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Facing the Vancouver Canucks, the current holders of the final Wild Card spot in the West, Utah found itself playing its most important game of the season so far.
With a win, Utah would close within two points of Vancouver and complete a season sweep of the Canucks. However, a loss would result in a four-point swing, leaving Utah six points behind in the Wild Card race.
But as soon as a shot from Clayton Keller found the back of the empty net, Utah had secured a 3-1 win over the team it is vying to steal a playoff spot from.
"I thought that was one of our better games under pressure," said head coach André Tourigny. "The way we reacted – they tried to push us around in the first period and we called their bluff. We stayed composed and we played really well the rest of the game."
Utah definitely was under pressure after it found itself down 1-0 in the second period after Vancouver star Quinn Hughes scored on a power play. It was only the Canucks' fourth shot on goal all game, compared to Utah's 12.
To make matters worse, it came just moments after a Dylan Guenther goal was waved off due to goaltender interference by teammate Michael Carcone.
But just as Utah has done since returning from the 4-Nations Break—going 6-3-2, the sixth-highest win total in the NHL—it stayed poised, remaining patient and waiting for its shots to turn into goals.
Thanks to the play of four key players and a total team effort, Utah would end up securing a pivotal win over the Canucks.
Logan Cooley
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Since returning from a lower-body injury, Cooley had been struggling to regain his rhythm, going six consecutive games without a point prior to tonight’s game.
Well, tonight, Cooley not only had arguably his best outing since returning from injury, but his goal in the third period— when he rebounded a shot from teammate Nick Schmaltz—was the key play of the game.
"It truly does feel like the weight of the world is off my shoulders now," said Cooley. "I can just play and get back to doing what makes me successful and not thinking too much."
Entering tonight’s game, Cooley found himself on the second line with Barrett Hayton and Dylan Guenther, playing a much different role than he was used to this season. He was also playing on the wing for the first time this season, which he jokingly described as "not doing as much work" compared to his usual position at center.
While Cooley ultimately scored while playing alongside Schmaltz and Alexander Kerfoot—both on the first line in this game—the lineup change appeared to have helped him, as he played with the speed and confidence he had before his injury.
Cooley's goal not only served as the game-winner for Utah in a crucial matchup, but it could also be the spark he needed to return to his star form.
Nick Bjugstad/ Kevin Stenlund
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Both Bjugstad and Stenlund deserve mention for their key roles in Utah's first goal of the game.
Though Bjugstad would end the game with a team-low 11 shifts and only 6:54 of ice time, his minutes proved to be some of the most valuable for Utah, with a wraparound pass on Stenlund's goal being the highlight of his time on the ice.
What makes Bjugstad's assist even more impressive is that he had been out for the previous five games with an upper-body injury, and in his first game back, he made an immediate impact.
Meanwhile, Stenlund has been playing particularly well as of late, scoring in his second straight game and registering three points over the last two games.
Against Seattle, Stenlund's multi-point performance was impressive but overshadowed by the 4-2 loss. Now, Stenlund not only contributed as a key player for a second game in a row, but he can also walk away from this game with something to celebrate this time.
With such good play coming from its fourth line, Utah has to be excited to showcase its depth ahead of the playoffs.
Alexander Kerfoot
With Utah leading only 2-1 and plenty of time for the Canucks to tie, one of the worst-case scenarios happened for Utah: Keller was assessed a double-minor penalty after he high-sticked Vancouver's Brock Boeser while falling down.
With Hughes having scored the only Canucks goal on a power play in the first period, Utah now gave Vancouver a golden opportunity to tie the game.
But despite playing four minutes down a man, Utah's defense was excellent, clearing the puck often and preventing Hughes from getting any good looks at the goal.
Notably, Kerfoot did a particularly good job clearing the puck, wasting Vancouver's power-play time by holding it for long periods and disrupting Vancouver's offense every chance he could.
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Utah HC's Liam O’Brien Sidelined 4 Weeks With InjuryThe Utah Hockey Club has announced that fan favorite Liam O'Brien will be sidelined for four weeks with a lower-body injury. "Everything is not going to be perfect all the time, but we have to be resilient enough and believe in ourselves enough... It was a huge bounce back tonight," said Kerfoot.
Plus, he ended with a his team high 77.8% face-off winning percentage. As a whole, Utah did a great job with the face-off winning 35-of-55 faceoff's.
Plus, Kerfoot finished with a team-high 77.8% faceoff win percentage. As a whole, Utah won 35 of the 55 faceoffs in this game.
Last Notes:
Considering the playoff implications and the aggressive style the Canucks played with, registering 38 total hits, the fact that Utah looked unbothered is a great sign for a team aspiring to make the playoffs.
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In fact, the defense's key penalty kill in the third period showed how Utah had been playing all game, with the team totaling 18 blocks and five takeaways.
Not only did Utah demonstrate it can get offensive help across its lineup, but its defense showed it can bounce back in a big way after a disappointing performance against the Kraken just two days earlier.
While Utah would have loved to get a win against the Seattle Kraken to put it in a three-way tie with Vancouver and St. Louis, after a dominant 7-2 win against Anaheim gave it 73 points on the season, Utah has to be happy with this key victory and staying close to that final wild card spot.
Utah will end its three-game road trip with a trip to Edmonton this Tuesday, March 18.
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André Tourigny Responds To Heartfelt Messages Directed Towards Connor Ingram After Utah's latest 3-2 win against Anaheim, head coach André Tourigny walked into the room to do his typical postgame interview with the press. Continue reading...
