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On a day when Calgary, the current holder of the final Wild Card spot, lost 4-2 to Colorado—just days after a shootout loss to the Canucks—Utah had a prime opportunity to close the gap and create a three-way tie with both teams.
Instead, Utah fell into a trap game against the Seattle Kraken and lost 4-2 in regulation.
"I think we need to have a playoff mindset," said head coach André Tourigny. "If you lose 9-1, 22-0 or 1-0, you need to be ready for the next game. Not happy about what happened here tonight, but I know we won't be perfect until the end of the season"
While it was easy to eagerly anticipate Sunday’s game against Vancouver due to its playoff significance, Utah first would begin its road trip against the Seattle Kraken.
But to the displeasure of Utah HC fans, the Kraken came ready to play.
With the game tied 2-2 midway through the third period, a crucial mistake by Utah defenseman Mikhail Sergachev allowed Seattle’s Kaapo Kakko to score an unassisted goal.
Attempting to pass the puck along the boards, Sergachev’s pass instead deflected off the side of the goal, creating a worst-case scenario for Utah.
With Kakko already in Utah's defensive zone near Sergachev—and Vejmelka unable to collect and cover the puck—Kakko quickly capitalized on the mistake, retaining possession behind the net before scoring on a wraparound.
Utah tried to respond, with Nick Schmaltz generating a few close chances shortly after the goal, but they were unable to cut into the lead. In a last-ditch effort, with time running out, Utah pulled Vejmelka for an extra attacker.
While there was hope for Utah to score its first extra-attacker goal of the season, Seattle sealed the game with an empty-net goal from Eeli Tolvanen.
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"We have to turn the page quick," said Schmatlz. "Obviously, every game feels like do or die at this point. We have to control our own destiny and play how we want to play and take care of business."
At the end of the day, it was a game riddled with mistakes for Utah, with two of Seattle's goals resulting from errant passes by Utah’s defensemen—one from Sergachev and the other coming in the opening minute when a pass from Utah defenseman Olli Määttä ended up behind Sean Durzi.
Plus, it’s always tough to win when the other team gets a lucky bounce, with one of Seattle’s goals coming off a deflection from Brandon Montour’s skate:
"At midnight, we'll turn the page and all focus will be on the next game," said Tourigny. "We have to move on. Our guys care. They care a ton. They're engaged in what we're trying to do."
Though this was the first regulation loss for Utah since February 22, when it lost 5-3 to the LA Kings, Utah will need to fix its mistakes quickly as it faces Vancouver on Sunday, March 15.
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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...
