The Utah Hockey Club was on a high after beating the San Jose Sharks on Friday and getting their first home regulation win since Nov. 13. However, that high didn’t last for long as the team lost 2-1 on Saturday to the New York Islanders. Even with a terrific performance in net by their goaltender, Utah couldn’t get another win at home, worsening their overall home record. Here are some takeaways from Saturday night’s game.
Connor Ingram’s Incredible Return
For Utah, the player of the game was Connor Ingram and there should be no debate about that. He was the sole reason why the Islanders didn’t blow out Utah, especially after they were outshot 14-5 after the first period.
Ingram has had a rough couple of months. He had a shaky November and left the team due to personal reasons. It was later revealed that Ingram’s mom had become sick during the month and later passed away in December. The goaltender took some time away from hockey to grieve.
Earlier this month, Ingram returned and was sent down on a conditioning loan to the Tucson Roadrunners: the American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate of Utah. After winning his sole game with the Roadrunners, Ingram was called back up to the NHL. With a back-to-back coming up against the Sharks and the Islanders, it was expected he would play one of the games.
In the game against the Islanders, Ingram made 30 saves and posted an impressive .938 save percentage, which is even more incredible when you consider that he hadn’t played an NHL game since November. Although giving up two goals, Mat Barzal’s late goal was arguably not his fault due to Ingram making multiple saves and being out of position with no help from his defense. He was later named the second star of the game.
Connor Ingram gets a decently loud applause after being announced as the starter tonight vs the Islanders. #UtahHC pic.twitter.com/nBcYdPwC8B
— Chase Beardsley (@ChaseBeardsley_) January 12, 2025
“It felt good. It was a couple of months off there, so it felt good to be back out there,” Ingram said. “I got a chance with Tucson during the week, so (I) got in a little bit of a game shape, but it felt good.”
Seeing Ingram play the way he did gave the bench a good amount of energy. Nick Schmaltz, who scored Utah’s lone goal of the game, knows the way Ingram played on Saturday should have warranted a win. At the end of the day, he was super happy to see his teammate back on the ice.
“It was awesome to see,” Schmaltz said. “(It was) terrible news that he was dealing with. We were supporting him the whole time, giving him as much time as he (needed). It’s a terrible tragedy, and (I’m) super happy for him. He’s a great guy and he deserved a win the way he played.”
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Ingram has meant a lot to the locker room in the past couple of seasons. Ever since he arrived with the Arizona Coyotes in 2022, he and Karel Vejmelka have been the one-two punch in net. Over the past couple of seasons, only one goaltender has seemed to have the hot hand at a time, but the two have been a reliable tandem.
“Him and Veggie (Vejmelka) have been our one-two punch and one guy seems to get hot at one point and then flip-flop throughout the year,” Schmaltz said. “We need them both. (It’s) good to see him playing well and we’re happy to have him back.”
During his time away from the team, Ingram has felt support from everyone within the organization. From his teammates to management, it’s been nothing but the utmost support from the people around him.
“I can’t ask for anything else,” Ingram said. “Guys have been great. Team’s been great. Management’s been great. I got no complaints.”
Utah will probably ease Ingram back into regular rotation but this could be the start of both goaltenders having strong seasons. Vejmelka has been holding down the fort and if Ingram can keep playing at the level he did against the Islanders, there could be a two-headed monster in net for Utah.
Utah’s Late Collapse
On Friday, Barrett Hayton scored with under a minute remaining in the third period to give Utah a 2-1 win over the Sharks. On Saturday, it was the same outcome with the Islanders but reversed. A defensive collapse led to Ingram being out of position and Mat Barzal putting the puck in a wide-open net to give the Islanders a 2-1 lead with 1:25 remaining in the third.
“It (was) a broken play, dirty pockets,” head coach André Tourigny said. “That’s the way you score in a tight game. It was tough for us to create clean chances. It was tough for them to create clean chances…We hit the post twice, and we couldn’t bury our chances.”
Schmaltz, without saying anyone’s name, called out his team, saying some of his teammates were gripping their sticks too tight. Utah had a lot of opportunities, and they were good opportunities as well. Logan Cooley impressed by putting on fancy moves to get the puck to the net. After that, Utah fell flat. Most of their shots were off-target or not hitting the net at all.
It’s even more disappointing when you take into consideration the Islanders’ goaltender on Saturday: Marcus Hogberg. He hadn’t won a game since the 2020-21 season with the Ottawa Senators. It wasn’t a good effort at all offensively for Utah.
“It’s a results-driven business,” Schmaltz said. “It’s frustrating at times. Pucks aren’t going in. Guys want to score. Guys are maybe gripping their sticks a little too tight. When you see one going, it gets the bench going. We got to find ways to generate more and play well defensively. It’s tough when, a lot of nights, we only score one or two goals.”
Schmaltz has a point. Utah’s offense has all of a sudden dried up. In their past 10 games, Utah has scored more than two goals in a game only twice. They are 2-6-2 in their past 10.
Utah Loses at Home…Once Again
Even though Utah got their first home regulation win since Nov. 13 on Friday, the narrative that Utah can’t win at home is still in the back of everyone’s minds. Getting the win against the Sharks is good, but they still only have six wins at Delta Center.
Utah’s 6-9-4 record at home places them as the worst home team in the entire NHL currently. The Vancouver Canucks and the Islanders are tied for second-worst with seven wins each. It hasn’t been pretty for Utah’s supportive fans who have only kept getting louder and louder with every game. On their current seven-game homestand, they are now 1-2-0 after three games. It’s not good enough.
Utah’s road record can be as good as it possibly can be but at the end of the day, you need to win at home to make the playoffs. Looking at the Canucks, their road record has been great at 12-5-4, but their home record has been abysmal, going 7-8-6. While they’re in a wild card spot right now, the Calgary Flames are at their doorstep, only a point away from taking over the Canucks’ playoff spot. There needs to be some good consistency going Utah’s way.
“We need to take a step back and make sure we say the right thing, not throwing stuff on the wall and see if it sticks,” Tourigny said. “I think we need to make sure we have the right mindset moving forward.”
Thinking positive thoughts, there are still four more games on the homestand. There is still time for Utah to get their home record above .500. Things need to change but there is a chance for redemption for Utah.
Utah will have a couple of days off before they play their next game on Tuesday against the Montreal Canadiens. The Canadiens are in the thick of things in the Eastern Conference with a 20-18-4 record. They are coming off a 2-1 shootout loss to the Dallas Stars. The two teams previously met in November where Mikhail Sergachev scored the overtime winner to give Utah a 3-2 win.
