Utah wins “really special” first preseason home game

A little over a minute after the opener, fans chanted throughout the game, “Let's go, Utah!” They cheered when forward Lawson Crouse scored the first goal at Delta Center at 15:04 of the first period, and they were still cheering more when O'Brien and striker Travis Barron got into an argument immediately afterwards. Some shouted O'Brien's nickname “Spicy Tuna!” At times, fans simply shouted “U-tah!”

“We’re all excited to be a part of this,” Crouse said. “It’s something really special and tonight is an example of that. With the fans we had here, we could really feel it on the bench and they deserve a lot of credit. We love having this stimulating effect in the game and it gives us a huge advantage. We hope we give them a good show and hope to have them here again.”

Finally, the fans erupted in celebration when striker Clayton Keller scored a goal 19 seconds after the break.

“Of course it was a preparation game, but [Keller] said it was one of the funnest preseason games he's ever played, if not the funniest,” O'Brien said. “We had a lot of fun and the energy was incredible.”

Asked if he had a message for the fans, O'Brien said: “This is just a sample, I'm really excited for them to see the opening game at home. “I'm just looking forward to it in front of this crowd this season to play.”