After missing Utah's last 12 games, Dylan Guenther's return back to the lineup could be the spark Utah needs
After almost a month off the ice, Dylan Guenther will return for Utah's game against the Philadelphia Flyers.
Usually, Guenther comes off the first line with captain Clayton Keller and rising star Logan Cooley. But instead, Guenther will come off the second line with Barrett Hayton and Michael Carcone tonight.
The recent first line grouping of Keller, Alexander Kerfoot and Nick Schmaltz will continue for Utah's game against the Flyers. With Guenther back in the lineup, Utah's Lawson Crouse will be out of the lineup as a healthy scratch.
Since Guenther's injury, Utah has gone 4-6-2 and has struggled to find consistent offense. With Utah just recently losing Cooley after he suffered a lower-body injury against Pittsburgh, having Guenther back will be a major boost to Utah's offense and its moral too.
Despite his extended absence, Guenther still has the second-highest goal total on the team with 16, just behind Keller’s 18. But it's Guenther’s ability to score on the power play that will be especially important for Utah.
Both Guenther and Cooley lead the team with seven power play goals each. In its last two games, Utah has gone 1 for 6 on power plays. Considering that every home game Utah has played has had a power play, Utah will be happy knowing it has someone as reliable as Guenther back to help.
Utah has maintained a 21.9% success rate on power play over the stretch Utah has played without him. With a 22.2% power play success rate, 14th-best in the NHL, Utah has managed to score on the power play without Guenther.
But in its last two games where both Cooley and Guenther missed, Utah only managed to score on 1 of 6 power play opportunities.
Before Guenther went out with injury, it felt as though he was due for a goal. The last Guenther got the puck in the net was on Dec. 20 when Utah won 2-1 against the Minnesota Wild.
Since that point, Guenther has gone eight games without tallying a goal. He did have back-to-back games with assists the Oilers and the Flames before he went out.
But with Utah's Mikhail Sergachev scoring in his first game back against the Penguins, maybe Guenther can also make an immediate impact.
How do you think Guenther will do? Can he make an immediate impact or will he be too rusty? Let me know down below?
