The Utah Hockey Club continued its winning ways on Wednesday against the Vancouver Canucks. After being down 2-0 to start the third, the team mounted a comeback that resulted in one of the biggest overtime wins in team history. Here are some takeaways from Wednesday night’s game.
Mikhail Sergachev Once Again Is Utah’s Best Player
Mikhail Sergachev has been one of Utah’s best players. The defenseman showed it once again with another game-winning goal as he sent the Canucks packing.
Down 2-0, Utah didn’t give up. Clayton Keller scored first, capitalizing off a Nick Schmaltz shot. Then, on Utah’s power play, which has been hot of late, excellent passing got Dylan Guenther the puck, which he ripped home to tie the game at two. Utah’s resilience was something that the team should be proud of despite not looking great in the second half of the second period.
“There’s a lesson to learn in every game,” head coach André Tourigny said. “I think we played well for most of the game but in the second half of the second period, we got frustrated a little bit. That got to our heads, and we paid a price for that. I think adversity will happen, it’s how you react to adversity.”
Related: Analyzing the Utah HC’s Underperforming Third Line
However, it was Sergachev who once again became the hero. A couple of weeks ago, he was the recipient of the overtime goal in Montreal when Utah beat the Montreal Canadiens to start their road-winning streak. On Wednesday, Sergachev scored to end a winless streak at the Delta Center.
After Logan Cooley was able to steal the puck, which deflected his way, he and Sergachev beat out the other Canucks players to escape on a two-on-one. Cooley slid the pass to Sergachev who potted it into the empty net, sealing the deal and giving Utah a massive win.
“Yeah, it feels good,” Sergachev said. “Finally we got [two points] at home. It feels great. I don’t think we have won at home in a month or so. So you know, obviously a big one.”
Sergachev was apparently banged up as well. The coaching staff told him when he was ready, he would play. That moment ended up being the overtime winner.
Most of Sergachev’s accolades are well-known at this point. He is top five in time on ice in the NHL. He leads all Utah defensemen in points. However, one fact that might not be known about him is that he is tied with Keller for the lead in game-winning goals on the team with three.
However, Sergachev focused on the bigger picture for Utah after the game on Wednesday. His team is now one point out of a wild card spot. Somehow, Utah has climbed out of the sub-.500 hole they dug for themselves and has reached the doorsteps of a playoff spot. Sergachev knows that despite Utah’s young group.
“We’re growing as a group,” Sergachev said. “We’re a young group but we can make playoffs, we can play in the playoffs, we can play against playoff teams and we show it on a nightly basis. We’ve just got to play like that every night.”
It was a big win for sure, but it was because of Sergachev’s continued remarkable play that got them to that point and beyond. The defenseman has become a core part of Utah’s team and there’s no denying it.
Utah Finally Wins at Home
Hockey fans in Salt Lake City have been starved. Since Utah’s Nov. 13 game against the Carolina Hurricanes, the team hadn’t won a game at home. However, Sergachev’s game-winning goal ended that drought in front of a sold-out crowd at Delta Center.
Utah owner Ryan Smith actually made the crowd even louder. Taking to social media, Smith wanted to give out a couple of free tickets. However, the overwhelming responses to his post led to the owner opening up the whole upper section of the Delta Center. That part of the arena usually isn’t opened up due to obstructed views, but Smith decided to open it. He could have charged people for tickets, but instead, he gave away free tickets, resulting in one of the loudest crowds Utah has seen.
“It’s awesome,” Keller said. “That’s an amazing crowd tonight. It gives all of us chills. This is what you dream of. Playing in front of however many thousands of people, playing the game that you love with your best friends. There’s no better feeling.”
The sellout crowd got to witness one of the biggest wins in Utah’s short history as they climb up the standings. They are now one point behind the Calgary Flames for the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference. After a disappointing November, December has been kind to Utah. If they keep winning, the conversation might switch to the race for a top-three spot in their own division. They’re only three points back now from the Dallas Stars.
For now, Utah will look forward to their next matchup with a three-game winning streak in hand. They’ll face off against the Minnesota Wild on Friday, a rematch they are looking forward to after losing 5-4 in the shootout a couple of weeks ago.
“It’s a super important game and the last time they came here, even if we hung in there and got a point, they showed us why they’re a top team in our conference,” Tourigny said. “They got beat tonight at home by Florida. They will be ready; we will be ready too. That will be a good game.”
Since then, Utah hasn’t lost a game, while as Tourigny mentioned, the Wild got blown out in their most recent game against the Florida Panthers. However, they are 20-8-4 overall.
