The final game of the inaugural season for the Utah Hockey Club is officially in the books. Game 82 was a mixed bag for the team. While there were some great little moments, they were overshadowed by the 6-1 loss to the St. Louis Blues, which ended the season on a sour note. Here are some takeaways from Tuesday’s game.
Clayton Keller Hits 90 Points
Clayton Keller just seems to get better each year. After scoring 86 points in the 2022-23 season, it was clear his mind was set on somehow improving even more. During Tuesday’s game against his hometown team, he managed to move one step closer to getting to the number all NHL players hope to get to: 100.
On the power play, Mikhail Sergachev held the puck down on the blue line and fed the puck to Keller. With a slapshot, Keller got the puck into the back of the net for his 90th point of the season. A career high for Utah’s captain.
Related: Utah’s Robert Bortuzzo Set to Play Potential Final Game in St. Louis
Keller ends the season with 30 goals and 60 assists. While it’s a decrease from the 33 goals he had last season, it is a big increase in assists and obviously points. Ultimately, the next step that Keller probably wants to see out of himself is getting 100 points in a season. It’s something that only the best NHL players do, but he yearns to be one of the best.
We’ll see if Keller can achieve that remarkable feat next season, but for now, 90 points isn’t bad at all. You can chalk it up to another excellent season for the longtime forward.
Robert Bortuzzo’s (Potential) Final Game in St. Louis
Before Tuesday’s game, it was confirmed that Robert Bortuzzo would play in his first NHL game since Jan. 2. However, with his contract expiring at the end of the season and Bortuzzo dealing with a lingering injury all season long, it was expected that Utah’s game against the Blues would be his last NHL game.
While he didn’t confirm it prior to the game, he hinted at it. Bortuzzo also said his parents would be coming in from Thunder Bay to watch the game. He got emotional towards the end of his press conference when speaking about how much they mean to him and how much they sacrificed for him to get to the NHL.
“They drove up from Thunder Bay,” Bortuzzo said. “They made the trek two days ago, and they wouldn’t miss this one. They molded me into who I am today, and they sacrificed so much for me to get here.”
Tuesday also marked the first game he’s played at Enterprise Center since being traded from the Blues. Earlier this season, the team gave him a video tribute, but unfortunately, he was watching the action from the press box. This time around, they played a clip of Bortuzzo’s first playoff goal, and the crowd went wild.
Robert Bortuzzo gets honored by the Blues and the crowd in Enterprise Center in what probably is his final NHL game. This is his first time playing in the arena since he was a Blue. #UtahHC pic.twitter.com/os2GfYmnsT
— Chase Beardsley (@ChaseBeardsley_) April 16, 2025
Bortuzzo didn’t look too shabby considering it was his first hockey game since January. He even got a shot on net, which the crowd cheered for after Jordan Binnington made the save.
After the game, though the Blues were celebrating their playoff berth, they stayed out on the ice to shake Bortuzzo’s hand. It was a class act by the Blues organization and the team.
Putting in Bortuzzo was the right move for Utah to make. It paints a good picture of the Utah organization, and it shows how much the team really cares about him.
“That says a lot about our team, how much we love Bert,” head coach André Tourigny said. “I think he is a hell of a pro. He’s an unbelievable human and unbelievable player. He had a long career, and it was good for us to have him on our side.”
All of the players were excited to see Bortuzzo in the lineup as well. While Ian Cole has only played with Bortuzzo this season, he talks about his fellow defenseman like he’s known him for life.
“Borts is a guy that we love in here, great teammate, great hockey player,” Cole said. “Unsure what his plans are, but regardless, we think extremely highly of him. I can’t say enough great things about him, as a teammate, as a player, as a person. Whatever he decides to do, wherever that is, we love him. We love him to death.”
After the conclusion of the game, Bortuzzo did a lot of reflecting. However, despite only playing a limited number of games, he truly is thankful for his time in Utah, and it’s the main thing he takes away from what could be his final NHL game.
“I’m truly grateful for what Utah was able to do for me here in St. Louis,” Bortuzzo said.
The Inaugural Season Ends On a Sour Note
At least Utah scored? Other than putting in Bortuzzo to most likely finish out his career and Keller hitting 90 points, it was the worst way the team could’ve ended their inaugural season. In fact, it was the most Utah way they could’ve ended the season.
Utah played all of the hits for their final game. By hits, I mean their usual mistakes. It started with crumbling under pressure. The Blues scored first with Brayden Schenn scoring eight minutes into the game. Three minutes later, Pavel Buchnevich scored to make it 2-0. By the time the first period was over, it was already 4-0. Yet another horrible first period by Utah. It’s something that hasn’t bothered them as of late, but it’s something that they have struggled with throughout this season.
