Utah Hockey Club records first home regulation win in nearly 2 months

It came down to the wire, but the Utah Hockey Club pulled out a win against the San Jose Sharks on Friday — their first regulation home win in nearly two months.

The game started with an early goal from Sharks forward Fabian Zetterlund just 58 seconds in when he collected a rebound and made no mistake putting it past Karel Vejmelka for a 1-0 lead.

Nick Schmaltz tied it up for Utah in the second period after circling the offensive zone and firing a shot short-side.

The score remained knotted at 1-1 until the third period, when Clayton Keller scored from distance. Much to the home crowd’s dismay, though, the goal was eventually reversed due to goaltender interference.

Just when it looked like the game was headed to overtime, Barrett Hayton scored to give Utah a 2-1 lead with 1:32 left in regulation, but the action didn’t end there.

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Kevin Stenlund, to whom Sharks fans have taken a particular disliking, took a double-minor for high-sticking with 56 seconds left. San Jose pulled its goalie for the extra attacker, making it 6 on 4.

Despite the fact that Stenlund is Utah’s most prominent penalty killer, Utah held on to secure the win, but it wouldn’t be a good story without some adversity.

“This is the entertainment business, huh?” said Utah head coach André Tourigny with a smile as he sat down for his postgame press conference.

It’s also worth pointing out that Nick DeSimone, whom Utah claimed off waivers on Sunday, tallied an assist in his season debut.

Utah Hockey for dummies

As mentioned, Utah HC has struggled to win at home recently. With how loud the Delta Center gets when the team is successful, it was clear the team wanted — and needed — to do better.

They had offset the home losses with sheer dominance on the road, but with the growth of hockey being one of the team’s primary objectives, it’s important to win in front of new prospective fans.

This was the second contest of Utah’s seven-game home stand. If there’s ever a time to learn how to win at home, it’s now. It’s just one game, but it has the potential to shift momentum in their favor.

“This is a big home stand for us,” Hayton said. “We’ve got to take advantage of (it). It’s a good start.”

Utah Hockey for casual fans

Utah HC fans woke up to some bittersweet news Friday morning: Josh Doan had been called up from the AHL, but it was due to an indefinite lower-body injury to leading goal scorer Dylan Guenther.

Doan didn’t end up with any points on Friday, but it wasn’t for a lack of effort. He came out flying in the first period; He played on the first power play unit; He had three shots on net; He looked as confident as anyone.

“Part of getting up here is trying to have a good first period and fight the nerves a little bit,” Doan said after the game. “When you’re going as fast and as hard as you can, it makes it a little bit easier to make decisions. You’re trusting your instincts, rather than trying to think your way through it.”

Tourigny was also a fan of Doan’s game.

“I think he kept his game simple and he had good pace, a good forecheck, played the game the right way,” Tourigny said. “I think he did good stuff for us.”

That’s the playing style that earned Doan an AHL All-Star selection. If he keeps it up, he’ll start racking up points in no time.

Utah Hockey for nerds

Guenther’s injury necessitated a whole new set of forward lines. Here’s what Utah HC ended up with:

Clayton Keller - Logan Cooley - Nick Schmaltz.

Matias Maccelli - Barrett Hayton - Josh Doan.

Liam O’Brien - Nick Bjugstad - Lawson Crouse.

Alex Kerfoot - Kevin Stenlund - Jack McBain.

The differences include Hayton and Cooley switching places, Doan stepping in for Guenther, Maccelli jumping up to the second line and McBain filling in on the fourth line.

While it can take a few games to acclimate to new line mates, everyone seemed comfortable enough. Maccelli hit the same post twice in the first period, McBain brought pace to his new line, the new first line would have had two goals had it not been for goaltender interference and Hayton scored the game-winner.

“You obviously build chemistry with guys, but at the same time, we still spend so much time together. We have chemistry off the ice and we’re familiar with all these guys’ games,” Hayton said.

“If you’re not on the same line, maybe you don’t have quite the same chemistry you have with guys you’ve been playing with for a while, but it’s the NHL — you’ve got to learn fast and build that quick.”

It’s also important to mention that the third line looked as solid as it ever has. The group combined for a number of scoring chances, most notably a perfect centering pass late in the game from Bjugstad to O’Brien.

O’Brien took several whacks at it but just couldn’t squeak it past Sharks goaltender Alexandar Georgiev.

Tourigny said after the game that he felt it would be unfair to put too much stock into how these lines performed. It was the first go-round for most of them, so he feels they still have lots of room for improvement.

What’s next?

Utah HC is back in action on Saturday, as they take on the New York Islanders.

The Islanders have struggled this season, but the playoff race in the Eastern Conference is so tight that they’re only five points out of a playoff spot.

They surprised the Vegas Golden Knights with a 4-0 win on Thursday and they hope to follow it up with a win on their first trip to Salt Lake City.

It’s the second of two matchups between these teams this season. The first was Utah’s first-ever road game, where Doan scored late to force overtime and Guenther tallied the eventual game-winner.

Saturday’s game starts at 7 p.m. and will be streamed on Utah HC+ and Utah 16. Tickets are now available for as low as $10 through Utah HC’s new programs.