It’s not easy to face a team like the Vegas Golden Knights, especially in Las Vegas. It’s even harder when the Knights double the amount of shots your team puts up. However, Utah put up a good fight on Saturday night (Nov. 2) against the 2023 Stanley Cup champions, eventually losing in overtime 4-3. It was another game where individuals stood out but team issues arose. Here are some takeaways from Saturday night’s game.
Cooley and Cole Score Big for Utah
It was a great game for Logan Cooley as he was Utah’s best player of the night. The forward broke the scoreless tie with a great slapshot near the center of the offensive zone. Nick Bjugstad assisted with a good pass to get Cooley the puck. That would give Utah its first goal of the game but it wouldn’t be the last one nor would it be the final point for the 2022 third overall draft pick.
In the second period, Cooley was able to take the puck and keep it away from a Knights’ defender while skating behind Adin Hill’s net. Cooley backhanded it to Ian Cole who wristed a shot that deflected into the net for Utah’s second goal of the game.
It was a two-point night for Cooley, his third multi-point night of the season and his first since the second game of the season. Since getting his first goal of the season against the LA Kings, Cooley has been a point-per-game player with four points in his past four games. It seems like his offense has taken off.
Related: Utah’s Daniil But Off to Scorching Start in KHL
“He’s been really good,” head coach André Tourigny said. “I think tonight was maybe his best game, not because of production, but because of the way he managed the game. Just an example, at the end of the first period, he’s behind the net and he did not try to make a play. He held onto the puck. He kept them there, even when he recovered the puck and didn’t try to make a skilled play. He just kept the puck there. Killed the last five seconds of the period. Those kinds of little things, he’s growing, he’s maturing, he’s understanding. He always did understand the game but I often talk about him keeping his emotions in check. I think he’s better every day.”
Video: pic.twitter.com/Jl0ZhImBvU
— Chase Beardsley (@ChaseBeardsley_) November 3, 2024
Cooley wasn’t the only player who had a great night. Cole, who scored his first goal with Utah, has four points in the past three games. Although he wasn’t brought to Utah to score, he’s been a huge part of the team recently. He’s now only one point away from his 200th NHL career point. However, Cole credits his teammates’ efforts for his recent success.
“There has been a little bit more of an effort, maybe […] not as much tonight, but to get more pucks to [the] net and get more [and] more shot volume,” Cole said. “This led to some things happening around the net, more action. I think if you just do the right things, the points come and it’s not necessarily in my job description quite as much. But when it happens, it happens, and it’s good.”
Both Cooley and Cole have been some of the better players for Utah in the recent past. However, they’ll need everyone firing if they want to do well on the rest of the road trip.
Utah Helplessly Outshot
By the end of the second period, Utah had nine shots on goal. Meanwhile, the Golden Knights had nearly tripled that total with 24 shots. The lack of shots really hindered Utah’s production and gave the Knights more opportunities to tie and eventually lead the game.
To win games, you usually have to get nearly as many or more shots than your opponent. Barely getting double digits in that category is a recipe for disaster.
“We don’t want to have eight shots through two periods, but they (Knights) do a good job,” Alex Kerfoot said. “They make it hard to play against them. You got to give them credit. We’re not looking to have eight shots through two periods very often.”
For Tourigny, he wants to look on the bright side. Last season, the Arizona Coyotes weren’t good at shooting. They were near the bottom in terms of total shots. However, early this season, Utah has been decent in that category which Tourigny has noticed.
“Last year we were 28th or something like that in the league (in terms of shots),” Tourigny said. “This year for the game, we’re eighth. So it’s already a hell of a progression. With that said, when we play against teams who clog the net front, we have a tendency to go back and try to make one more play. So we’re not there yet, but I’m happy about the progression. Obviously, it’s tough to say after that game where we didn’t have volume, but normally we have, for the last 10 days, two weeks, whatever, we’ve had enough volume. Just not tonight.”
As Tourigny said, Utah has done a decent job so far this season creating shot opportunities. However, Saturday’s game wasn’t a representation of that. In total, the Knights finished the game with 35 shots while Utah had 19. It’s a trait that Utah needs to get rid of especially when they play more competitive teams like the Knights who thrive on offense.
Close But No Dice for Utah
It was impressive that Utah took a team like the Knights who have had so much success in their franchise’s history to OT in their own arena. However, Utah’s fortune finally ran out when Brett Howden scored the OT winner off a backhanded shot.
Utah did get better throughout the game. During the first period, despite leading 1-0, Utah was failing to produce any offense and the Knights were dominating the game. By the third period, the team was getting shots and forced the game into OT. It’s something Tourigny liked about his group’s play on Saturday night.
“What I liked is we got better every period,” Tourigny said. “I think the first period was whatever. We got better during the three periods. I like the way we finished the game. Unfortunately, we did not close the deal. But I liked our progression.”
It’s big for a team like Utah who is still a young team to go into Las Vegas and steal a point from the Knights, especially considering the fact the Knights are still undefeated at home. It’s a fact that Kerfoot brought up. However, they still lost the game and it’s a long season ahead for Utah.
“We got a long season ahead,” Kerfoot said. “We got to keep building. They outplayed us for the majority of the game. It’s not like we climbed Mount Everest tonight. We did good things to keep us in the game. Played responsibly, played well defensively, and that’s a really good hockey team over there. But we’re still building. We’re not fully satisfied with that effort by any means when you’re up 2-0 in a game.”
Video: pic.twitter.com/cwo1EhLMNR
— Chase Beardsley (@ChaseBeardsley_) November 3, 2024
While Utah would’ve liked the extra point, they’ll settle for one. It’s a long season but closer to spring, that point could matter in the standings. For now, they’ll continue to improve as they continue growing as a team.
Utah is now 5-4-3 in the season. They’ll continue their road trip as they head to Manitoba to play the Winnipeg Jets. The Jets are currently one of the best teams in the league with a 10-1-0 record. They’ll play the Tampa Bay Lightning before turning their attention to Utah.
