The California curse continues for Utah. The team was embarrassed by a three-goal comeback from the Anaheim Ducks as they dropped the game 5-4 in the shootout. While Utah managed to get a point out of the game, certain things didn’t go well for the team. Here are some takeaways from Sunday afternoon’s loss.
Barrett Hayton Returns to the Scoresheet
It’s not easy playing in the NHL. It’s even harder playing when you were a top draft pick. To have sky-high expectations placed upon you is something that is challenging to deal with every night. Barrett Hayton was drafted fifth overall back in 2018. During his tenure with the Arizona Coyotes, he had one good season, posting 43 points in 82 games. This was surrounded by shortened seasons due to injury.
When Hayton started the season off with five points in his first three games, it was highly speculated that we might finally be seeing the forward’s breakout season. However, after Utah’s winning streak ended, Hayton started to slump as well.
Before Sunday’s game, Hayton hadn’t scored a goal since Utah’s Oct. 30 game against the Calgary Flames. It was a streak that needed to end and Hayton did that as he cut to the front of the net and eventually sent the puck home on the backhand.
Clayton Keller lives with Hayton and has played on the same line as him for most of his career. He recognizes that it was a long time coming for Hayton and he makes a difference that not a lot of people see.
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“He does all the little things that the average person doesn’t realize,” Keller said. “He’s good on draws, he goes to the net, he’s a great teammate. He shows up and gives everything he’s got every day. It’s good to see him get rewarded. We live together and we talk a lot about the game, and how we can get better. It’s definitely good to see him get one and he’ll get rolling.”
It’s definitely a big goal for the center. Despite the embarrassing loss, even head coach André Tourigny had some good things to say about Hayton.
“He played good,” Tourigny said. “He had some jumps, he made a few plays. I liked his game. Made some big draws.”
Perhaps Hayton’s goal can be the start of a point streak. Maybe, it won’t be. What the goal will 100 percent do is give the forward confidence. A similar incident happened to Nick Schmaltz. Schmaltz went through a scoring drought but after he scored his first goal of the season against the Vegas Golden Knights, he went on a scoring streak. Getting the first one in is important. If Keller is right, it’ll set Hayton on the right path.
The Kells and Cools Show
Keller and Logan Cooley were by far the stars for Utah on Sunday night. Keller had his fourth four-point outing with two goals and two assists. He is currently riding a four-game point streak. It’s big for players to see their captain perform at the highest level, especially for a guy like Hayton.
“He’s a huge leader in this group and the way he does it on the ice, leads and pushes everyone and expects a lot, it’s obviously leading by example on the ice, and that’s huge for our group,” Hayton said.
Cooley also had a special night, notching a goal. He is now on a five-game point streak with eight points in that span of time. He is nearly a point-per-game player with 30 points in 33 games.
At just 20 years old, Cooley has quickly become a core part of Utah’s offense. Keller recognizes it and calls him a great player with a long future ahead.
“He’s a special player who loves the game,” Keller said. “The power play sometimes takes some time to get that chemistry read off each other. We’ve been working a lot in practice talking about it, and I think that’s ultimately what makes you successful. He’s a great player and he’s just getting started.”
Ultimately, Cooley did eventually take a penalty which got him benched. While deserving that can be debated back and forth, what can be agreed upon is that he’s become a special player for this Utah team. It’s in Utah’s best interest to begin expanding his role by giving him increased ice time and perhaps letting him take a crack at the shootout. Something definitely needs to change in that department and maybe Cooley can be the answer to that.
“I Don’t Think We Did Anything Good”
Despite being up 4-1 halfway through and having the lead with less than 10 minutes left, Utah lost the game against the Ducks. It was a disappointing loss reminiscent of the previous time a California team came into Delta Center: a ridiculous third-period comeback by the San Jose Sharks.
Tourigny wasn’t pleased after the game. It wasn’t just the disappointing third period. It was the whole game. It was all summed up in one sentence.
“I don’t think we did anything good,” Tourigny said.
One small positive is that Delta Center was filled to the brim for a 3 pm game on a Sunday. The crowd was electric and cheering for their team. However, then comes the awkward fact that Utah hasn’t won a game in regulation at home since Nov. 13. They have really struggled at home and it’s getting noticeable.
This is what it looks like in Delta Center about halfway through a 3PM game on a Sunday. Electric. #UtahHC pic.twitter.com/7HLIhNV1Jq
— Chase Beardsley (@ChaseBeardsley_) December 22, 2024
“It’s sad,” Tourigny said. “It’s unfortunate to have that kind of a lead, you lose the lead, and you lose a game at home in front of your fans. It’s frustrating. It’s not what you want to be. You want to be stingy and structured and organized and urgent in front of our fans.”
The Ducks are also not a great team. While they’ve pulled off some upsets recently, the fact stands that they are a bottom-10 team in the NHL currently. Losing in the fashion Utah did makes the whole situation humiliating.
It was a whole team issue. Newcomer Dakota Mermis cost Utah two goals, Lawson Crouse and the third line are still looking lost, Utah took a lot of costly penalties, and they still can’t score a shootout goal to save their lives. Their shootout scoring drought now extends to six opportunities.
Another small positive is that Utah retains their point streak. They haven’t lost a game in regulation since their 2-1 loss to the Dallas Stars on Dec. 2. There’s still confidence in the room even with the embarrassing loss.
“I still feel like we have a lot of confidence in this room,” Keller said. “You still get a point tonight. We still have confidence and we’ll quickly set on to tomorrow.”
As Keller mentioned, it will be a quick turnaround for this team. Not only does Utah play on Monday at home but they’ll also play the Stars: one of the Central Division’s best teams. They are currently 19-13-0 and are coming off a 3-1 loss to the New York Rangers. However, they are still a deadly team and Utah will need to fix their issues to have a chance at taking down their opponents.
