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

I checked in on the crowded field of Eastern Conference wild card hopefuls to see where each team stood. The Columbus Blue Jackets and Ottawa Senators have played well enough in the interim, and I’m still bullish about their chances.

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.

(AP) — Karel Vejmelka made 26 saves for his first ... Utah: Utah is two points out of the second wild-card spot in a crowded Western Conference playoff field. Wild: Despite welcoming star ...

(AP) — Karel Vejmelka made 26 saves for his first ... Utah: Utah is two points out of the second wild-card spot in a crowded Western Conference playoff field. Wild: Despite welcoming star ...

The Pittsburgh Penguins continue their road trip as they visit the Utah Hockey Club at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City. Welcome back to NHL Predictions here at Last Word on Hockey!

Kyle Connor scored once in a three-point outing, while Mark Scheifele netted one goal and an assist, and Mason Appleton added a goal for the Western Conference-leading Jets, who have won three straight games and are on a 7-2-1 run.

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.

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

Morgan Barron and Gabriel Vilardi also scored, and Vladislav Namestnikov and defenseman Josh Morrissey each had two assists for the Jets, who are 5-4-2 in their past 11 games. Connor Hellebuyck made 25 saves and had the secondary assist on the winning goal.

The 28-year-old has dropped three of those contests while allowing three or more goals in each defeat. However, the lone win was a 26-save shutout in a 4-0 win over the Wild on Jan. 23. Even though Vejmelka has been all over the place of late,