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Utah Hockey Club Forward’s Resurgence Keeping Team in Playoff Hunt

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After having trouble finding goals this season, Nick Schmaltz seems to be back on track in the month of March. This includes a spell where it took him 23 games to score his first goal of the year. Now, the Utah Hockey Club forward has come alive in recent weeks, rediscovering his goal-scoring touch. His team continues to sit just outside of the Western Conference wild card as Schmaltz tries to carry Utah into the postseason. With Utah in the final stretch of the regular season, Schmaltz’s offensive resurgence could be a welcome boost for their playoff hopes. 

Utah Hockey Club Forward Keeping Playoffs Within Sight

Once the month of March started, everything changed for Schmaltz. He now has the second most points on Utah with 57 in 71 games, captain Clayton Keller leads the team with 78. With time still left in the month, Schmaltz already scored five goals in ten games. He also added five assists as well. During the month of February, the 28-year-old only scored one goal in nine games. In a tight race for the playoffs, the forward has picked the right time to start heating up offensively again. 

As for his personal numbers, Schmaltz just set a new career high in assists with 40 this season. He has always been known for being a playmaker rather than a goal scorer, notching just 17 this season. Schmaltz is just seven goals away from breaking his career-high in goals and five points from doing the same in points. Schmaltz has been at the center of Utah’s offensive surge, playing with a renewed energy and confidence that has seen him contribute on both the scoresheet. 

In addition, he has not gone more than one game without a point in 14 games since the 4 Nations Face-Off. This kind of play will certainly keep Utah’s playoff chances going as they are six points behind the St. Louis Blues in the Western Conference wild card race. 

Importance to Utah

Despite having three, 20-goal scorers, offence has been hard to come by for Utah. They have scored just 202 goals this season, which ranks 19th in the NHL. Keller, Logan Cooley, and Dylan Guenther each have over 20 goals, but the three forwards cannot carry the load themselves. There needs to be secondary scoring for a team to succeed, and that is where Schmaltz comes in. He has been on Utah’s first-line for most of the campaign, making him an important part of the team’s core. 

Schmaltz’s offensive surge has been nothing short of critical for Utah’s recent success. As the team has hit its stride in March, winning key matchups with the Buffalo Sabres and the Tampa Bay Lightning, Schmaltz’s contributions have been a major factor in their victories. He stepped up when the team needed it most and it has played a large role for Utah.

Utah’s 6-4 victory against the Lightning was Schmaltz’s biggest performance of the month. He recorded one goal and two assists, with his tally serving as the game-winning goal. The former first-round pick is skating with a renewed sense of urgency and confidence that has lead to more goal scoring opportunities. Not just for himself, but for his teammates too. 

Utah is keeping pace with other teams, winning five of their last 10 games and earning at least a point in 10 out of 14 games. With Schmaltz and the rest of their top-six forwards leading the way, Utah is poised for a strong finish. It could perhaps be one that results in Utah’s first ever playoff appearance in their first year as a franchise.

Main Photo Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie – Imagn Images

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