Utah Hockey Club's offensive woes continue. What can they do to get back on track? (2024)

For the second game in a row, the Utah Hockey Club lost by four goals.

UHC was four and a half minutes away from being shut out for the second consecutive contest, but a breakaway goal by Lawson Crouse late Thursday night breathed some much-needed life into the Delta Center.

The final score was 5-1 in favor of the Colorado Avalanche, who now sit one point behind Utah HC in the Central Division standings. First period goals from Ross Colton and Cale Makar put Utah HC on the ropes early, and the Avalanche followed those up with another two goals in the second period and one at the end of the third.

The NHL season is long. It’s nowhere near time for Utah HC to panic, but the team is well aware that it can quickly slide in the standings.

Here are some notes from the game and some things Utah HC can do to shift the momentum in its favor.

How this works

This is a three-part article geared toward three different audiences.

  • First, we’ll have “Utah Hockey for dummies” for all you new hockey fans. Welcome, by the way — we’re glad you’ve taken an interest in the greatest sport in the world.
  • Next, we’ll have a section titled “Utah Hockey for casual fans,” aimed at those who have a base understanding of the sport.
  • Finally, we’ll have “Utah Hockey for nerds.” That will be for those of you who, like me, think about nothing but hockey all day, every day.

Feedback is welcome, so let me know what you think in the comments of this article or the comments section on “X."

Utah Hockey for dummies

Utah HC fans didn’t have a ton to cheer for on Thursday, but Maveric Lamoureux was a definite bright spot.

The 20 year-old defenseman made his NHL debut, amassed almost 19 minutes of ice time and was not culpable for any goals against. He wasn’t particularly noticeable, but that’s often a good thing for a defenseman because it means he didn’t make any egregious mistakes.

Related

Utah HC recalls promising defenseman Maveric Lamoureux from minors

“I really liked my game,” Lamoureux said afterward. “As the game went on, I just got more comfortable and comfortable.”

He said the level of competition was much steeper than what he’d faced in the AHL. He has a ways to go before he reaches his full potential, but a good first game is a good first step.

Lamoureux told the media after morning skate that he wasn’t sure whether his parents would be able to get a flight from Quebec in time for the game. Little did he know the team was way ahead of him. Watch the video below for the full story, but make sure to get a box of tissues.

Don’t watch this if you cry easily https://t.co/r5mxVhiEbc

— Brogan Houston (@houston_brogan) October 24, 2024

Utah Hockey for casual fans

Utah HC has struggled to score the last few games, which seems to have shot players’ confidence, making it harder, in turn, to score.

The struggles continued in the first period Thursday. Utah HC had ample opportunities to make plays in the offensive zone, but each time, they seemed to hesitate too long to make anything happen.

When you’re afraid to make mistakes, you usually end up making more mistakes. How can they solve this? Well, Lawson Crouse’s goal at the end of the game was nice, but something probably has to happen away from the rink to get the guys’ minds off their mistakes.

Their trip to Los Angeles this weekend might be a good chance to do something fun together to just reset their minds, whether it’s a team dinner, a show or something unique that LA has to offer.

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“I think (the leaders of the team) have to be an example first,” said head coach André Tourigny after the game. “We cannot accept that. I think (if there’s) one thing we are, we’re a hard-working team. We are a proud team. Showing up like that, that doesn’t work.”

Clayton Keller is the fifth-youngest captain in the league, but this is a time when he needs to step up and change the momentum, whether at the rink or away from it.

The team did not make Keller available for comment after the game.

Utah Hockey for nerds

Karel Vejmelka has played eight periods. Utah HC has scored just one goal with him on the ice.

There’s nothing Vejmelka can do about that. His job is simply to keep the puck out of the net, which he’s done a decent job at, for the most part. He just needs some support from the guys around him.

In an attempt to provide that support, Tourigny threw his lines into a blender in the second period Thursday. It didn’t do much.

New lines:

Keller - Hayton - Guenther
Cooley - Doan - Schmaltz
Crouse - McBain - Maccelli
Kerfoot - Stenlund - Yamamoto

Defense pairings remain the same.

— Brogan Houston (@houston_brogan) October 25, 2024

“We tried to switch lines and do different things, but at the end of the day, we have to simplify,” Tourigny said. “The problem is we try too complicated plays and we cannot get it done.”

Tourigny says he liked the new first line, but he called the third line “good, bad and ugly.” He says he’ll sleep on it and decide the next game’s lines in the morning.

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He’s also enthused at the prospect of having Nick Bjugstad back from injury and in the lineup for the first time this season, which he said could happen as early as Saturday.

What’s next?

Utah HC heads to California to take on the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday. It’s an afternoon game, starting at 2 p.m. MDT.

The Kings reintroduced the most boring jerseys of all time this year: the black and white ones from the Wayne Gretzky era. Despite that, they’ve had a strong start to the season. They’re a big team that’s hard to play against, which will be a good test for Utah HC.

Fans can watch the game on Utah HC+ and Utah 16. If you can’t watch it due to the early start time, catch the rerun on Utah 16 at 7 p.m.

Utah Hockey Club's offensive woes continue. What can they do to get back on track? (2024)
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