SALT LAKE CITY – Despite dominating nearly every other the facet of the game on Tuesday night, the Utah Hockey Club experienced a disastrous eight-minute stretch during the first period that resulted in four Ottawa goals. While they continued to battle throughout the remaining two periods and even made a change in net, the puck refused to cross the line, and the Senators shutout Utah for their first loss on home ice.
Here are the key takeaways from Utah’s first home loss of their inaugural season.
Four on four situation led to the worst stretch of hockey Utah has played this season
Despite a hot start to the first period against Ottawa with pucks flying towards the net and constant pressure from the Utah Hockey Club, the game completely flipped on its head during a four-on-four situation. The end result? Four goals on eight shots and collectively the worst period of hockey the team has played this season.
As previously mentioned, the ice was titled completely in Utah’s direction to start the period. Each line was dominating puck possession, suffocating the Senators in their own zone and getting tons of shots on net. To begin the period, Utah outshot Ottawa 7-0 in shots on goal and 16-4 in shot attempts.
However, after Jack McBain and Noah Gregor were both sent to the box, Ottawa netted two quick goals and suddenly the ice tilted heavily in favor of the Senators.
Following the quick goals, the energy dropped, Utah lost all momentum, mistakes stacked up and Utah trailed the Senators 4-0 after 20 minutes of hockey.
“That was a good drop off I think in our focus. I think we obviously came out strong, playing well, but we didn’t stay in the moment. We got carried away, a little bit soft, defensively, forced a play turnover, you know, and just we had them where we wanted. We played well. We just need to stay patient, stay humble, go one shift at a time, and we got ahead of ourselves, and we paid for it,” head coach André Tourigny said.
Sometimes the puck just doesn’t bounce your way
Aside from the four goals by Ottawa, Utah dominated just about every other facet of the game. They outshot the Senators 31-23, owned the faceoff contest by winning 59.3% and dominated puck possession.
But sometimes, the puck just doesn’t bounce your way and that was the case for Utah on Tuesday night.
It certainly wasn’t due to a lack of quality chances as the team found themselves in decent scoring opportunities throughout the night. There were plenty of situations with lots of traffic in front of the net, quality one-timers, a solid power play in the second period and even a breakaway. All of which simply came up empty.
It also didn’t help that Senators goaltender Anton Forsberg played completely out of character with 31 saves. In the three previous games, Forsberg posted a .863 save percentage and 4.16 goals against. But again, some nights that’s just how things go.
To add some perspective however, outcomes like this happen to good teams all the time. Tonight alone, the Minnesota Wild beat the reigning Stanley Cup Champion Florida Panthers 5-1, The New Jersey Devils lost to the Tampa Bay Lightning 8-5 and the Columbus Blue Jackets beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 6-2.
“We had a lot of really good chances, a couple crossbars, a breakaway, some good looks on the power play. It’s going to happen. It’s a long season. Can’t get frustrated. You’ve got to stay patient and get better every day,” Clayton Keller said.
Simply put, hockey is wild, and anything can happen.
A goalie change was needed, and Karel Vejmelka did well for Utah Hockey Club
Aside from the eight-minute disaster in the first period where Ottawa scored four times, Utah really dictated most of the game on Tuesday night. But those four goals were the difference and due to the short order in which they were scored, a goaltending change was needed.
“It’s all about mental things. Just be prepared mentally and focus on the right thing. Don’t think about it too much, what happened before. I just try to help us and give us chance to get some points,” Karel Vejmelka said.
To start the second period, Karel Vejmelka took the place in net of Connor Ingram. After allowing four goals on just eight shots, it was indeed time for a change which is a common occurrence in the NHL. When one guy is having a rough night, give the other a shot between the pipes.
“No, no, it’s not any different than the other player. I don’t think you want that. I don’t think you’re looking for that. I don’t wish that on any of our players but it’s just everybody in life has bad days at the office sometimes. And I think when you’re a goldender, you’re exposed more than anybody else. So, I think you need to make the right decision for the team. It’s nothing personal,” Tourigny said.
For the night, Vejmelka was a perfect 14-14 at shutout the Senators after a brutal first period. After tonight there may be need for an adjustment to the number of games they plan to split between the two goaltenders.
Utah Hockey Schedule
The Utah Hockey Club will continue their homestand against the Colorado Avalanche on Thursday night. The game can be viewed on SEG+. Fans can also tune in on air on the KSL Sports APP or on 97.5 and 1280 The Zone. Click here for the full schedule.
Cole Bagley is the Utah Hockey Club insider for KSL Sports. Keep up with him on X here. You can hear Cole break down the team on KSL Sports Zone and KSL 5 TV.
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