winter weather advisories across the state’s mountains, which could receive another foot of snow or more by the end of Thursday. It also issued its first advisory of the season for the Wasatch Front and other valley communities, which could end up with a few inches of snow.
Storm timing
A pair of low-pressure systems — one off the California coast and another off the Alaska coast on Tuesday — are projected to collide over the Four Corners in the coming days, which factors into the forecast.
Some scattered snow showers ahead of the low are possible in northern Utah on Wednesday afternoon, before a mix of rain and snow arrives in more parts of the state later in the day, Johnson said. The rain is expected to transition into snow from Logan to central Utah by Thursday morning, possibly causing a slick commute.
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Additional showers could linger into the afternoon, with the Great Salt Lake playing a “wild card” role in potentially aiding snow totals on Thursday and potentially again on Friday morning, before drier conditions return by the weekend.
Potential accumulations
Another 6 to 12 inches of snow is generally expected across the mountains in Utah’s northern half, while 4 to 8 inches are possible in the central and southern mountains by the end of Thursday, according to the weather service’s advisories. “Locally higher” totals are possible in the upper Cottonwood canyons and Bear River range.
❄️Our attention now turns to a colder system arriving late Wed that will bring valley snow between early Thursday AM and Friday AM.
➡️Slow down if you encounter adverse driving conditions (especially for the Thu AM commute!) and allow more time to reach your destination. #utwxpic.twitter.com/E7NHDfnrvE
Lower elevations, including the Wasatch Back and valleys scattered across Utah’s northern half, could receive 1 to 4 inches of snow by late Thursday, with lake-effect snow potentially enhancing totals southeast of the Great Salt Lake.
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Salt Lake City has collected only 0.1 inches of snow so far this season, but one weather service model lists Utah’s capital city as having over a 70% chance of collecting 2 inches of snow.
“Slow down and use caution while traveling,” the agency wrote in its alert.
Rain is more likely closer to St. George, but Johnson said there’s a chance of some flurries. The weather service projects that the city could wind up with about a tenth of an inch of precipitation.
A cool and dry weekend
Cooler and drier conditions are expected this weekend, as the system clears out. High temperatures may only top out in the mid-to-upper 30s across the Wasatch Front and northern Utah this weekend, with overnight lows in the teens closer to Logan and in the low 20s elsewhere.
Hazy conditions may also return across the Wasatch Front by the end of the weekend, as another lull in storm activity moves into the forecast, Johnson said.
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High temperatures will dip into the 40s across southern Utah, but are forecast to return to the 50s by the end of the weekend. Full seven-day forecasts for areas across Utah can be found online at the KSL Weather Center.
SALT LAKE CITY (KUTV) — Road fatalities went down year-over-year after Utah officials reported the lowest number of traffic deaths in the state since 2019.
The Utah Department of Transportation and the Department of Public Safety released preliminary data on Tuesday, revealing 264 traffic fatalities statewide in 2025. That number is down from the 277 fatalities reported in 2024 and the lowest since the 248 deaths reported in 2019.
“While fewer lives were lost this year, even one death is one too many,” said Shaunna Burbidge, the program manager for Zero Fatalities. “These numbers help us understand where risks remain and remind us that the choices we make on the road can save lives.”
MORE | Traffic Fatalities
Among those concerns are teen drivers and motorcyclists.
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According to the 2025 data, motorcyclist fatalities increased by 32% compared to 2024, and teen fatalities “sharply rose.” The Department of Public Safety said 31 teens died on Utah roads in 2025, nearly double the 18 reported in 2024.
DPS said these deaths highlight the vulnerability of riders and the importance of visibility, protective gear, and safe speeds. Meanwhile, crashes involving young drivers are often tied to distractions, risky behaviors, and inexperience.
“Every time we travel, we make choices that carry lifelong consequences for ourselves and everyone else on the road,” said Sgt. Mike Alexnader with Utah Highway Patrol. “The reality is that these tragedies are preventable. When we commit to driving focused, alert, sober, calm, and when we ensure every person in the vehicle is buckled up, we aren’t just following the law; we are actively saving lives. It’s time we all take that responsibility to heart.”
