The Utah Hockey Club remains undefeated after wild OT win over the Rangers

NEW YORK CITY – Utah Hockey Club star Clayton Keller said his team showed it can compete with Stanley Cup contenders after a 6-5 overtime win at the New York Rangers on Saturday night. But the NHL's newest team has also shown it can win when things get weird.

Utah improved to 3-0-0 after winning a game in which seven goals were scored in the second period; another Rangers goal was kept off the backboard due to goalkeeper interference; two ejections for starting a fight while one was already in progress; and the home team managed to tie the game three times, including in the third period, before Keller tied the game in overtime with his third goal of the season, tipping the puck over goaltender Igor Shesterkin.

“These are the games where you have to stay patient,” said Keller. “I used to kind of abandon my game because things weren't going the way I wanted or there were a few failures. But as a group we were able to fight through and get the win.”

That was especially true after one of the strangest goals of the young NHL season: Rangers defenseman K'Andre Miller deflected the puck from the side boards and sent it straight into an open Utah goal to extend the lead to 4-3 in the second period shorten period.

“I said, 'That's MSG, baby.' I thought so. There are ghosts somewhere,” said Utah coach Andre Tourigny. “But we were still ahead. It was important to us to stay level and not get emotional.”

After the game, Utah got emotional in the locker room and celebrated a great 3-0-0 start, highlighted by its goal tally. Utah became the third franchise in NHL history to score five or more goals in each of its first three games. The 1917–18 Montreal Canadiens hold the NHL record of five consecutive games with five or more goals. Despite the move from Arizona, Utah is considered a new NHL franchise as its records and intellectual property remained owned by the Coyotes following the sale.

That offense is led by forward Dylan Guenther, who scored a power-play goal against the Rangers, giving him five goals on the season and the NHL lead in that category.

“He is good in every phase of the game. He sees the ice well and takes a lot of pride in his game offensively and defensively,” Tourigny said. “That’s good because it means the coach wants to put you on the ice.”

Keller, who played with the Coyotes for eight years, scored two goals and an assist on the night. Although he wouldn't go so far as to say that the third game of the season could be a statement game, he did say that the win against the Rangers was a confidence boost for the team.

“This is a team that has had a lot of success. She's been on the right track for the last few years. There are no gaps in their lineup, so it will be good to compete against them at the start of the season and see how we compete against them,” he said.

While Utah beat the Rangers on the ice, Keller suggested his team also had an advantage in the stands when asked if it was louder at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City than at Madison Square Garden.

“I think it was a little louder in the Delta Center during the home opener,” he said.

Tourigny joked that the 6-5 result was “exactly what we wanted” in terms of play.

“It's entertainment. We’re in Manhattan,” he said, before suggesting that this team needs to get stronger defensively.

“We scored a lot of goals, but we gave up too much, and that's because of great goalkeeping,” he added, praising goalkeeper Connor Ingram's 29 saves in the win. “We don’t fall asleep with our conclusion. It's fun to win.

Utah next visits the New Jersey Devils on Monday.