Another day, another game where the Utah Hockey Club found themselves in a blowout situation. Despite the momentum surrounding the first game of the Rocky Mountain rivalry between them and the Colorado Avalanche along with Maveric Lamoureux playing his first NHL game, Utah’s offense didn’t show up leaving them to lose their second straight game at the Delta Center. What needs to change going into their next game? Here are some takeaways from Thursday’s 5-1 loss to the Avalanche.
Where Has the Offense Gone?
Over the past two games, Utah’s offense has disappeared. The team has combined for a total of one goal. On the flip side, their opponents have scored a combined nine goals. The defense has been bad. There’s no cutting around it. However, the blue line is injured and is missing some of their best players.
The offense on the other hand is fully healthy. The fact that the forward group has only scored one goal since their overtime winner against the Boston Bruins is nothing short of concerning. The blame can be placed all over the lineup. Ever since his hot start to the season, Dylan Guenther hasn’t scored in the past five games and only has one assist. Logan Cooley only has one point since Utah’s game against the New York Rangers. Lawson Crouse was able to stick one in the back of the net towards the end of the third but that was the only goal that Utah managed to get.
“It gets frustrating,” Crouse said. “That’s part of the game. Being able to stick with it when things are frustrating. Obviously, we have to do a better job.”
It’s like Utah’s offense has hit a roadblock. The team hasn’t been great offensively and it has been a huge problem in their recent games. For head coach André Tourigny, he thought the effort and the emotion were not there for his team at all.
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“I did not mind our game at all,” Tourigny said. “I think we worked hard, and we had a lot of good opportunities. We lack execution but tonight, I think the lack of execution kept going, but I did not like our effort. I did not like our emotions. I did not like our physicality. I did not like our battle level. Tonight, it’s disappointing.”
Perhaps a change in the lines will help the group find their scoring touch again. Fortunately, re-enforcements are coming. Nick Bjugstad, who hasn’t played a game with Utah yet, will be returning from injury in the coming days, potentially for their next game on Saturday. The veteran forward will however push someone out of the lineup and most likely send someone down to the American Hockey League (AHL). However, Utah needs his leadership and offense to start winning again.
For right now as they wait for their next game, the leadership group has to come together and try to help the team out. Crouse knows they have to keep their emotions in check and that mentality starts with him, Clayton Keller, and the other locker room leaders.
“We just got to get back to it,” Crouse said. “I think today was an example of us getting frustrated and then trying to make up for it and we just got to get back to simple hockey, playing the right way, covering for each other, and goals will come. Obviously, we got to keep them out of our net, and that’s the biggest thing right now. You can’t win hockey games when we keep going down three, four to nothing.”
A Night to Remember for Lamoureux
Although it was a bad night for his team, it was a memorable night for Lamoureux who made his NHL debut on Thursday. He was called up from the Tucson Roadrunners on Wednesday after scoring three points in four games. Of course, his parents were in the building to watch him take his traditional solo debut lap.
Maveric Lamoureux gets his solo debut lap.
— Chase Beardsley (@ChaseBeardsley_) October 25, 2024
He is the first rookie to play their first ever game with Utah.#UtahHC pic.twitter.com/ZbI1VzIWZO
The Canadian defenseman didn’t look bad in his first stint in the NHL. Even in a losing effort like the one on Thursday, Tourigny made sure to sing his praises.
“I think he was really good,” Tourigny said. “He moved well, moved the puck well, he defended well. He did a good job.”
Lamoureux played on a line with veteran defenseman Ian Cole. For the 2022 first-round pick, it was important to play with someone like Cole who has a history of winning.
“He’s talking so much, he’s communicating so much,” Lamoureux said. “He makes the game easier and it slows down that way. He’s been really good for me. So definitely playing with a guy that has so much experience is definitely good. I’ll learn a lot from him.”
While Lamoureux isn’t expected to stay up with Utah for a long period, it’s important that he gets a taste of what’s hopefully to come for him in the future. When his stint does end in the NHL, it wouldn’t be surprising if he takes some of the things he learns from the NHL back to the AHL to further improve his game. It’s something he did after his appearances with Utah in the preseason.
However, even with the disappointing loss, Thursday’s game will always be a special moment for Lamoureux. It’s a moment he’ll remember forever.
“Playing my first NHL game will always be special,” Lamoureux said. “Even though we didn’t win, I will always remember that game, that’s for sure.”
A Night to Forget for Utah
For Utah, it’s another night to forget. It’s becoming a whole team issue. There were too many sloppy plays and careless mistakes that gave the Avalanche multiple breakaways and chances. Tourigny knows it’s not just one individual player letting the team down. It’s the whole group. That includes himself and the rest of the coaching staff.
“It’s not goaltending, offense, defense, it’s everything,” Tourigny said. “We need to be better as a group. It’s not okay for me to single out one guy, whoever position or whatever the name is, I think I’m not out of the blame. The coaching staff has to find a solution. The players have to dig in. It’s all of us. It’s not one person. It’s not time for pointing fingers.”
The fact of the matter is that you can’t give up numerous goals per game. It’s something that Utah has struggled with even dating back to their Eastern Seaboard road trip. While the two goaltenders are easy to blame, the rest of the team needs to help them so they aren’t getting pelted with shots.
“You can’t always allow five goals,” Lamoureux said. “We allowed four goals last game, five this game. We feel like (opponents are) getting way too much inside and we’re not helping our goalies. Of course, (Karel Vejmelka) and (Connor Ingram) are really good goalies. But we have to help them and not give them that many shots.”
Whatever needs to be fixed, it needs to happen quickly. While Utah still remains above .500, that could change very quickly if they keep playing the way they’ve been playing. In the NHL, there’s no pity on teams who mess up, especially in the tough Central Division.
Utah now drops to a 4-3-1 record. They’ll fly out to Los Angeles on Saturday to play the LA Kings for a one-game road trip. The Kings are 4-2-2 this season and are coming off a win over the San Jose Sharks.
