Barrett Hayton did not have a concrete answer for Utah Hockey Club’s lackluster second period.

“I don’t know. We’re going to have to sit down and talk about it. I think we have to figure out what causes that,” the forward said. “The mentality we have to figure out.”

It was Hayton’s third-period goal that pulled Utah within one after allowing the Dallas Stars to take a 3-1 lead in the middle frame. However, the attempted comeback was too little too late and the Stars took the two oh-so-valuable divisional points in a 3-2 win at Delta Center Monday night.

“We’re neck and neck [in the standings] with these guys. That’s a game we really needed and wanted,” Nick Bjugstad said. “Tried to fight back in the third, but that’s a good team. Can’t take a period off. That’s kind of what we did in the second.”

The Stars took a 1-0 lead midway through the first period with a goal from Colin Blackwell. Following a Utah turnover in the neutral zone, the Dallas forward broke out off the rush and sniped it past Karel Vejmelka from the right side.

Kevin Stenlund tied things 1-1 for Utah just over a minute later with his fifth goal of the month and sixth of the season. The veteran forward earned net-front positioning and tipped Ian Cole’s blast from the point in at 12:41.

The back-to-back fatigue became evident in the second period for Utah. The team looked disjointed and slow and it cost it.

“It’s a veteran team on the other side who weathered the storm in the first period,” head coach André Tourigny said. “Then they got us where they wanted us and we didn’t play particularly well at that.”

Dallas took advantage of its fresh legs by creating frequent odd-man situations simply by beating Utah to the puck.

That is how Roope Hintz’s goal unfolded. He and Mavrik Bourque blew past Stenlund and Michael Kesselring at Utah’s defensive blueline ahead of a give-and-go sequence which found Hintz uncovered in front. He wristed it in for the 2-1 advantage at 12:39.

Jamie Benn’s tally at 17:50 closely resembled the same play. Wyatt Johnston looped the puck behind the net before hitting a wide-open, net-front Benn who unleashed a one-timer to make it 3-1 heading into the third period.

“I think that second period is the learning lesson, obviously. We knew coming into this game it’s a four-point game, division game. Those matchups are huge,” Hayton said. “We’re all pissed off about it and disappointed and frustrated in ourselves. That’s a big game and sucks for it to go that way.”

Utah’s power play — which had been on a seven-game conversion streak — could barely string passes together and did not establish a cycle in the two chances it was given through 40 minutes. The third line of Bjugstad, Lawson Crouse and Matias Maccelli, however, had noticeable jump at the start of the night as it tried to get its production going.

“When you’re not scoring as a line you try to figure out what to do. But for us it’s just simplifying,” Bjugstad said. “Just have to find a way to score. That’s kind of all I’ve got on that front.”

Hayton’s goal came at 11:39 of the final stanza and gave his team just under nine minutes to hunt for an equalizer it ultimately did not find. After Utah won an offensive-zone faceoff, Hayton got between the hash marks and deflected in Nick Schmaltz’s shot from the left side for the 3-2 scoreline and his second goal in two games.

Clayton Keller picked up the secondary assist on the play which extended his point streak to five games — he’s had 10 points through that stretch.

“Proud of the effort of the guys,” Tourigny said. “Proud of the pushback we had. We all talk about the second period which is totally true and fair, but in the third period we had a hell of a pushback and the guys never quit.”

Utah will now have three NHL-mandated days off for the holidays before returning to Delta Center on Friday to host the Colorado Avalanche — another Central Division opponent.

Despite Utah’s two-game losing streak, the team remains confident about its overall play in December and the position it has put them in heading into the new year.

“It’s on us. They pushed, but we have to understand that’s game management,” Bjugstad said. “We’ve got to learn, we’ve got to move on. I think this team has a lot of upside so we want to fulfill that.”

The Utah Hockey Club’s last two regulation losses have now come at the hands of the Dallas Stars following Monday night’s 3-2 loss at home.

An insufficient effort in the second period was Utah HC’s demise. Outside of that, it was as evenly matched as any game.

“I think that second period’s a learning lesson, honestly,” said Utah center Barrett Hayton. “I thought we did a great job in the first period. We were urgent, we were intense, we were on the ball, playing the right way. You just can’t afford those lapses against good teams, and that’s what our second period was.”

A late push from Utah yielded some close calls, but sports fans know “close” doesn’t cut it.

Utah Hockey for dummies

Hayton seems to have found his scoring touch once again.

Until this week, the 24-year-old who centers Utah’s top line hadn’t scored since Oct. 30. Now, he has a pair of goals in as many games. It’s his second time scoring in bunches this year, as he scored in each of the team’s first three games and again in its fifth game.

He told the media after the game Monday that there’s not much rhyme or reason to his streaks.

“I think you’ll score and produce when you’re playing well and playing the right way,” he said. “It all comes full circle like that, so I don’t know. It’s just coincidence.”

