The Utah Hockey Club was blanked 4-0 on Tuesday night by an Ottawa Senators club that’s off to a solid start.
While the blanking itself was a tough pill to swallow, it revealed a much deeper underlying concern. The Ottawa Senators figured out how to stop the Hockey Club’s attack.
Let’s start with the Sens’ game plan. The Sens came into the Delta Center focused on winning puck battles and hard forechecking. But they also focused on clogging up the neutral zone to force turnovers.
That’s exactly how the Senators managed to stop the Utah Hockey Club’s high-octane attack. Other clubs like the New York Rangers sat back thinking they could outgun the Hockey Club. That was a bad idea. The Hockey Club proved they could hang with anyone.
However, the Sens weren’t going to make that mistake. The Sens are a team built to pounce on other teams’ mistakes. Ottawa isn’t going to play flashy hockey. They’re built to outlast other clubs with a mix of youth, toughness, and skill.
Plus, the Hockey Club had a tough time against Anton Forsberg who looked locked in from the opening whistle. In the end, there isn’t much anyone can do against a hot goalie.
The first period was the Utah Hockey Club’s undoing
The first period was the blemish on the night for Utah. The Ottawa Senators scored four times to take a 4-0 lead into the first intermission.
Then, the Sens proceeded to lock down the game. End of story.
Now, how could a team lock a game down after 20 minutes? After all, that’s not something most teams typically do
The Senators knew that Utah would come out guns blazing in the second period. In fact, that’s what happened. The Hockey Club didn’t sit around and moan about the score. They went out and tried to get back into it.
That approach played right into the Senators’ plans. The Sens continued to clog up the neutral zone and keep the Utah forecheckers to the outside. Utah could not gain zone entries with speed and could not control the puck in the offensive zone for long. The Sens’ relentless checking made it hard for Utah to cycle the puck.
Ultimately, the Utah Hockey Club faced a tough challenge from a team that came prepared to deal with a high-flying offense. The Sens are built that way given how they much competed in a division with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Florida Panthers, Tampa Bay Lightning, and Boston Bruins.
For the Hockey Club, it’s a valuable lesson that cannot be ignored. The Hockey Club must learn to adapt to varying circumstances as opponents will certainly shift their game plans.