Pavel Buchnevich scores to put the Blues up by two. It’s crazy in here. 2-0 Blues. #UtahHC pic.twitter.com/bloCUU1iQm
— Chase Beardsley (@ChaseBeardsley_) April 16, 2025
The crumbling under pressure flaw is something that Utah has really struggled with this season. In multiple instances, after the momentum is shifted out of their favor, Utah just gives up. In just the past week, it happened against the Nashville Predators in their home finale on Thursday. It happened in Nashville on Monday, and it would’ve killed them if it wasn’t for an ice issue.
The reason why the score worsened to 4-0 was because of Utah’s abysmal penalty kill. The Blues went three for six on the power play, and it all started with Jimmy Snuggerud scoring his first NHL goal. Zack Bolduc scored five minutes later on the power play again, and by that time, the game was all but over.
Jordan Kyrou scored twice in the third period, including the Blues’ third power-play goal, to make it 6-1. While the penalties Utah took throughout the game were questionable, the collapse of the penalty kill was unacceptable.
The worst part is that in a normal scenario, Utah would regroup, break it down, and fix the problem. However, they can’t do that. Tuesday’s game was Game 82. There is no Game 83. Instead, it becomes a sour thought until next season.
“That’s a good power play, and we weren’t ready on our reads,” Cole said. “Ultimately, when we let up passes, we start to break down. It’s one of those things that you wish you could look at the video and make adjustments and move on. But, being this is the last game of the year, you obviously can’t do that. We’ll have to own it and move forward.”
Utah’s power play didn’t do much either. They went one for four. Outside of the Keller goal, the offense wasn’t itself. While Jordan Binnington made some crucial saves, Utah only had 23 shots. A lot of them weren’t shots that really challenged Binnington either.
There’s no excuse to be made either. While Utah was on a back-to-back, it’s not like the Blues have been on vacation. They played the Seattle Kraken on Saturday in Seattle. That was after playing the Winnipeg Jets and the Edmonton Oilers in Canada. Those are two of the best teams in the Western Conference. Meanwhile, Utah played a Dallas Stars team that was missing half of their usual players and a Predators team that is near the bottom of the league in the standings and is missing Roman Josi.
You could tell the team was mad, too. Sergachev flipped off the TV’s camera after walking off the ice. Cole was brutally honest throughout his whole interview. While Game 82 didn’t mean much from the outside, it meant a lot to the Utah locker room to try to finish the season on a high note.
If you reflect on Utah’s season as a whole, it was another step in the right direction. The team finished with a record of 38-31-13 and 89 points. There were massive improvements from Dylan Guenther, Logan Cooley, Keller, Michael Kesselring, and Karel Vejmelka. The second half of the season shows how good Utah can be. They were one of the best teams coming off the 4-Nations break. It showed with their record. They would’ve tied the Montreal Canadiens for the second wild card spot if they were in the Eastern Conference.
“I would’ve loved to finish on a different note, but I think our guys, they fought hard all season long,” Tourigny said. “They showed a lot of pride. I have a ton of respect for the way they showed up in the second half.”
There were also a lot of players who took steps backward. Some games were the type of losses a team in last place usually suffers. Some flaws need fixing in the offseason if Utah wants to make the playoffs next season.
However, I go back to what general manager Bill Armstrong said at the beginning of the season. This wasn’t the season that he expected his team to make the playoffs. He told fans that on some days they’ll look good and on others, they’ll still look like a rebuilding team. That’s exactly what Utah was this season, and Armstrong rewarded them with standing pat at the deadline and re-signing guys like Alex Kerfoot and Cole. It’s something he hasn’t done with this team before. Trusting the process is what Utah fans need to do. A brighter future is almost on Delta Center’s doorstep.
For now, fans can call the inaugural season for Utah a big success. Obviously, creating a massive and passionate fanbase in under a year seemed impossible, but they did it. On the ice, as mentioned, there was a lot of growth. However, the biggest win of the season is the continued growth of Utah’s locker room, and it’s one that a Stanley Cup champion like Bortuzzo sees as more of a brotherhood.
“There’s a strong brotherhood in that locker room,” Bortuzzo said. “I think the city really appreciated what the guys did. It’s not the result we wanted as a team, but I think you could tell that those 23 guys in there want to lay it on the line for a long time to come.”
It’s a good sign for what’s to come for Utah. One day, when the team consistently makes the playoffs, the 2024-25 season will be one that many can say was where this team really began to turn things around, and that the inaugural season for Utah was truly historic.