Regardless of whether the puck goes in the net or not, Hayton has played an immaculate defensive game this year, which has opened his linemates up for offensive success.

Clayton Keller, who plays on Hayton’s left wing, has scored more than a point per game this year. Nick Schmaltz, his other winger, is just below a point per game.

Interesting note: There’s a discrepancy as to how many points Hayton now has in his career. The team is celebrating his goal as his 100th point, but NHL.com says it’s only his 99th, with the same number of games played, goals and assists.

HockeyDB and most of the other sites agree that it’s number 100. I’m not good enough at math to figure out who’s right. Someone add it up and let me know in the comments.

Utah Hockey for casual fans

Although Utah HC managed just 26 shots Monday, Stars goaltender Casey DeSmith was the story of the game. He plays at the top of his crease, which is especially effective when facing shots from medium and close distances. It earned him the honor of first star of the game.

Time and time again, Utah would create plenty of open space, make a great play and put a solid shot on net, only to have it go straight to the crest of DeSmith’s jersey.

“There weren’t many holes on him,” said Utah center Nick Bjugstad. “There were some good chances on our end, but I still feel like traffic and making it a little harder on him would have been beneficial for us.”

Utah Hockey for nerds

The fatigue of a back-to-back affects teams more than we probably think it does. In this, the second game in as many nights for Utah HC, they got much-needed energy from the third line: Bjugstad, Lawson Crouse and Matias Maccelli.

All night long, that line created chances out of thin air. They seemed to have the chemistry together that earned them all the best or second-best point totals of their careers last year.

One example came midway through the first period Monday. Bjugstad was streaking down the left wing but was forced to the outside by the Stars’ defender.

Rather than trying to beat him with speed, Bjugstad threw on the brakes and sent a spinning backhand pass straight to the stick of Crouse.

DeSmith matched him with a perfectly positioned save, but the play gave Utah a jolt of energy.

Then on the first shift of the second period, they had a similar high-energy rush. It was not by coincidence that Utah head coach Andre Tourigny selected his highest-paced line to set the tone for the second.

These are the kinds of things that third lines are typically responsible for, in addition to chipping in a goal once every two or three games. They’re really struggling to do that second part, but they showed on Monday that they can do the first thing.

“When you’re not scoring as a line, you try to figure out what to do,” Bjugstad said. “For us, it’s just simplifying.”

What’s next?

There will be three silent nights for Utah HC — and the rest of the NHL — before getting back into action on Friday as they host the Colorado Avalanche.

It’s the third and final match this season between the two teams. They’re both 1-1-0 against each other so the season series is on the line.

It’s a big game in the sense that both teams are competing for one of the same five playoff spots, so every point matters. It’s a good chance for one team to gain the edge over the other.

Colorado’s Nathan MacKinnon is as hot as ever right now, with 16 points in his last seven games. With that in mind, it shouldn’t surprise you that he has a five-point lead in the NHL points race.

The game starts at 7:30 p.m. It will be broadcast nationally, meaning it won’t be available on the normal channels. Instead, it’s on ESPN2.

SALT LAKE CITY — For the second year in a row, the Utah High School Girls’ Goalball team has won the national championship. The competition took place this year at the Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind in St. Augustine, Florida. In the final round, the Utah team beat the West Virginia team by 9 to 1.

Utah player Reese Branch was named the tournament’s MVP. Because she was one of the top six girl goalball players, she made it to the All-American Goalball Team, as did her teammate Kelsey Kartchner.

Truly a Utah team

Utah’s girls’ goalball team members come from all over the state. They include Branch from Tremonton, Kartchner from Smithfield, Julie Jenson from Pleasant Grove, and Kalinka Brown from Clearfield.

And while that makes them a great representative of the state, the distance can interfere with their training as a team.

“We can’t get together like every day, like a lot of high school teams. So we practice usually once a week in Midvale.”

Then, like a lot of workers during the COVID-19 pandemic, the athletes train on their own, at home.

“It’s a lot of like finding your own time to work out, and then obviously, our amazing coaches help us so much,” Branch said.

The Utah Foundation for the Blind and Visually Impaired manages the team.  Rachel Jepson and Jalayne Engberg coach the team. Jepson is a former Utah goalball player. Engberg is a teacher and mobility instructor in the Alpine School District.

What is goalball?

According to the Utah School for the Deaf and Blind, Goalball was a rehabilitation tool that originated after World War II in Germany. It’s played on an indoor court with a ball that has bells in it.

“There are three people on each side of the court,” Branch told KSL NewsRadio.

“You’re blindfolded, and the goal is to throw the ball into the opposing team’s goal. You block it with your body and then stand up and throw.”

Utah boys’ goalball

The Utah High School Boy’s Team got to the tournament’s quarterfinals before they were eliminated. Their team includes Kelton Health, Greer Merrill, Caleb Rice, and Luke Sorenson. 

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