There were a lot of things that hindered the Utah Hockey Club in their 4-0 loss to the Nashville Predators on Saturday night (Nov. 9). However, the biggest issue in the game and across their road trip is inconsistency. The team has been very inconsistent throughout this season and it is starting to catch up to them. Here are some takeaways from Saturday’s loss.
Utah’s Inconsistent Special Teams
If you look at Utah’s special teams game by game, it’ll spark a lot of confusion especially if you look at each individual power play and penalty kill from every match. It seems like Utah can be fantastic on the power play like when they completely controlled the game in the second period on a delayed man advantage opportunity. However, then they won’t capitalize on their two opportunities, unlike their opponents.
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It’s the same story for the penalty kill. On Thursday night (Nov. 7), the team did great at killing off most of the penalties against the St. Louis Blues, barely letting them have any shots. Transitioning to Saturday’s game, it seemed like the team couldn’t kill off a penalty to save their life, especially in the first period. Utah allowed two straight goals on the penalty kill to Jonathan Marchessault and Filip Forsberg. Not a great look across the board at all.
In the end, where Utah ranks in the league for both their power play and penalty kill makes sense after their game against the Predators. The power play ranks at 27 and the penalty kill comes in at 20 in efficiency. Being in the bottom half of the league in both categories won’t win you hockey games. It’s something Utah needs to change ASAP.
Utah’s Inconsistent Goaltending
Connor Ingram is currently not playing up to the level we know he can. The Canadian goaltender has had a rough start to the season, winning only half of the 12 games that he’s started.
In those 12 games, Ingram has a .879 save percentage and a goals-against average of 3.40. Those aren’t great numbers at all. It looks especially bad when you look at years past and Ingram has put up better numbers on worse Arizona Coyotes teams.
It must be frustrating for fans as everyone has seen the potential Ingram has. He’s shown it this season. He’s held his own against some of the best teams in the league. However, in the past couple of games, he has been inconsistent. Ingram looked decent in the game against the Blues recording a win over a team currently in the playoff hunt. Then, against the Predators, he couldn’t stop a shot against their power play.
Karel Vejmelka has looked fine in the games he’s played but he still hasn’t recorded a win this season. He’s also only played four games so far. That might change in the near future but it isn’t like the season gets easier from here on out.
Goaltending is a tough position to judge because it’s the area everyone usually looks to first when it comes to a loss. Yet, it matters about the team in front of them as well. Did the team in front of Ingram play incredibly well and give him a chance to win the game? Absolutely not. However, at the same time, it’s been a couple of games now where Ingram has been really inconsistent and it has gotten to the point where it’s become an issue.
Utah’s Inconsistent Road Trip
The road trip is now officially over and Utah has to be thankful for that. The team compiled a record of 1-2-1 over the four-game trip and claimed only three of the available eight points that they could’ve got.
The team is still floating around .500 but it feels like that can change quickly at any second based on the way they’re playing. That is especially true when you look at the teams Utah will play next. The Vegas Golden Knights, Washington Capitals, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Edmonton Oilers will all face Utah in the next couple of weeks and those are all very good teams.
If there is one word to describe the four-game road trip, it would be inconsistency. As mentioned, the special teams and the goaltending have certainly been that. However, it’s the whole team. Even individual scoring has been streaky for a bunch of the players, and that has really dried up the offense.
Now, after a shutout loss to the Predators, it seems like there’s more work than ever to be done for the coaching staff. With games quickly coming and going, it’ll have to be a quick fix if Utah wants to get back on track to compete for a playoff spot.
Utah will return home and play the Carolina Hurricanes on Nov. 13. The Hurricanes are currently 10-3-0 and are one of the top teams in the league. They are coming off a 6-4 loss to the Colorado Avalanche but will play the Vegas Golden Knights before facing off against Utah.
