Despite losing the last two games against the Dallas Stars and Anaheim Ducks, the Utah Hockey Club has been rolling. The team’s now 6-2-2 in its last 10 games and are still just two points out of a wild card spot. Team play has drastically improved over the past month and it’s shown in Utah’s recent play. The power-play has been red hot, the penalty kill has been lights out, and the goaltending has really stepped up. Now fresh off the holiday break, Utah will need to keep playing the same way if it wishes to keep its winning form going.
Utah Maintaining Winning Ways
Two-Way Play
Utah’s two-way game endured rough times to start the season. The offence was ice cold and the defence suffered multiple injuries. Since then, the team’s rebounded and raised its overall play. During its recent four-game win streak, Utah scored 13 goals and only conceded seven. Utah was one of the weaker teams in terms of goal scoring and goals allowed. Now, the team ranks 17th with an average of 3.00 goals and 12th with a 2.85 goals against average.
With three of Utah’s lines producing, the players will need to continue scoring goals and avoid long droughts. Dylan Guenther and Clayton Keller have led the charge and are needed to provide points. Keller leads the team with 36 points and Guenther is right behind him with 32. Utah has scored three or more goals in seven of the last 10 games, clearly breaking any offensive slumps the team previously had.
As for defence, Utah defencemen have done a tremendous job limiting chances against. The team gave up many goals, but that number has dropped lately. Most notably, Mikhail Sergachev has been the standout on Utah’s blue line. Defence is just as important because a low amount of chances by the opposition means less goals given up. Playing two-way hockey will help Utah continue its winning form.
MEDIA AVAILABILITY
“Keep our game simple. Get our legs under ourselves and get in the grind as soon as possible.”@utahhockeyclub André Tourigny on playing tonight after the three day holiday break pic.twitter.com/xHJ55ztPMm
— Utah Hockey Club PR (@UtahHC_PR) December 27, 2024
Special Teams
Special teams play has been the story for Utah and a big reason for their current position. Utah’s special teams heavily improved after it struggled through the first two months of the season. During its recent stretch, Utah only gave up six power-play goals in the last 13 games. Before that, the team gave up nine in seven games alone.
Utah’s 79.8% is ranked 16th in penalty killing and 31st in penalty minutes with an average of 10.9. Their penalty-kill was poor and that certainly contributed to the team’s low ranks. It’s been better since, but Utah also needs to limit the number of penalties taken. The key to winning is to score more goals than the opponent, but defending is just as important. The pk is just one aspect of it.
Along with the penalty-kill, the power-play has been just as impressive lately for Utah. They’ve scored at least one power-play goal in seven of the last eight games. All seven came in consecutive games, showing how Utah’s offence has come alive in recent games. The power-play is 21.4% and ranked 17th. Keller is the catalyst on the power-play and he’s recorded six power-play points in the past five games. The entire team has played well with the man advantage and must continue to keep winning games.
Eat Your Veggies
With starting goaltender Connor Ingram still on injured reserve, Karel Vejmelka continues to play the bulk of Utah’s games. Although he’s only 8-8-2 this season, Vejmelka is 5-1-1 in his last seven starts and is the current backbone of the team. That also includes the four-game win streak. “Veggie” has been consistent all season and a big reason for his team’s recent success. He averages 2.33 goals against and a .917 save percentage. If Utah wishes to win more games, they will need Vejmelka at the top of his game. This will all factor into Utah’s play and will decide if the team keeps its winning form.
Main Photo: Rob Gray-Imagn Images
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