The Utah Hockey Club lost an entertaining game in OT against the Anaheim Ducks on Wednesday night. The Hockey Club played another high-octane match, taking a 4-3 late into the third period. However, Utah could not hold on, eventually losing the game in OT.
While walking away with a point from the matchup is better than nothing, the Hockey Club could have won the game. As such, leaving points on the table is something that the Hockey Club cannot afford to do moving forward.
With that in mind, here’s a look at three thoughts on the Utah Hockey Club’s Wednesday night tilt against the Anaheim Ducks.
3 thoughts on the Utah Hockey Club’s OT loss in Anaheim
Utah scored another bunch of goals
In five games this season, the Hockey Club has scored four or more goals three times. Except for the shutout loss to the New Jersey Devils, the Hockey Club has managed to put the puck in the net.
The biggest bright spot getting goals from other players beyond the usual suspects. Michael Kesselring and Jack McBain added tallies along with captain Clayton Keller and Barret Hayton. The key is for Utah to spread out the scoring, ensuring that multiple lines become scoring threats for the club.
Defensive lapses prove costly
There is no denying Utah’s high-powered offense. The goal production has been there this season for the most part. However, Utah must play better defense as lapses have proved costly all season.
On Wednesday night, several lapses led to Anaheim's goals. However, the most glaring one came on the OT winner. With the Hockey Club set the clear the zone, blueliner Mikhail Sergachev lost the puck at the blue line. The puck came back with Nick Schmaltz unable to control Leo Carlsson as he made his way to the net. Carlsson made a nifty move that ended the game.
Moving forward, such defensive lapses cannot continue. Utah must buckle down and play better defense, especially late in the game when the time comes to lock down leads.
Connor Ingram had another strong game
Connor Ingram had another strong night. He made 29 saves on 34 shots. While those numbers may not jump off the page, they reflect just how much the Hockey Club relies on their goaltender to keep them in the game.
For the most part, Ingram has kept Utah in just about every game he’s played. However, the Hockey Club has relied too much on Ingram. Unless Ingram can morph into Igor Shesterkin or Sergei Bobrovsky, it’s had to envision Ingram stealing games for the Hockey Club.
Thus, the Utah Hockey Club needs to do a better job of clearing the front of the net, and ensuring rebounds are taken care of in order to give Ingram a better chance of winning games.