The Utah Hockey Club completed their four-game homestand on Saturday with a 3-1 loss to the New Jersey Devils. It was the end of a successful stretch of home games where Utah went 3-1-0 and played five games in eight days. While there are improvements needed, it was a pretty good stretch for the team as they continue to press for the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference. Here are some takeaways from Saturday’s game.
Karel Vejmelka Continues to Prove Why He’s the Starter
For the first time with both main goalies healthy, one of Karel Vejmelka and Connor Ingram has started multiple games in a row. For the longest time, head coach André Tourigny rotated between the two in every game, going back to last season with the Arizona Coyotes. However, that has changed of late. Going back to when Ingram was away from the team, Vejmelka has become a dominant force in net.
Ever since then, Vejmelka has been the best goaltender in Utah. His play has been MVP-worthy, arguably even Vezina Trophy-worthy. In 38 games this season, Vejmelka has 16 wins, a 2.45 goals-against average, and a .910 save percentage. While those stats aren’t eye-opening, you have to keep in mind that he was backstopping a Utah team that had most of their top defensemen injured until recently. In his past five games, he’s had a save percentage above .938 in four of those outings.
While his game against the Devils was the worst stat-wise out of the past five for Vejmelka, it’s not all about the stats. The first period is a prime example of that. With Utah’s defense crumbling, Timo Meier escaped on a breakaway. Somehow, Vejmelka made a massive save to stop him from scoring. Seconds later, he made another massive stop, this time on Nathan Bastian, who was also on a breakaway opportunity.
Despite Utah’s defense having an off night, Vejmelka stood strong. While the final outcome wasn’t one anyone wanted, he was a big part in keeping it close in the first place. His underrated play isn’t noticed by many outside of the Utah community, but his teammates definitely know that he’s one of the biggest parts of the team and their recent success.
“Tonight, he was unbelievable,” Liam O’Brien said. “He made big-time saves in big moments. He’s such a big part of this team, and we’re just lucky to have him.”
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Tourigny agreed with O’Brien’s appraisal. In his opinion, Vejmelka was the reason why Utah was able to keep it close after a first period where the play was controlled by the Devils.
“He was great,” Tourigny said. “In the first period, we were in deep water, and he made key saves. He kept us there and allowed us to come back and tie the game.”
You also have to consider that Vejmelka has played four of the last five games, something he’s not used to due to the rotation between him and Ingram every game, but in the past four games, he’s been one of the best players. While Ingram hasn’t found his game yet this season, Vejmelka certainly has. He is only two wins away from tying his career high in wins, which he set back in the 2022-23 season. He accomplished that feat by appearing in 12 more games than he has this season.
General manager Bill Armstrong has made it clear that Utah will not be a seller this trade deadline, making it very unlikely that Vejmelka will be traded, despite his expiring contract and the numerous rumors over the past two seasons stating that he would be traded. Instead, with Utah competing for a playoff spot and Vejmelka the one carrying the workload in net, it wouldn’t be surprising if Armstrong attempts to re-sign him before the end of the season.
Mikhail Sergachev Hits a Career High
Utah’s lone goal came from Mikhail Sergachev. It was a special goal for the defenseman, as he managed to break a personal record of his.
After a nice pass from O’Brien, Sergachev let a shot fly from the center of the zone that got past Nico Daws. It was his 11th goal of the season, which passes his all-time season highs in goals from the 2019-20 and 2022-23 seasons. It was a big goal for the defenseman, especially considering the fact that last season, Sergachev missed most of the campaign due to injury. Now he’s on track to have his second-best season point-wise of his career, right behind the 2022-23 season where he scored 64 points.
However, it’s not all about points and goals and chasing individual records for Sergachev. Despite having won two Stanley Cups with the Tampa Bay Lightning, he is more interested in getting Utah to that promised land, or at the very least, the playoffs, than his own accolades.
“Obviously, I want to score as many as possible, but it’s all about winning for me,” Sergachev said. “If I can contribute scoring goals, great. If not, I’ll play defense. I’m not chasing goals.”
Sergachev has obviously been a massive part of Utah even getting this close to the playoffs. He has the highest ice time of his career, averaging around 25:32 per night, and has been an excellent two-way player for the blue line at times when every other one of Utah’s top defensemen were out with injury.
Sergachev’s 11th goal of the season is a big one, even if he wants to downplay it. It shows that he is perfectly capable of being a number-one defenseman for a team, despite the major injury that kept him out for most of last season. While he’s right that he and Utah should focus on making the playoffs, his 2024-25 campaign is one he should eventually look back at and be proud of.
A Great Homestand Despite the Loss
In the past, most home game takeaway pieces have ended with how Utah needs to start winning at home. Especially considering that the team had the worst home record in the league for the longest time, it was well-warranted. After Utah’s loss to the Devils, you might be expecting something similar for game 61.
Yes, there are some things that Utah needs to work on. The main one that comes to mind is their inability to score with their goaltender pulled. We are now in March, and Utah is the only team in the NHL that has yet to score with an empty net. It’s something that needs to change, as it’s the difference between scoring and sending a game into overtime and losing and dropping further back in the race.
Utah also needs to work on limiting breakaway opportunities. There were the two chances that were previously mentioned that Vejmelka saved, but Meier’s goal in the third period was the result of a Nick Schmaltz turnover. Tourigny sent the right message by benching Schmaltz, but it is a flaw in Utah’s play that has been noticeable as of late.
However, Utah actually had a good homestand, which is something you can’t really say for most of their other ones. They went 3-1-0 in four games at Delta Center, playing some tough opponents like the Devils, Minnesota Wild, and Vancouver Canucks. With their wins, they are no longer last in the league in home wins, and they’re in the thick of the wild-card hunt.
Speaking of the wild card hunt, Utah’s loss doesn’t hurt them too much, either. The Canucks, Anaheim Ducks, and Calgary Flames all lost too on Saturday, meaning the only team that gained any ground was the St. Louis Blues. However, Utah is still two points away from the Canucks, which is the most important news of the day.
Considering that Utah just played five games in eight days, there isn’t a lot to be ashamed about in losing to one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference. While the point would’ve been nice, pulling away from their four-game homestand with three wins is a huge win.
Moving forward, Utah will have five days off to recover and get ready for the final stretch of the season. They can reflect on the past couple of games with pride, but they can also learn some lessons as well that will need to be learned in order to become a better team.
“I’m not forgetting the fact we played five games in eight days, and we’re at the end of it,” Tourigny said. “It’ll be a welcome break for us to recover. At the same time, in life, you win or you learn. We had a few learning lessons in that game, and we cannot pass by.”
Learning those lessons and recovering from the exhausting five games will be crucial. Utah will play some teams in the next couple of weeks that are hungry for points. However, something Tourigny likes to say is to look forward to just tomorrow. Tomorrow will be a brief pause from the recent grind and a good day to rest, which is what Utah deserves after a good five games.
“It’s been a kind of a grind since break,” O’Brien said. ”I think doing the right things away from the rink and taking care of our bodies and getting ready to roll on the road.”
Utah will play next on Thursday when they travel to play the Detroit Red Wings. The Red Wings are 30-24-6 this season and are coming off a 5-3 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets in the 2025 Stadium Series. They’ll play the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday before playing Utah.
