For the third time this month and fifth time this season, the Utah Hockey Club failed to score a single goal in a game. This time they fell 1-0 to the Boston Bruins on Thursday night.

The band 4 Non Blondes said it best: What’s going on?

“In the first period we had good momentum, we created good offense and then we started to get in the box way too much,” said head coach André Tourigny after the game. “That cost us momentum.”

The third period was full of chances for Utah HC, but they just couldn’t capitalize.

At one point, a give-and-go created a perfect opportunity for Maveric Lamoureux at the top of the crease, but his shot went off the underside of the crossbar and out.

On another occasion, a power play bid from Nick Schmaltz hit a body in front of the net and bounced just wide. UHC just couldn’t buy a goal.

The Bruins are glad to get a win in their first game under interim head coach Joe Sacco. Additionally, Elias Lindholm scored the game’s lone goal, breaking a 17-game personal goal drought.

It was a big step in the right direction for the Bruins.

Utah hockey for dummies

Before we get into the nitty gritty details of the game, let’s take a moment to appreciate Robert Bortuzzo and Mark Kastelic. You’d think a game with only one goal would be relatively boring, but these two ensured that was not the case.

Bortuzzo and Kastelic fought each other twice. They had been engaged in some confrontation in the previous game between the two teams on Oct. 19 and they got their opportunity to finish their business a month later.

On the first bout, Bortuzzo left the bench for the purpose of fighting. As Conor Geekie learned in the preseason, that’s not allowed. Geekie got a one-game suspension and I’d expect the same for Bortuzzo.

Utah hockey for casual fans

Karel Vejmelka was Utah HC’s best player Thursday, and it wasn’t even close. That’s a major positive point for Utah as Connor Ingram did not accompany the team on this road trip due to an upper-body injury.

Vejmelka will guard the net for the immediate future with Jaxson Stauber backing him up. Tourigny is not worried about giving Vejmelka the net.

“He’s played 50 games twice in his career, so it’s not like he’s a rookie goalie,” Tourigny said before the game. “He did it in the past and he’s capable of doing it again.”

It’s clear that Vejmelka thrives on high shot volume. He stopped all 15 shots he faced in the first period on Thursday, and then stopped 15 of the 16 that came in the ensuing periods.

Thursday’s performance comes after he made headlines against the Carolina Hurricanes last week when he stopped 49 of 50 shots.

Ingram’s injury is considered day-to-day. He should be back soon, but the net may belong to Vejmelka anyway. Vejmelka has been the much better goalie over the last handful of games.

Utah hockey for nerds

On their last 25 power plays, Utah HC has scored just one goal, and with the amount of penalties they’ve been taking, they’re not putting themselves in a position to succeed.

Let’s break this down, piece by piece, starting with the power play.

Utah HC seems to have no problem setting up in the zone on the power play. They move the puck well and they even get lots of high-quality shots. Why isn’t the puck going in?

Tourigny believes it’s a question of urgency.

“The guys have to realize (that) if we want to score goals, we have to get in the dirty areas,” he said. “We need to get there with passion. Not just get there — get there with burning desire to score goals.”

As far as the penalties go, they need to be more disciplined. Sure, there are necessary penalties and yes, accidents happen, but taking eight minor penalties in one game is a recipe for disaster.

“I don’t know,” Schmaltz said after the game when asked about accountability for how many penalties the guys were taking. “I feel like we’re beating a dead horse a little bit on that topic.”

The Bruins only had one power play goal, but keep in mind that spending almost an entire period shorthanded significantly limits the amount of scoring chances you get.

Schmaltz also pointed out that when the other team gets so many looks on the power play, their top players are extremely involved in the game while your top players sit on the bench.

What’s next?

Utah HC gets a day to regroup before visiting Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday.

As good as Crosby is, he hasn’t been enough to drag the Penguins into the fight. They’ve struggled in a number of areas on the ice, prompting all sorts of trade rumors — even some involving Crosby, who has been a Penguin since 2005.

