Utah Hockey Club defeated the New York Islanders 5-4 in overtime.
It was a back-and-forth battle. It was an exciting game. Utah finds ways to win a game. They didn’t win without drama—a lot of drama. There were lead changes. It was a heavyweight bout, especially in the third period. Both teams had a chance to pull away from each other.
It’s early in the season, but Utah is a resilient team. They didn’t quit, which is the mindset of a winning team. Expectations are high for this group after what we have seen in these last couple of games.
Dylan Guenther Scores OT Winner As Utah Hockey Club Improves To 2-0
In the first period, Anthony Duclair scored a power-play goal for the Islanders to put them on the board. Lawson Crouse answered with a power-play goal of his own. The goal is his second of the season.
In the second period, Barrett Hayton scored his second goal of the season, giving Utah a 2-1 lead.
The third period took this game from good to great. Both teams exchanged blows. The Islanders scored two straight goals, the first one coming from Bo Horvat.
Five minutes later, Jean Gabriel Pageau on a short-handed goal. Dylan Guentzel tied the game with a power play goal on an assist by Clayton Keller.
Maxim Tsyplakov regained the lead for the Islanders, 4-3. Shortly after, Josh Doan tied the game 4-4. It’s Doan’s first goal of the season. The Islanders blew coverage, and Josh Doan capitalized on their mistake.
Guenther came through for Utah when he won it in overtime. It was his second goal of the game and his fourth overall this season.
Connor Ingram made 21 saves in 25 save attempts. Utah went 2-for-2 on the power play. They won 52 percent of their face-offs. The penalties were a killer for Utah. It’s an area they still need to work on.
Six of their 12 penalty minutes came in the first period. Logan Cooley received two minutes for high-sticking, Sean Durzi for holding (2 minutes), and Michael Corcone (2 minutes).
Given that it’s the beginning of the season, we are confident Utah will fix this problem as the season progresses.
This team is young and talented, and it will compete all night long. It doesn’t buckle under pressure. Utah’s confidence is unparalleled, and its chemistry continues to grow.
Utah will continue its East Coast trip in New York. Their next game will be at Madison Square Garden
To take on the New York Rangers on Saturday at 7 pm EST.