The Utah Hockey Club and the Boston Bruins are more similar than people realize.
Both teams have underperformed, based on the expectations of many. Players on both teams are starting to get frustrated. Both teams hope there’s still enough runway to turn the season around.
Here are some other, more detailed similarities between the two teams:
- Both teams lost by four goals on home ice Monday.
- The number two defenseman on each team has a long-term injury: Sean Durzi for Utah and Hampus Lindholm for Boston.
- Utah has a point percentage of .472. That’s almost identical to Boston’s .475.
- Both teams’ penalty kills are operating at 75%.
- Both teams are among the bottom five in the league in power play percentage.
- Utah averages 26 shots per game. Boston averages 27.
- Both teams average 29 shots against per game.
- Utah has scored 49 goals. Boston has scored 48.
- Boston’s top scorer, David Pastrňák, has points in 85% of his games. Utah’s top scorer, Clayton Keller, has points in 89% of his.
Although these teams rarely see each other and they aren’t competing for the same playoff spots, it kind of feels like Thursday’s game is a must-win for both teams. They need to get things back on track if they’re going to be playoff teams.
In an attempt to turn their season around, the Bruins announced Tuesday afternoon that they had fired head coach Jim Montgomery. Joe Sacco, who has been an assistant coach for the Bruins since 2014, will take over as interim head coach.
Utah Hockey Club vs. Boston Bruins: Oct. 19, 2024
These two teams have already met this season, and it was a close one.
Neither team struck the score sheet until the midway point of the second period, when a weak shot from Cole Koepke squeaked between the pads of Connor Ingram to put the Bruins on the board.
All signs pointed to a 1-0 Bruins win until Utah HC defenseman Vladislav Kolyachonok — perhaps the most unlikely of heroes — took matters into his own hands. He accepted a cross-ice pass on the rush, cut around the Bruins defender and roofed one on the backhand to tie the game.
Michael Kesselring, who grew up a Bruins fan, would score in overtime to steal the game for the home squad.
Utah Hockey Club’s key to victory
The most obvious area of potential improvement after last game for Utah is the power play. You can’t go 0 for 7 and expect to beat a good team like the Capitals.
It’s not that the penalty kill wasn’t doing anything right — they hit the post five times and they had a number of solid chances that just didn’t get past Charlie Lindgren.
But posts and good saves don’t put numbers on the scoreboard.
“It’s easy to sit here and say we hit crossbars, but that’s no excuse,” Lawson Crouse said after the game. “We’ve got to find a way to put the puck in the back of the net. ... We were 0 for 7 — That’s not good enough.”
Utah has just one power play goal in November. Improving the power play will be critical to getting its season back on track.
Additionally, it might be time for a change to the defense group. Kolyachonok has not played since Nov. 2 — not because he did anything wrong, it’s just that his teammates were playing well enough to stay in the lineup.
Kolyachonok is notoriously the first player on the ice at practice every day and is often the last one to leave. There’s no question he wants to play, and it seems like he knows what to do against the Bruins.
Where to watch Utah Hockey Club vs. Boston Bruins
The game starts at 5 p.m. MDT. It will be shown on both Utah HC+ and Utah 16.
