Utah Hockey Club didn’t stand a chance against the Edmonton Oilers, losing 7-1 on Tuesday night at Rogers Arena on the road.
Utah drops to 30-27-11 in the season.
Utah looked horrific against the Oilers. Their body language and sloppy plays were tough for any Utah fan to witness. We probably saw Utah's worst defense in a game this season.
The Utah Hockey Club’s goaltender, Karel Vejmelka, had a nightmarish performance. He allowed three goals on 14 shots, all in the first period. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins started it for the Oilers when he took advantage of Utah’s turnover to score on a short-handed play.
Zack Hyman and Connor McDavid scored the following goals in the first period
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins recorded a nice assist on the second goal to Hyman. McDavid received a nice pass from Evan Bouchard in the middle of the ice. McDavid scored with 3.3 seconds left in the first.
After the first period, Vejmelka was replaced by Jaxson Stauber. Although he allowed four goals (two in the second and two in the third period), he finished the game making 24 saves.
Utah is four points behind the Vancouver Canucks and St. Louis Blues for the second wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Western Conference.
Utah needs to bounce back. The days are getting shorter, and the schedule is getting tighter. Utah needs to beat competitive teams to have a shot at the playoffs.
Giving up seven goals to the Oilers at this point of the season is very concerning. Leon Draisaitl didn’t even score, and his point streak ended.
Utah's mental game was poor all evening
Nothing went their way. Utah could’ve scored at least two more goals and allowed less than five. If they were going to lose, they should’ve lost with dignity.
The Oilers made Utah look frantic and seem like they didn’t belong on the same ice as them. This game got out of hand. Sean Durzi scored the only goal for Utah. With a slap shot, Durzi cut the lead to 5–1 at 16:26. It’s his seventh goal of the season.
Utah needs to figure out a way to make the bleeding stop. They have lost two of their last three games.
Utah's next three games will be at Delta Center, which is good news, but they need to win those games.
Utah will face the Buffalo Sabres on Friday. On Saturday, March 22, they will meet the Tampa Bay Lightning and on Monday, March 24th, against the Detroit Red Wings.