In the second and final matchup of the second day of the 2024 Rookie Faceoff, the Los Angeles Kings took on the Utah Hockey Club. Both teams lost their first outing to the Vegas Golden Knights and San Jose Sharks respectively, but now one of them was going to get on the board with a win.
Both made a few adjustments to their lineup after their game the night before. Sam Lipkin, Kyle Crnkovic, Will Gavin, and Oscar Plandowski drew in to make their first appearance of the tournament for Utah. Meanwhile Jake Wise, Oliver Tulk, Ethan Neutens, Parker Berge, Jack Millar, and Jared Woolley were debuting for the Kings. Between the pipes, it was a battle of the Western Hockey League as the Kings went with Kolby Hay of the Edmonton Oil Kings and Reid Dyck of the Swift Current Broncos got the nod for Utah.
Hay was forced to make a couple of big saves in the first minute of the game, as Utah sustained heavy pressure in the offensive zone. The first five minutes were back and forth, but not in the traditional sense. One team would sustain heavy offensive pressure for about a minute, then the same would happen at the other end. Aatu Jamsen scored his first of the tournament just under five minutes into the game to give the Kings a 1-0 lead.
Despite trailing, Utah was playing well in the opening 10 minutes. They were creating quality shots, playing a physical brand of hockey and getting set up in the offensive zone regularly, they just weren’t able to get the puck past Hay. John Parker-Jones got called for holding with just over nine minutes remaining in the first period, giving Utah the first powerplay opportunity of the night, and a big chance for them to tie things up. Los Angeles would kill it off, then Matthew Mania took a slashing penalty of his own a few minutes later giving Utah another man advantage.
Cole Davis’s stick got broken very early in the power play, but he made a tremendous effort to clear the puck with his feet, earning a massive round of applause from the crowd in attendance. The goalpost denied Utah’s scoring chance of the power play, but moments after the penalty expired, Gavin was able to get it past Hay and tie the game at a goal a piece. Cole Beaudoin took Utah’s first penalty of the night with 1:44 remaining in the period. The last 16 seconds of the penalty would carry over to the second period, but it would be killed off with no issues for Utah.
Jamsen left the ice with quite a bit of difficulty after blocking a shot a minute and a half into the period. He seemed like he was struggling to put any pressure on his leg. Miko Matikka hit the crossbar on a shot that nearly gave Utah a 2-1 lead, but the puck deflected out of play. Moments later though, Matikka would get another chance, and this time he put it away to give Utah the lead. Parker-Jones got sent to the penalty box once again, this time for cross-checking six and a half minutes into the period. The Kings were able to kill it off, and Hay made a phenomenal save right as the penalty expired. After being off of the bench for a while, Jamsen did return to the game halfway through the period. Hay made another spectacular glove save just over 10 minutes into the period, taking away an almost certain goal.
Beaudoin hit the crossbar on a breakaway a minute later, it was an impressive show of speed and skill on the penalty kill but ultimately the score remained 2-1. That was the first shot of the game that Jackson Parsons faced, as he came in for Hay at the halfway point in the game. Utah would hold their lead for the remainder of the period. Drew Elliott got called for tripping less than two minutes into the second period, giving the Kings a chance to tie things up. Liam Greentree would get penalized for high sticking 50 seconds into the power play though, nullifying it and giving Utah an abbreviated man advantage when Elliott’s penalty expired. Davis broke his stick while defending and was draped all over Noel Nordh afterward but he was unable to prevent the Swedish forward from tapping in a cross-crease pass. Utah now had a 3-1 lead with under 17 minutes left in regulation.
With 2:13 remaining, Greentree was able to bury a shot from the slot area, bringing the Kings within a single goal once again. It wouldn’t take long for them to tie it from there, as Arvid Caderoth put it away with just under a minute and a half remaining. As a result, we saw overtime for the first time in the tournament. Jakub Dvorak was called for interference a minute and a half into the overtime period, and Utah took a timeout ahead of their 4-on-3 power play. Beaudoin hit the crossbar once again right as the penalty expired. A slap shot from the middle of the slot by Owen Allard gave Utah the 4-3 win.
Fatigue Not a Factor for Kings, Utah
Despite the fact that both teams played the prior night, you certainly wouldn’t have been able to tell based on the energy they brought into the first period. It was instantly a physical affair, both teams were throwing big hits and there were a few major scrums in the opening frame. Things didn’t change much in the second or third periods either, there was a bit more transition play which often is where fatigue becomes evident but both teams still seemed to be going strong. Overtime was a bit of a different story, as it seems like that was when the teams finally started showing signs of wear.
Cole Beaudoin Getting More Responsibility
As one of the Utah Hockey Club’s inaugural first-round selections, there’s no surprise that the organization thinks very highly of Beaudoin. It was clear that their trust in him was only growing, as he was given the captaincy for the second game of the tournament. As a player participating in his first Rookie Faceoff, that’s a bold move for the franchise but it makes it clear how much they believe in him. He also was getting time on both the power play and penalty kill. Based on his performances so far in the tournament, it’s hard to blame the coaching staff for increasing his level of responsibility. He’s been consistent with his effort levels, and although it’s rare for a late first-round pick to make the NHL immediately, if he has a similar performance at training camp it may just be possible.
Hay Making an Impact
As an undrafted prospect, Hay is trying to find himself a place to play for the long run. He had a phenomenal outing for the Kings despite the score. His history with the Oil Kings leaves quite a bit to be desired, which is the main reason he wasn’t selected in his draft year, but if he’s able to sustain a similar level of play in the near future, he likely deserves a try-out at the American Hockey League level but he may have to settle for the ECHL. It’s important to note that decisions aren’t made based on just a single game; he’s going to have to put in these types of performances consistently over the next month to earn a professional job. So far though, he’s doing the right things it seems. He only played the first half of the game, so it was a very small sample size.
Related: Takeaways From Sharks’ 3-2 Victory Over Utah Hockey Club at Rookie Faceoff
The Kings remain winless in the tournament that they’re hosting, while Utah got a win on the board before their rest day on Sunday. The Kings and Utah will both return to action on Monday to take on the Anaheim Ducks and Golden Knights respectively.
