Utah Hockey Club Loses 3-0 to Winnipeg Jets – Deseret News

You won’t believe the scoreline in Utah Hockey Club’s 3-0 loss to the Winnipeg Jets on Tuesday, but it was one of the best games of the season.

The first place Jets were heavy favorites for the rest of the night, losing just one game. If Utah HC couldn’t handle the loss, their best option was to stay in it until the very end – and that’s what they did.

The game remained tied 0-0 until the final two minutes of the second period when Gabe Vilardi scored a power play goal to give the Jets the lead. Nino Niederreiter scored a pair of goals (one of them into an empty net) in the third period to seal the deal.

“We had a game plan and we tried our best to stick to it,” Utah assistant captain Lawson Crouse said after the game. “I think we improved a lot in the second period. I think we could have been a little more selfish at times and shot the puck a little more, but ultimately it came down to a special teams battle and we lost it tonight.”

Utah HC will be proud of the fact that they were the first team to miss Kyle Connor this season. Coming into the game, Connor was on a 12-point streak.

Utah Hockey for Dummies

All you can ask of a goalkeeper is that he gives the team the best chance to win. He can do a lot – he is in no way responsible for breaking the law.

That’s why it’s so strange that HC Utah couldn’t score when Karel Weymelka was on the ice. He played 11 full periods this season but was only able to celebrate one goal for Utah while he was on the ice.

User One X asked the right question: Is there some behind-the-scenes reason why they can’t score when Weimelka is on the ice? The short answer is no, but the over-thought answer is that if a team is woefully under-confident in its goalie, it may play so defensively that it doesn’t create scoring chances. But that’s not the point here.

“I feel bad for him—he was really good,” Utah HC head coach Andre Tourigny said after the game. “Now he is coming out for the third time and we are not supporting him in attack. I feel very sorry for him because he played very solidly.”

Utah Hockey for Casual Fans

Tourigny liked his team’s performance, especially their defensive side. They simply didn’t take advantage of their chances in attack.

“We played good defense,” Tourigny said. “We had class A chances in attack, but we didn’t capitalize on them. We didn’t hit the net, we tried to do a little more. I think that in attack, at the beginning of the game, we force the situation a little. I think we adapted well, the guys responded well. (In) the second and third periods, I thought we looked good. Our execution could have been a little better, but … defensively we did a lot of good things today against a really good team.”

The key to getting more offense, he said, is to have more clean zone entries and win more puck battles.

Utah Hockey for Nerds

As Crouse mentioned, it’s hard to score when you’re barely shooting. That was one of Utah HC’s losses on Saturday, when they lost to the Vegas Golden Knights in overtime 4-3, and it hurt them again on Tuesday.

At the same time, Utah’s shooting percentage is excellent.. Coming into this game, they ranked 10th in the league in this category with a success rate of 11.78%. They tend to shoot only when they have a good chance to score. The problem, however, is that many goals in hockey come from lucky rebounds. You won’t get good bounces if you don’t hit the net.

It was the third time HC Utah has been eliminated this season. If they want to score more goals, the first step is to score more goals.

What’s next?

Utah HC has a day to rest and a trip to Missouri to prepare for Thursday’s date with the St. Louis Blues.

This is an important game for both teams as they are so close in the Central Division standings. The Blues’ 3-2 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday moved them past Utah in the standings, but Utah has a chance to reclaim that spot on Thursday.

The Blues made several free agent acquisitions over the summer, but Philip Broberg and Dylan Holloway made the most headlines. They snatched both guys off the Edmonton Oilers offer sheets on the same day.

Broberg will not play on Thursday as he is expected to miss four to six weeks due to leg injury. Holloway left Tuesday’s game after being hit in the throat. It is unclear whether he will play Thursday, Blues officials said.

Star center Robert Thomas is also out with an injury. broken ankle against the Jets in October. He is not expected to return until December.

Jordan Kyrou leads the Blues with four goals and 11 points in 13 games this season.

It’s also worth noting that this will be the 700th game of Nick Bjugstad’s NHL career. The 32-year-old forward is one goal shy of 150 in his career. Who knows? Perhaps he will achieve both milestones in one game.

The game will begin at 18:00 Moscow time and will be broadcast on Utah HC+ and on television on Utah Channel 16.

Also don’t forget about USA-Canada Rivalry Series. They play Friday at Maverik Center in West Valley City.