For the first time since Nov. 13, the Utah Hockey Club has won a game in regulation at home. On Friday, the team took down the San Jose Sharks 2-1 to deliver a long-awaited win in regulation to their fans at Delta Center. It was a big game with some changes to the lineup and a clutch goal late in the third. Here are some takeaways from Friday night’s game.
Nick DeSimone Debuts, Josh Doan and Connor Ingram Return
Friday’s game brought some big changes to the lineup. Three names hit the ice in Salt Lake City that haven’t been around the locker room for a while (or at all).
Connor Ingram was recalled by Utah from the Tucson Roadrunners on Thursday as the team sent down Jaxson Stauber. It’s been a tough couple of months for Ingram. The goaltender revealed that he lost his mother in December due to an illness. He took some time away from the organization and hockey so he could grieve his loss.
After Ingram decided to return, Utah assigned him to the Roadrunners for a conditioning stint where he recorded a win in his lone game in the American Hockey League (AHL). While Ingram didn’t play on Friday, there was some louder cheering than normal when he was shown on the jumbotron during warmups. It’s very possible we see him play his first game with Utah since Nov. 18 on Saturday, as the team will play its second game of a back-to-back.
Josh Doan was recalled all of a sudden on Friday morning as the team announced that Dylan Guenther would be out of the lineup for the foreseeable future with a lower-body injury. Doan played on a line with Barrett Hayton and Matias Maccelli and looked pretty decent in his first game back in the NHL since Oct. 26.
“It’s great to come back,” Doan said. “We have a fun group here. To come back and see all the guys is always awesome. To get a chance to play in the NHL is every kid’s dream. Every time you get a chance, you can’t take it for granted.”
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Doan’s speed was obvious, especially in the first period where he made some great plays to retrieve the puck in the Sharks’ zone and generate chances. He was also placed on the first unit of Utah’s power play, showing the trust head coach André Tourigny has in the 22-year-old.
“I liked Doaner…it’s his first game back,” Tourigny said. “I think he kept his game simple. He had good pace, had a good forecheck, played the game the right away. He did good stuff for us.”
Nick DeSimone was claimed off of waivers last Sunday. The defenseman attended practice throughout the week but finally made his Utah debut on Friday, paired alongside Juuso Välimäki. DeSimone made a quick impression, recording his first Utah point off of Nick Schmaltz’s second-period goal. Tourigny thought DeSimone had a good night, especially considering it was his first impression of the former New Jersey Devil.
“Pretty good, really good,” Tourigny said. “Honestly, I think he moved well. He didn’t complicate his game. Made good passes. He skated well. Happy about the first impression.”
Utah’s lines will continue to be jumbled and changed due to players recovering, which will likely force Tourigny and general manager Bill Armstrong to make some tough decisions when players like John Marino and Maveric Lamoureux return in the near future. Utah’s lineup has never been fully healthy with Marino still never appearing in a game and Sean Durzi sustaining a major injury at the beginning of the season. However, Utah has been resilient in the way they’ve adapted on the fly. With the Guenther injury, they’ll have to play even better but it’s something that they have been used to.
Barrett Hayton Scores in the Knick of Time
At times, Hayton has been the most frustrating Utah player to watch. Sometimes, he’s on the precipice of becoming the 43-point scorer he once was with the Arizona Coyotes. Other times, like recently, he’s ice cold. For the past six games, Hayton has only recorded one assist. However, he scored his first goal in the past couple of games at the perfect time for Utah.
After retrieving a loose puck in front of the net, Hayton circled back and skated to the top of the faceoff circle where he let a shot fly. It beat Alexandar Georgiev at the top of the net and with 1:32 remaining in the game, Utah had the lead.
It was a very crucial goal for Utah due to their lack of wins at home. For Hayton, it was about Utah finally being able to get that next goal. The team has lost a lot of games by a goal. It was finally time for them to be the ones winning by a goal.
“It’s huge…I think we’ve been in a lot of one-goal games where we just haven’t been able to get that last one or capitalize or just execute on a couple of scoring plays,” Hayton said. “That’s a huge one. This is a big homestand for us. We got to take advantage of them.”
Even with Kevin Stenlund taking a major penalty at the end of the game, the Sharks couldn’t generate any chances, and Utah held on to win 2-1. It was a big goal for Hayton and it could ultimately be his biggest of the season.
Utah Gets Their First Regulation Win at Home Since Nov. 13
The biggest story of Utah’s 2-1 win is that it’s the team’s first regulation win at home since they beat the Carolina Hurricanes 4-1 on Nov. 13. Outside of those two wins, Utah has only managed to win two other games at home in regulation, which includes their first-ever game in franchise history against the Chicago Blackhawks.
The scene in Delta Center as Utah wins their first home game in regulation since November 13. #UtahHC pic.twitter.com/nE8npIjYs9
— Chase Beardsley (@ChaseBeardsley_) January 11, 2025
It’s no secret that Utah hasn’t been good at home. Before Friday’s game, they were 5-8-4 at Delta Center. Even at six wins now at home, they have the least amount of home wins out of any team in the NHL.
However, this is Utah’s opportunity to change that. They still have five straight games left on this current homestand and after their next three-game road trip, they’ll play four straight games at Delta Center. The time is now to play their best hockey in front of their fans.
“You got to build momentum at the end of the day, and this is a massive homestand to do that,” Hayton said. “It starts with one and (then you) build on it. (It’s) a big match again tomorrow. We gotta get ready for it.”
As the homestand progresses, we have officially reached the halfway point of the season at game 41. Utah currently holds an 18-16-7 record. With 43 points, they occupy the sixth spot in the Central Division. They are three points back of the Vancouver Canucks for the second wildcard spot in the Western Conference.
Utah is clearly in the thick of things but Tourigny wants to keep building. He wants to really be in the race, which comes with pressure all around the team. Utah experienced that with their lack of regulation wins at home but Tourigny calls it a good learning opportunity as the team continues to try to win.
“We want to win,” Tourigny said. “We want to get in the in the race. We want to get climbing in the standings and all those things. That comes with a ton of pressure internally and externally, and for all those reasons, I think that’s a good learning experience.”
The win over the Sharks will surely help them do exactly that. Although it wasn’t Utah’s best game, a win is a win and now they’ll have to look forward to the next game as they enter the second half of the season.
Utah will next play the New York Islanders, who are currently 16-18-7. The Islanders are coming off a 4-0 win over the Vegas Golden Knights. These two teams met back in October at the beginning of the season; Utah won 5-4 in overtime.
