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Utah Hockey Club's Alexander Kerfoot (15) checks Edmonton Oilers' Jake Walman (96) during second period NHL action in Edmonton on Tuesday, March 18, 2025. (Jason Franson/The Canadian Press via AP) | JASON FRANSON
The Utah Hockey Club hasn’t had many big losses this season. Even when they lose, it’s usually by a goal, plus an empty-netter or two.
Their game against the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday did not fit that norm.
The final score was 7-1, with five of those goals coming in the first 30 minutes of the game. It marks the biggest defeat Utah has ever suffered.
If you’re looking for moral victories in terms of compete level or structure, you won’t find them in these game tapes. Utah gave up chance after chance, breakaway after breakaway.
“Wins or losses, you’ve got to be able to move on,” said Sean Durzi, Utah’s lone goal scorer. “The sun’s going to come up. (We’ve) got to wake up and be ready for the next one. We can’t afford to sulk. Can’t afford to lose confidence in this room.”
Two Oilers in particular deserve shoutouts: Mattias Ekholm and Zach Hyman. Both guys returned from injuries on Tuesday, and they combined for three goals and six points. They’ve both proven to be invaluable additions to this Oilers group.
Utah Hockey for dummies
New hockey fans might look at the final score and assume that Utah’s goalies were at fault. While Karel Vejmelka and Jaxson Stauber can’t fully escape without blame, it had far more to do with the play of the five guys in front of them.
As mentioned above, UHC constantly put its goalies in tough positions by allowing odd-man rushes.
Vejmelka started the game — his 11th in a row — but after Utah had given up three goals at the conclusion of the first period, UHC coach Andre Tourigny turned to Stauber to start the second.
“Too bad we let Veggie down,” Tourigny said after the game. “I think Veggie has been good for us for a long, long time.”
There are two main reasons for the switch: It gave Utah a change of scenery and it allowed Vejmelka to rest up in what was already a lost cause.
Tourigny will likely go back to Vejmelka on Thursday, though he mentioned that it’s good for Stauber to get more NHL experience, even if it’s in a losing effort.
Utah Hockey for casual fans
To add even more salt to the gaping wound, all three of Utah HC’s closest competitors in the standings won on Tuesday.
The Calgary Flames beat the New York Rangers, the St. Louis Blues bested the Nashville Predators and the Vancouver Canucks topped the Winnipeg Jets.
Utah is now four points out of the playoff spot that all those teams are so desperately competing for. With just 14 games left in the regular season, there’s not a lot of room for error.
Utah Hockey for nerds
It doesn’t take a statistician to realize that Utah played poorly on Tuesday, but sometimes advanced stats can offer some consolation. That wasn’t the case this time — especially in the first two periods.
Through 40 minutes, according to Natural Stat Trick, Edmonton controlled:
- 68% of the scoring chances
- 85% of the high-danger scoring chances
- 73% of the expected goals
- 64% of the unblocked shot attempts
Additionally, the majority of Edmonton’s shot attempts came from the slot, while most of Utah’s were from the outside. It’s both a credit to the Oilers' defense and a point of needed improvement for UHC’s offense.
Utah showed improvement statistically in the third period but not nearly enough to facilitate any sort of a comeback. All of the above categories were around 50% in the third, give or take five percentage points.
“At the end of the day, it’s on me,” Tourigny said. “It’s my job to make sure we’re better than that.”
What’s next?
UHC returns to Salt Lake City for a three-game home stand involving three Eastern Conference teams. First up are the Buffalo Sabres, who’ll be in town on Thursday.
The Sabres are currently in the longest playoff drought in NHL history, 13 seasons. Barring any miracles, this won’t be the year it changes, as they’re at the bottom of the standings in the East with a 12-point gap between them and the last wild card spot.
What does that mean for Utah? It means it’s a must-win game — not because it’s against a rival, but because, at least on paper, it’s one of the team’s easiest remaining matchups.
That being said, there’s no such thing as an easy win in the NHL. The Sabres have won three of their last four games, beating the Oilers, the Vegas Golden Knights and the Boston Bruins — three good hockey teams.
The game starts at 7 p.m. MDT and will be televised on Utah 16 and Utah HC+.
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