SALT LAKE CITY — Utah Hockey Club never trailed after getting first-period goals from Dylan Guenther and Clayton Keller and held off a late rally to beat the Chicago Blackhawks 5-2 in the season opener for both teams on Tuesday night.
Guenther finished with two goals after adding an empty netter in the final minute. Barrett Hayton added a second-period goal and an assist for Utah. Lawson Crouse capped the scoring with 22 seconds remaining.
Teuvo Teravainen and Nick Foligno each scored for Chicago to help trim a 3-0 deficit.
Guenther scored the first goal in Utah’s franchise history after blasting a slap shot down the middle five minutes into the first period.
Hayton’s tip-in made it 3-0 for Utah before the Blackhawks rallied. Foligno drew Chicago within a goal after tipping in the puck with 15:12 left in the third. Connor Ingram made 25 saves for Utah and Petr Mrazek had 20 for Chicago.
Blackhawks: Chicago turned up the heat offensively in the second period after a listless first period, generating 11 shots on goal. The Blackhawks couldn’t capitalize on enough of those chances.
Utah HC: Utah fared well on power-play defense, denying the Blackhawks with three penalty kills.
Hayton flicked the puck over Mrazek’s shoulder near the middle of the second period. It gave Utah just enough of a cushion until Guenther sealed a win with an empty-net goal with 41.9 seconds left.
Keller has eight career points (four goals, four assists) in season-opening games. He’s the only Utah player with a 30-goal season under his belt, reaching that mark in each of his final two seasons in Arizona.
The Blackhawks continue their season-opening four-game road trip at Winnipeg on Friday while Utah Hockey Club starts a four-game road swing at the New York Islanders on Thursday.
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AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl
