In about two minutes, the entire vibe in Delta Center went from feelings of victory to the utmost defeat. The Utah Hockey Club held a 4-1 lead against the last-place San Jose Sharks heading into the final stretch of the game. However, the Sharks mounted an epic comeback that finished with their first win of the season. Utah’s collapse had some good aspects for individuals but an overall disappointing result for the whole team. Here are some takeaways from Monday night’s 5-4 OT loss.
Dylan Guenther Back on the Scoresheet
It’s no secret that Dylan Guenther has struggled since his hot start to the season. At a point in time, he led the league in goals. However, after Utah’s game against the New York Rangers, Guenther went on a goal drought. In terms of points, he only scored one, which was an assist against the Anaheim Ducks.
That all changed on Monday when Guenther returned to the scoresheet. Maveric Lamoureux got the play going sending it into the Sharks’ zone. Clayton Keller then slid a pass to Guenther who used his iconic wrist shot to beat MacKenzie Blackwood for Utah’s first goal of the game.
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The Canadian forward had obviously been studied well by opposing teams in the past couple of games realizing that Guenther usually uses his wrist shot in the left faceoff circle to beat opponents. Until Monday, NHL teams had shut him down, but he was a clear standout in the game against the Sharks. Maybe it was the addition of Keller to his line. The two looked good together and with Logan Cooley in between, it was a standout line for Utah.
Utah fans are hoping that Guenther can continue his offense. He’s expected to be a big part of the team this season. Even if he can’t continue his goal-scoring pace, he can try to continue the other aspects he brings to the game. The forward was showing off his physical side against the Sharks eventually taking down Fabian Zetterlund which led to a Sharks’ penalty. He also had a lot of chances to score in other ways like his quick zone entry opportunity in the third.
We’ll see if Guenther can continue what he started on Monday. It wouldn’t be surprising if head coach André Tourigny keeps Keller with Cooley and Guenther going forward after the decent night the line had.
A Decent Night for Matias Maccelli
Matias Maccelli had a great sophomore season with the Arizona Coyotes. Although it was a decline from his great first season in the NHL where he scored 57 points, 49 points as a 23-year-old in the NHL is nothing to laugh about. However, this season in Utah, Maccelli has struggled early to produce.
In his first nine games, Maccelli only had four points and was constantly on the bottom two lines. The Finn is better than a bottom-line player and better than a four-point player. He showed that during the game on Monday.
Maccelli’s night started in the first period as he was able to knock in a rebound given up by Blackwood. It was his first-ever goal scored in a Utah jersey. His night didn’t stop there. In the second period, he scored on a backhand shot to score his second of the game.
Maccelli now has six points in 10 games and all of a sudden, he’s looking like the player we saw last season. Similar to Guenther, the line changes might’ve helped the forward. He was placed on the second line with Nick Schmaltz and Barrett Hayton which gave him more ice time. It could be a new placement for Maccelli for a while after the success he had on Monday.
An Embarrassing Loss for Utah
In about the span of two minutes, Utah went from breaking their losing streak to absolute chaos. The Sharks managed to outshoot them 20-4 after Mikhail Sergachev’s goal near the end of the second period and it cost Utah dearly. Goals by Fabian Zetterlund, Mikael Granlund, and Tyler Toffoli in the final couple minutes of the third period sent the game into overtime. Then, in overtime, poor defense allowed Alex Wennberg to squeeze the puck into the back of the net giving the Sharks their first win of the season and ending a nine-game losing streak.
Not only did Utah blow a 4-1 lead in under two minutes but they also lost to the worst team in the league and were outshot by them by a significant amount. It was an embarrassing effort in the third and overtime period. The team got more conservative and played down to their opponents despite having the momentum and the lead. Multiple players got lazy and let Connor Ingram fend for himself.
Ever since the team’s OT win against the Boston Bruins, Utah has been sent into a freefall, losing their past four games. The loss against the Sharks is just the cherry on top. The excuses about the defense can only go so far. The collapse has certainly brought up some questions including about Tourigny’s job. While the expectation set upon this team by general manager Bill Armstrong wasn’t to make the playoffs, it was to be close to it. Repeating the same mistakes from last season wasn’t in the fold either and it seems like that’s what Utah is doing right now.
There are no excuses for the loss. Utah had the lead and the win in their hand and they let it go. The entire locker room needs to do some soul-searching before thinking about any other game coming up, especially after the way this one ended. The constant line changes aren’t fixing the problem. There has to be another change in some sort of fashion before Utah’s losing streak hits double digits. It’s currently at four but quickly increasing.
Utah is now 4-4-2. Their next game is on Wednesday as they round out their streak of games at the Delta Center. They’ll face off against the Calgary Flames who have had a good start to their season with a record of 5-3-1. The Flames are coming off a 5-0 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights.
