In front of one of the biggest hockey markets in the world, the Utah Hockey Club pulled off the overtime dramatics on Tuesday, beating the Montreal Canadiens 3-2. It was a massive win for Utah as they completed their four-game road trip and head back home to Salt Lake City. Here are some takeaways from their 3-2 overtime win on Tuesday night.
Jack McBain Continues His Torrid Stretch
Who else but Jack McBain to score the game-tying goal to eventually force the game to overtime? Once again, the Toronto native ended up on the scoresheet to help Utah win.
After forcing an odd-man rush, Logan Cooley sped up the left side of the rink with only one Canadiens player in front of him. The forward slid a pass over to McBain who instantly put it home. The goal was McBain’s fourth in the past five games and eighth so far this season.
McBain has continued his hot hand, which has placed him in second place for goal-scoring on the team. After being put back on a line with Cooley and Dylan Guenther, who also scored on Tuesday, McBain has become one of Utah’s best players.
Related: Utah HC: Has Nick Schmaltz Lost His Scoring Touch?
The second line has been carrying the team for the entire road trip. In the four games, they’ve scored seven of Utah’s 11 goals. While Cooley and Guenther were never going to be split up, McBain is no stranger to playing with the two. He’s been on a line with the two first-round draft picks in the past, but for some reason, it’s been this recent stretch where he’s shown his full potential.
McBain’s sudden offense comes at a much-needed time as well. Utah has struggled to score and produce offense in most of their games. With players like Nick Schmaltz and Lawson Crouse struggling to produce anything, McBain’s recent play is a welcome one for a Utah team that is trying to get back into the playoff picture.
Mikhail Sergachev Is the Hero
With the game being forced into overtime, Utah knew they had to get a win. At first, though, it looked like the Canadiens were going to sneak a win from them. The Canadiens controlled most of the play in the overtime period and had some good looks at Karel Vejmelka. However, it was with 26 seconds left that one of Utah’s most valuable players this season took a step into the spotlight.
Barrett Hayton stormed into the Canadiens’ zone where he passed the puck on his backhand to a speedy Schmaltz who was fresh off the bench. With no defenders on him, Schmaltz drove to the crease where Mikhail Sergachev put the puck in the wide-open net for the game-winning goal.
The goal was arguably the biggest of the season for Sergachev. For him, it feels good to have scored the game-winning goal especially because his team came out on top.
“Both teams are fighting for a playoff spot and fighting for wins,” Sergachev said. “So, it means a lot for both teams, but we come out on top. I’m happy…today we played good and got the result. It feels great. Just got to keep it going.”
Sergachev has been one of Utah’s best players so far this season. Early on, however, fans were skeptical of the trade that sent him to Utah thanks to Conor Geekie and JJ Moser making some noise for the Tampa Bay Lightning.
However, now 22 games into the season, there’s no question that Utah needed Sergachev. The Russian defenseman is currently sixth in the league for time on ice per game, averaging 25:29. That’s only behind players like Roman Josi and Seth Jones who are anchors for their teams and have been named NHL All-Stars in the past.
Sergachev also has 15 points in 22 games which isn’t bad at all. He leads all Utah defensemen in points. What’s even more interesting is that he’s only played a couple of games with the player who was supposed to be his defense partner for the whole season. Sean Durzi was supposed to be the number two defenseman alongside Sergachev but was injured only four games into the season.
The Utah organization challenged Sergachev to be their number-one defenseman when they first acquired him over the offseason. While he certainly has lived up to all expectations, it’s moments like his overtime winner on Tuesday that make sure to remind the whole world he is a great defenseman in the league.
A Big Win For Utah
Utah desperately needed to win their game against the Canadiens. If they wanted to be back in the hunt for a playoff spot or at the very least, be above .500, Tuesday’s game was a critical one for the team.
After defeating the Canadiens 3-2, Utah ends their road trip with a 2-2-0 record. Not a horrible record, considering they faced a really good Toronto Maple Leafs team and a Boston Bruins team that had just fired their head coach. It’s also really good considering the two games Utah lost were one-goal games.
“At the end of the day, we won two out of four on that road trip,” head coach André Tourigny said. “The other two games, we were one shot away…we’re coming.”
This puts them at a 9-10-3 record entering their mini Thanksgiving break. While it’s certainly not where they wanted to be, it’s not a massive hole that they’ve put themselves in. Their record puts them three points back of the Colorado Avalanche and the Edmonton Oilers for the final wildcard spot in the Western Conference. In the Central Division, they’re now five points back of the Dallas Stars for third place.
While most teams that are outside the playoff picture around Thanksgiving don’t wind up making the playoffs, there are exceptions. For example, the Oilers last season made the playoffs and went on a run to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final. While Utah is certainly not the Oilers, there’s always a chance they end up in the fight for a playoff spot in April.
Utah will take a two-day break to fly back to Salt Lake City and celebrate Thanksgiving with their loved ones. They’ll then take on the Oilers at the Delta Center. The Oilers are 11-9-2 so far this season and are coming off a 6-2 thrashing of the New York Rangers.
