The final nail: Utah Hockey Club, led by former Arizona Coyotes, wins NHL debut game

To the delight, or dismay of Arizona hockey fans, depending on perspectives, the former Coyotes players who are now part of the Utah Hockey Club helped their team win its inaugural game Tuesday night, 5-2 over the Chicago Blackhawks.

Three former Coyotes draft picks scored goals for Utah HC, the first goal for the new franchise going to Dylan Guenther in the first period. Team captain Clayton Keller made it 2-0, and Barrett Hayton's second-period goal gave the team formerly known as the Coyotes a 3-0 lead.

Guenther's empty-net goal sealed the victory, and Lawson Crouse, one of the longest-tenured Coyotes, ended the night with a goal with 22 seconds to play.

All four scorers were players that were with the Coyotes long enough for fans to get attached to before the franchise was swiftly uprooted from the Phoenix area in April of this year and relocated to Salt Lake City, after almost 28 years as the Phoenix and then Arizona Coyotes .

"Super fun getting to be a part of it. The fans were awesome," Keller said. after the game. "We couldn't be more excited to play in front of them the rest of the year."

Longtime Coyote Nick Schmaltz had two assists, but Utah had to fend off an extra attacker for Chicago in the closing minutes. Goaltender Connor Ingram stopped 25 of 27 shots faced, and the night ended perfectly for Utah fans who got to be part of a historic night at the Delta Center.

Coyotes fans know the story. In April, strong speculation about the team relocating to Utah began to surface. By April 17, the Coyotes and their fans knew that day would mark the final game for the team as they knew it in Arizona, and the emotional scenes from Mullett Arena were heartbreaking as fans bid a sudden farewell to the Coyotes after almost three decades in the desert.

The following day, the sale of the team's players and other assets to Utah Jazz owners Ryan and Ashley Smith was made official.

It all happened so fast. The last week of April, former Coyotes landed in Salt Lake for a rally and a tour of their new digs downtown, received by throngs of fans eager to welcome them to the city.

Months later, the Delta Center seats were adorned with T-shirts and rally towels and Utah HC — with many of the same players Coyotes fans came to know and love — took the ice in their new blue and white uniforms.

There was a player circle at center ice, the players lifting their sticks in salute to the fans. An Arizona connection was on the ice for the ceremonial opening puck drop, former Arizona Wildcat-now Utah Jazz star Lauri Markkanen.

The announced attendance was 11,131, more than twice the capacity of Mullett Arena at ASU. Some of the seating in Salt Lake was obstructed view.

But there was a feeling of being free from previous off-ice distractions that existed in Arizona.

"Different building, new franchise. You go out there and focus on our job, focus on winning," Keller said. "It's good to not have any distractions."

The game started a few minutes late but was seen in its entirety on ESPN. Next up for Utah, something like what the Coyotes dealt with every year it seemed: a multi-game East Coast road trip right off the bat.

Guenther became the eighth player in the NHL's expansion era (1967-68) to score twice for a team in its first-ever game.

"It was the loudest building I've ever played in," said forward Logan Cooley, a rookie with the Coyotes last season. Cooley had two assists on the night.

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: The final nail: Utah Hockey Club, led by former Arizona Coyotes, wins NHL debut game