Utah HC’s job going into Pittsburgh is to get back on track. They need to find ways to score (especially on the power play) and they need to be disciplined away from the puck. If they do this and continue to get solid goaltending, they could receive a much-needed confidence boost.

The game starts at 5 p.m. MDT and will be streamed on Utah HC+ and Utah 16.

While it hasn’t been the most pleasant start for the Utah Jazz during their 2024-25 campaign, amounting to a 3-11 record through their first 14 games, there are still a few glaring signs of optimism to takeaway that shine through in the mix through the beginning of this season, largely thanks to the reps and development opportunities given to the young talent on the roster so far.

Of those young players having a solid role in the rotation to start this season, one of the most appealing in the small sample size has been first-round rookie Isaiah Collier, who’s made an eye-catching first impression since arriving in Salt Lake City.

During ESPN’s most recent batch of power rankings, the Jazz didn’t see much increase from last week, jumping from only 29th to 28th. Still, writer Tim MacMahon gave fans some reason to be excited about this roster moving forward– that being Utah’s rookie point guard.

“Rookie guard Isaiah Collier is only 1-of-12 from 3-point range, but he’s providing evidence that he can make a positive impact,” MacMahon said. “Collier, whose debut was delayed two weeks due to a hamstring injury, has a plus-10 rating in 108 minutes over his first six games. His tenacious, tough defense has made a favorable impression. Entering Tuesday, the Jazz were allowing only 104.5 points per 100 possessions with the 6-foot-3, 210-pound Collier on the court, the lowest defensive rating among Utah players.”

In ESPN’s rankings, the Jazz placed ahead of two teams in the Toronto Raptors and Washington Wizards, and are right on the heels of the New Orleans Pelicans at 27th, who, like Utah, have also struggled in the Western Conference this year with a 4-11 regular season record.

Collier was limited to start this season as he suffered a hamstring injury during training camp, but since his return, he’s begun to show some impressive traits on both sides of the ball during his first seven games on the floor. In 18 minutes a night, the USC product is averaging 4.0 points, 2.1 rebounds, 2.9 assists, and 1.3 steals.

As mentioned by MacMahon, the offensive side of the ball still has some distance to make up in order to be an effective and consistent two-way threat. At just a. 8.3% clip from long range, he’s not much of a threat beyond the arc just yet, but with a long season ahead, there’s a ton of room to recover those shooting splits.

In the meantime, Collier has emerged as a solid contributor as an offensive facilitator and perimeter defender in the backcourt– two areas which this roster can definitely benefit from.

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Senior Day at the University of Utah is always a poignant occasion, but this year’s ceremony carries even greater emotional weight as the program honors not only its current senior class but also the memories of Ty Jordan and Aaron Lowe. Both would have been seniors this year, and their absence looms large as Utah prepares to host Iowa State in the final home game of the season at Rice-Eccles Stadium.

Over 25 seniors, including key contributors like Junior Tafuna, Micah Bernard, and Money Parks, will be recognized for their contributions on and off the field. For many, their time at Utah has been marked by both triumph and adversity. As head coach Kyle Whittingham noted, these seniors were instrumental in the Utes’ back-to-back Pac-12 championships in 2021 and 2022, despite the challenges the team has faced in recent years. He praised their resilience, character, and dedication, both on the field and in the classroom, as all are either graduates or on track to graduate.

Utah reveals tribute uniforms with ‘Malama Lahaina’ helmets for Iowa State

A special part of the ceremony will honor Jordan and Lowe, two players whose lives were tragically cut short in 2020 and 2021, respectively. Their families will be present as the team remembers their immense impact on the program. Utah has consistently kept their memories alive through traditions like retiring their No. 22 jersey, creating a memorial scholarship, and the “Moment of Loudness,” a powerful tribute held before the fourth quarter at every home game.

For all Utes seniors, the bittersweet nature of Saturday will be amplified by the remembrance of their late teammates. The legacy of Jordan and Lowe will continue to inspire the program, reminding everyone of the deeper connections that transcend the game.