The Utah Hockey Club has now won three games in a row. The Hockey Club won a wild one 6-5 in OT against the New York Rangers on Saturday night. At one point, Utah was up 5-3 before eventually squeaking out a 6-5 win.
So, let’s take a look at three key takeaways from one of the wildest games we’ve seen so far this season.
3 key takeaways from the Utah Hockey Club’s wild win against the New York Rangers
The Hockey Club made Shesterkin look human
There is so much talk surrounding Igor Shesterkin’s status as the NHL’s best goalie. While there’s no denying that he is one of the best, the Hockey Club made him look like an AHLer on Saturday night. Utah’s speed and skill made Shesterkin look vulnerable plenty of times.
For instance, Kevin Stenlund’s goal was completely on Shesterkin. Stenlund streaked across the right side popping a wicked wrister on Shesterkin’s short side.
But perhaps the best goal of all was captain Clayton Keller’s OT winner. Keller walked in front of the net completely unimpeded and proceeded to bury one in the top corner for the win. All six Utah goals made Shesterkin and company look worse for wear despite being the reigning Presidents’ Trophy winners.
The Utah Hockey Club blew the lead
The Hockey Club was up 5-3 with a little over six minutes to play in the second, following Dylan Guenther’s fifth of the season. However, the Hockey Club couldn’t hold on, allowing the Rangers to get back into the game and force overtime.
This trend is somewhat concerning at this point as the Utah Hockey Club will not score five goals each game. If Utah does not shore up the defensive side of the equation, there’s a very good chance that tight-checking teams like the Boston Bruins, Dallas Stars, and Florida Panthers could stifle the offensive attack.
If that’s the case, Utah may be unable to outscore their opponents, potentially losing key games as the season wears on.
Kudos to the Hockey Club’s resilience
In situations where other teams may have folded after blowing a lead, Utah kept up the energy and intensity. In the OT period, Utah kept the pressure going, almost winning it on Matias Maccelli’s shot. Had it not been for Shesterkin’s brilliant save, the game would have been over then.
Eventually, Keller ended it with about a minute to go in OT. Indeed, the Hockey Club deserves credit for pulling out the win. That sort of grit is often uncharacteristic of a young team. So, kudos to Utah for sticking with it and coming back to win the game.