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Florida Panthers center Brad Marchand (63) and Utah Hockey Club center Barrett Hayton (27) go for the puck during the third period of an NHL hockey game Friday, March 28, 2025, in Sunrise, Fla. (AP Photo/Rhona Wise) | Rhona Wise
Nobody likes to lose, but compared to its effort in Tampa on Thursday, the Utah Hockey Club is happy about the result against the Florida Panthers on Friday.
Utah HC fell 2-1 to the defending Stanley Cup champions but got a point since the road loss came in overtime. Sam Bennett scored both of the Panthers’ goals, including the overtime winner after Utah had tied the game up in the third period.
“We had no passengers today,” said Utah head coach André Tourigny. “Everybody was engaged. Everybody was connected. I’m really proud of them.”
Brad Marchand made his Panthers debut on Friday, tallying the primary assist on the game-winning goal. Marchand had been in the Boston Bruins organization since 2006 prior to a trade that sent him to Florida on March 7.
Marchand, who’s nicknamed “The Rat” for his less-than-friendly antics on the ice, scooped up a plastic rat as he celebrated the win with his teammates — carrying on the longstanding tradition in Florida to throw rats on the ice after each win.
Utah hockey for dummies
After a handful of high-scoring games in recent weeks, media have used a tired Karel Vejmelka as a scapegoat, but he sure quieted the critics on Friday.
Utah’s goaltender stopped30 of 32 shots against the Panthers — including some dangerous bids late in the game that could have prevented overtime from happening.
He ultimately came up one save short of a win, but his contributions earned UHC an overtime point.
“I think he was rock-solid,” Tourigny said. “He showed a lot of resilience and a lot of character.”
It should also be noted that neither Panther goal can be blamed on Vejmelka. Both came from high-scoring areas, giving him little room for error.
Vejmelka has now played 16 consecutive games — the most of any NHL goalie since Darcy Kuemper’s 22 in a row in 2019. Coincidentally, Kuemper played for the Arizona Coyotes at the time.
Tourigny was not yet on the coaching staff, but Utah HC goalie coach Corey Schwab was.
Utah hockey for casual fans
With about 14:20 left in the second period, Olli Määttä collided lightly with AJ Greer at the defensive zone blue line. As Määttä stood back up, he seemed to be favoring his right leg.
He finished his shift (about 20 more seconds), but he wouldn’t return to the game. The team announced shortly thereafter that Määttä was out with a lower-body injury.
Tourigny did not have an update on his status after the game.
As terrible as injuries are, they create opportunities for other players. As Utah’s playoff chances dwindle, now is a good time to give valuable NHL experience to young players.
Maksymilian Szuber immediately comes to mind as an eligible contender to take Määttä’s place if the injury keeps him out of the lineup.
Szuber, a 22-year-old Polish defenseman, has played a big role for the Tucson Roadrunners this season. He was called up to the big squad in late November but was sent back to the AHL before getting the chance to play.
Szuber shoots left, making him a better fit to take Määttä’s spot than the right-shot Maveric Lamoureux, who might otherwise garner consideration.
Utah hockey for nerds
Sean Durzi ended Utah’s seven-period goal drought with a game-tying tally two minutes into the third.
The timing of Utah HC’s scoring woes is interesting: They put five past James Reimer four games ago. The next game, they scored eight on Brandon Halverson (though two were disallowed), but since those two barn burners, they’ve managed just two goals in three games.
Perhaps it has to to with the opposing goaltenders. It doesn’t take a “hockey nerd” to know that Andrei Vasilevskiy and Sergei Bobrovsky are better than Reimer and Halverson, but neither goalie was particularly busy in either game.
Utah HC managed just 14 shots against Florida — and that included nearly a full overtime frame and eight minutes of power play time. Their lone goal came at 4 on 4.
They put 25 shots on net in Tampa, but that’s still far below the average.
Tourigny and his staff tinkered with the forward groups on Friday, swapping Dylan Guenther and Nick Schmaltz and putting Kailer Yamamoto in Michael Carcone’s spot, but it still didn’t work.
A strong game against the lowly Chicago Blackhawks on Sunday could launch Utah’s confidence back to normal levels. If not, it could be a long couple weeks to end the season.
What’s next?
As mentioned, Utah concludes its road trip with an afternoon game in Chicago on Sunday.
In three games against the Blackhawks so far this season, UHC owns a record of 2-0-1. Their last matchup was on March 7 in Chicago, where Utah fell 4-3 in overtime.
The Blackhawks have won just one of 10 games since that day, so they’ll look to reverse their luck on Sunday.
The game starts at 2 p.m. MDT and will be televised on Utah HC+ and Utah 16.
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