What went wrong in Utah HC’s loss to the Kings on Saturday?

If three is the number that constitutes a streak, the Utah Hockey Club is on a losing streak.
That said, Saturday’s 3-2 loss on the road to the Los Angeles Kings had a lot more positives than the previous two. Forwards Clayton Keller and Logan Cooley stepped up offensively for Utah HC, while all three of the Kings’ goals came from defensemen: one from Brandt Clarke and two from Joel Edmundson.
It was the 537th game of Edmundson’s career, yet it was his first-ever multi-goal game.
Here’s a breakdown of the good and the bad from Utah HC’s perspective. If you couldn’t catch the game with the early start time, watch the rerun at 7 p.m. MDT on Utah 16.
Utah HC couldn’t buy a goal the last few games, but it seemed like a different story on Saturday.
“That was a hell of a hockey game,” Utah HC head coach André Tourigny said. “I think we played hard (on) both sides of the puck. I think it was a one-shot game.”
A one-shot game alludes to the adage that if you’re down by a goal, you’re really only down by one good shot. Utah HC had lots of high-quality scoring chances that would likely go in on other occasions.
Hockey involves a lot of puck luck, and that wasn’t there for them Saturday. When Keller hammered home Utah HC’s first goal of the game, he looked relieved. When Cooley scored the second, the team looked energized.
If they can bring that momentum home with them on Monday, they should have no problem scoring against the San Jose Sharks.
“They’ve got some high-end skill up there — five or six of their guys — (which) made it pretty tough to get to the inside,” said Kings coach Jim Hiller after the game.
Veteran forward Nick Bjugstad returned to the lineup in Los Angeles after missing the beginning of the season with a back injury. He was immediately reunited on the third line with Lawson Crouse and Matias Maccelli.
The group played most of the last two seasons together in Arizona and had immense success doing so, and they didn’t skip a beat on Saturday.
Just minutes into the game, Maccelli threw a cross-slot pass to Crouse on the rush, setting him up for a glorious scoring chance. It was just a little too hot for Crouse to handle, but it was a great look.
Near the end of the first period, Maccelli carried the puck across the blue line, slowed to create space and then dropped a pass to a line mate for a good shot. It was blocked and went out of play.
Bjugstad, who stands at 6-foot-6, displayed his strength in the second period, cutting to the front of the net and finding Crouse on the back door.
“He’s a big guy,” Tourigny said of Bjugstad. “He protects the puck well. He can possess the puck in those kinds of games. He was an asset for us today.”
The line didn’t score this time around, but there are two extreme positives of their game. The first is obvious: If they continue creating this many scoring chances every game, some of them will go in.
The second positive is more subtle, but equally true: The more time they spend in the offensive zone, the less likely the opponent is to score. Third lines are typically relied upon for their defensive abilities, and by playing in the opponents’ zone, they do that very effectively.
They did allow one goal, but it was more due to their matchup than anything. When Anze Kopitar, Quinton Byfield and Adrian Kempe are on the ice, who wouldn’t allow a goal?
Questions about Utah HC’s defensive corps have swirled as long as the team has existed. With all the injuries on Utah’s back end right now, fans would be content if they could simply survive defensively. But they’re doing more than that.
“We tried to maximize our group — try to create a spark offensively,” Tourigny said.
Ian Cole had a great game, especially in the first period. He had some good looks offensively and he laid the hit of the season on Alex Turcotte. He also seems to have taken Maveric Lamoureux under his wing, helping him to also play well.
Lamoureux looked confident. He broke up a scoring chance in the first period, slashing the hands of Warren Foegele on a breakaway. He took a penalty for it, but that’s highly preferable when the alternative is to allow a goal against.
Michael Kesselring deserves a ton of credit for the way he has stepped up this season, especially since Sean Durzi went down with a shoulder injury last week.
His defensive game has been good, but he has really shone offensively. He recorded his fifth point of the season on Saturday, setting Logan Cooley up with a pass into the crease.
Juuso Välimäki was a healthy scratch against the Kings. Some might be surprised by that, given that the alternative is 35-year-old Robert Bortuzzo, but Tourigny mentioned after the loss to the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday that he wasn’t content with Välimäki’s play.
“He had moments offensively, but I think, as well, he had — a little bit like everybody — moments where he got ahead of himself,” Tourigny said.
Utah HC has a two-game homestand in the coming week. They host the Sharks on Monday, followed by the Calgary Flames on Wednesday.
Neither team made the playoffs last season, but neither should be underestimated. There is no such thing as an easy win in the NHL, no matter who you’re playing.
The Sharks have yet to win a game this year, so they will be hungry. Against all odds, the Flames currently sit atop the Pacific Division standings with a record of 5-1-1.
Macklin Celebrini, the 2024 first-overall pick, is not expected to play due to injury which he suffered in the Sharks’ season opener. He had a goal and an assist in that game, so the Sharks will love to have him back eventually.
Will Smith, the fourth-overall pick in 2023, has yet to record a point in his six games this season.
Jonathan Huberdeau is finally firing on all cylinders for the Flames. He was the subject of much criticism the last two seasons, as he cut his point total nearly in half when traded from to the Flames from the Florida Panthers in 2022.
Most people expect the Flames to cool off eventually, but if Huberdeau stays hot, their success could continue.
Monday’s game starts at 7 p.m. MDT, while Wednesday’s competition is at 7:30. Both will be televised on Utah HC+ and Utah 16.