Hockey doesn’t have “perfect games” the way baseball does, but if it did, the Utah Hockey Club’s 6-0 win over the Vegas Golden Knights on Saturday would be one.
Utah HC came out of the gate flying despite the fact that they played the night before in a different state. A four-goal first period followed by two more in the second gave Utah HC its most dominant win yet.
“The first two times we played them, they were tight games — games that could have gone either way — so tonight we wanted to have a good effort,” said Utah captain Clayton Keller after the game. “Especially on a back-to-back, I thought the guys did a great job and fought hard.”
How this works
This is a three-part article geared toward three different audiences.
- First, we’ll have “Utah hockey for dummies” for all you new hockey fans. Welcome, by the way — we’re glad you’ve taken an interest in the greatest sport in the world.
- Next, we’ll have a section titled “Utah hockey for casual fans,” aimed at those who have a basic understanding of the sport.
- Finally, we’ll have “Utah hockey for nerds.” That will be for those of you who, like me, think about nothing but hockey all day, every day.
Feedback is welcome, so let me know what you think in the comments of this article or the comments section on “X.”
Utah Hockey for dummies
After watching Karel Vejmelka from the bench for the last two weeks, goaltender Jaxson Stauber took the ice with Utah HC for the first time — and it couldn’t have gone any better.
The 25-year-old posted 29 saves to record the first shutout in franchise history.
“It feels unreal,” Stauber said after the game. “It’s something you dream of as a kid.”
“He did an awesome job tonight,” Keller said of his new teammate. “(He) made some key saves early on in the game and gave us a lot of confidence.”
It wasn’t Stauber’s first stint in the NHL. He played six games for the Chicago Blackhawks in the early part of 2023, recording five wins and some decent stats in terms of save percentage and average number of goals allowed per game.
“It’s impressive because he didn’t play, he didn’t practice for a while,” said head coach André Tourigny after the game. “The last 10 days at least, he has, what, one practice? A few morning skates? … Credit to him and (goaltending coach Corey Schwab). They managed to get him in the right place.”
Stauber signed with Utah HC over the summer. After an excellent start to the season in the minors, he earned the call-up when Connor Ingram went down with an injury.
If Stauber can keep it up, it’s found money for Utah. Goaltending was a concern a few weeks ago, but it’s been nothing short of remarkable in the latter half of the month.
Maybe they should call him Jaxson “Stopper.”
Utah Hockey for casual fans
Although Nick Schmaltz woke up on Saturday morning with the 23rd-most assists in the NHL, he had yet to score a goal in his 23 games with Utah HC until now.
Not only did he score his first goal since April, but he got his second as well. He had received some criticism for not scoring, but that will no longer be the case.
The monkey on Schmaltz’s back wasn’t the only one forced to find a new home on Saturday. Michael Carcone also scored his first goal of the season. Carcone tallied 21 goals last year, so he was definitely due for one.
Utah Hockey for nerds
As good as Stauber was, the whole team deserves credit for the win. Not only did they make a big offensive push, but they locked it down defensively in the latter half of the game to secure the win.
After Friday’s loss to the Edmonton Oilers, I wrote about how Utah HC needed to figure out how to defend their leads — something that had pained them the entire month of November.
On Saturday, they consistently pressured the puck carriers, blocked shots, got sticks in shooting lanes and did everything else that’s necessary to win in this league.
The only thing a coach could have hoped for them to do better is to stay out of the penalty box, especially toward the end of the game. The two Michaels — Carcone and Kesselring — took penalties in the second half of the third period, making Stauber work extra hard for his shutout.
They were lucky in Las Vegas, though, as the Golden Knights rang a couple shots off the posts during those penalties.
What’s next?
Utah HC will take Sunday off before getting back at it on Monday, when they host the Dallas Stars at the Delta Center.
It’s the second half of a back-to-back for the Stars, who host the red-hot Winnipeg Jets on Sunday before playing in Salt lake City on Monday.
The Stars will be tired, but they are not to be underestimated. They were the best Western Conference team in the regular season last year and they’re currently in third place in the Central Division.
The two teams will face each other three times in the next four weeks. Being in the same division, these are important games. If one team dominates the other, it could have big playoff implications.
The game starts at 7 p.m. MDT and will be televised on Utah 16 and Utah HC+.
