3 key takeaways from Utah Hockey Club's 5-2 inaugural franchise win over Chicago Blackhawks

The Utah Hockey Club kicked things off with a bang on Tuesday night, winning their inaugural contest at Delta Center in front of a sold-out crowd after defeating the Chicago Blackhawks 5-2.

It was a historic first-ever National Hockey League regular season game played in the state of Utah and the first since the franchise formerly known as the Arizona Coyotes relocated.

Utah got the party started early thanks to a goal from Dylan Guenther, the first official goal scorer in Utah Hockey Club history:

Before the first period ended, Clayton Keller doubled their lead:

Mikael Sergachev, a two-time Stanley Cup-winning defenseman who was acquired from the Tampa Bay Lightning during the summer, increased Utah's lead to three:

The Blackhawks would fight their way back thanks to tallies from Tuevo Teravainen and Nick Foligno, though Guenther would soon score his second of the contest (empty net) to give Utah the two-goal lead right back:

Just for good measure, Lawson Crouse increased Utah's lead to 5-2 just 20 seconds later:

Here's a look at three key takeaways from Utah's first NHL win over Chicago.

3 takeaways from Utah Hockey Club's 5-2 win over Chicago Blackhawks

#1. Utah Hockey Club fans are already fired up for professional hockey

While Salt Lake City isn't considered a traditional hockey market, neither was Las Vegas and Seattle, two cities the NHL recently expanded into and have enjoyed tremendous fan support from the get-go.

Though Delta Center wasn't originally configured for hockey, a sold-out crowd of 11,131 made the environment intimidating for the Blackhawks and a preview of what opposition players can expect this year. They not only exploded in cheers with every goal but also broke out into chants of "Spicy Tuna" in honor of forward Liam O'Brien's nickname:

The players have already endeared themselves to the Salt Lake City community, and it's clear that they have the support of hockey fans in the region.

#2. Utah showed that it can be a competitive club

While not many fans and pundits suggested that the Utah Hockey Club could challenge for the postseason, especially after finishing second-to-last in the Central Division as the Coyotes last year, they played an all-around brand of hockey on Tuesday and enjoyed depth scoring, as well as strong special teams, play (killed off all three Blackhawks power play chances); meanwhile, goaltender Connor Ingrahm finished with 25 saves.

It may still be a long shot but don't be surprised to see Utah in the conversation for a Wild Card berth in the spring.

#1. Clayton Keller announced his presence in a major way

The only current player on the roster who has hit the 30-goal mark in his career (he's done it twice), Keller was recently named the first captain in Utah history and thrilled the fans at Delta Center with his first-period goal.

The natural choice to have the "C" on his sweater, Keller has tallied 86 and 76 points in the last two respective seasons and is entering the prime of his career at 26 years of age.