The Utah Hockey Club captain talked about returning to his home state to face the St. Louis Blues tonight.
When Clayton Keller returned to St. Louis in his rookie year, his mom and dad showed up to the game.
"I had some dinner with some close friends yesterday," Keller said. "I always try to give back in any way I can."
While it will only be some extended family at the Enterprise Center tonight, it doesn't change the environment much for the Utah HC captain heading into a crucial must-win game against the St. Louis Blues.
The Blues (14 points) and Utah (13 points) are chasing down a wild-card spot and a potential top-three place in the Central Division, with the fourth- through eighth-place teams all individually separated by less than three points.
A loss tonight would drop Utah below .500 and leave them adrift of the congested playoff race, while a win would boost them back into prime position.
History is on Keller's side, though: the 26-year-old has 29 points in 20 career games in St. Louis, where he grew up as a Blues fan.
"Being from here, I don't think it gets old," he said. "We did some good things last game, and we want to carry that on."
Read some gameday notes here:
Game Day: Utah Hockey Club at St. Louis Blues
Thursday, November 7 at 6:00 p.m. MT; Enterprise Center
TV: KUPX Utah 16, streaming available on UtahHC+/SEG+ (streaming nationally on ESPN+ outside of Utah HC broadcast area)
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Radio: 97.5 FM/1280 AM The KSL Sports Zone
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