Coming off its first-ever loss, the Utah Hockey Club looks to regain its footing against the Anaheim Ducks on Wednesday.
It will be the Ducks’ home opener, the fourth such game Utah Hockey Club has on its schedule. Head coach André Tourigny believes that creates an advantage for his team.
“There’s a lot of stress for the home team (in a home opener),” he said.
Utah Hockey Club’s record has been perfect in home openers, so maybe he’s onto something.
Here are a few things Utah Hockey Club will need to do to beat the Ducks.
Get pucks to the middle of the ice
Both Tourigny and Dylan Guenther noted after Utah Hockey Club’s loss to the New Jersey Devils on Monday that they did not get to the middle of the ice enough in the Devils’ zone. Tourigny specifically mentioned tips and rebounds as being integral to their success.
“If you don’t get those, you don’t get the next one,” he said. “You don’t get the seam play.”
Guenther agreed.
“We have to get inside a little bit more, try to create some greasier looks,” he said. “Sometimes, you want to be a little bit too cute, but I think just dumbing it down and looking to create off shots (is important).”
If you’re new to hockey, you might be wondering why it’s important to get the puck to the middle. Here’s a brief explanation.
In the olden days, NHL players could score most of their goals off of slapshots from distance. The goalies wore less padding and used less advanced techniques, so all it took was a well-placed shot to beat them. If you’ve ever seen a Wayne Gretzky highlight reel, you’ll understand.
Now, goalies are far too big and too skilled to get beaten with shots unless there are other factors that complicate it. For example, a goalie might have a hard time stopping a shot that was deflected because the angle changed too quickly for him to react. Another one might be if the shooter makes a few dekes from up close, which gets the goalie moving and eventually creates space to shoot.
If you compare the Gretzky highlight reel to one of Connor McDavid, you’ll see the difference.
Get more shots on net
Whether they come from the inside or the outside of the ice, Utah HC needs to find a way to test opposing goalies more. The league average in shots per game per team usually falls between 29 and 31, according to HockeyReference. Utah has not had a game within that range yet.
Shots on net are not everything: The Vancouver Canucks proved that last season. Most people chalked up their early-season success to luck because their shooting percentage was “unsustainable,” but they kept it up all season and into the playoffs.
They simply didn’t shoot as much as other teams do, opting instead to hold onto the puck until they had good scoring chances.
Even having been shut out Monday, Utah’s shooting percentage is 16.2% — much higher than the league average of 10.6%. They likely see themselves in a similar boat as last year’s Canucks, but the truth is that it’s rare for a team to have sustained success doing that.
Hockey coaches have a phrase: “Put pucks on net and good things happen.” Utah Hockey Club might have a few favorable bounces if it starts taking a few more shots every game.
Get healthy
Sean Durzi, who plays with Mikhail Sergachev on Utah Hockey Club’s top defense pairing, left Monday’s game with an upper-body injury. His health status is yet to be determined, but he left Monday’s game in a sling.
If he misses time, that could be a big loss for the team.
Another top defenseman, John Marino, is still considered week to week. Tourigny told the media Thursday that he stayed home to undergo some testing in Utah.
His return, whenever it happens, will be a significant boost to the lineup because it will reduce the playing time of some of Utah’s less skilled defensemen.
Nick Bjugstad, who is also on the injured reserve, traveled with the team to New York and New Jersey despite the fact that he is not expected to play any sooner than November. He most likely did that because he wants to establish a place for himself in the locker room.
He’s a depth forward — something that Utah Hockey Club has a surplus of — and he would hate to get phased out of the lineup because he wasn’t there to start the season.
