Utah Hockey Club lost more than the game Friday night at Amerant Bank Arena.
In addition to falling 2-1 to the Florida Panthers in overtime, the team went down to five defensemen after Olli Määttä left the matchup with a lower-body injury in the second period and did not return for the rest of the evening.
“I don’t have details right now,” head coach André Tourigny said of Määttä following the final buzzer.
Määttä — who signed a three-year extension with Utah earlier this month — logged 6:17 of ice time against the Panthers before getting hurt.
With Määttä sidelined, Mikhail Sergachev carried the load for the blueline with 28:27 of TOI — his most since Dec. 22 against the Anaheim Ducks when he posted 31:03. Sean Durzi was close behind with 25:04, his most since coming back from injury in February. Durzi had the lone goal for Utah, too.
“Everybody did a little bit more,” Tourigny said. “We had no passengers today.”
Määttä was on the third pair with Michael Kesselring — a combination Tourigny went to starting on Thursday against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Määttä had previously been playing with Durzi, who is now on the second pair with Ian Cole.
(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) Sean Durzi celebrates a goal as Utah Hockey Club hosts the Minnesota Wild, NHL hockey in Salt Lake City on Thursday, Feb. 27, 2025.
Depending on the extent of Määttä’s injury, the Club has Nick DeSimone as its seventh defenseman. He could slot into the lineup if called upon. Despite practicing and traveling with the team, Robert Bortuzzo — who has not played since Jan. 2 — remains on injured reserve with a lower-body injury.
The Club made things hard on itself and took six penalties during a game without Määttä, a key player in the kill.
“Especially with the number of PK we had — that overloaded a few guys on the back-to-back against Florida — give them credit, they’re heavy in their battle,” Tourigny said.
Utah was short-handed four times (and spent eight minutes on the kill) in the second period alone. The Panthers’ Sam Bennett — who eventually also scored the overtime game-winner — took advantage of the Club’s lack of discipline and gave his team a 1-0 lead at 2:28 with a knock-in shot on the doorstep while on the power play.
(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) Utah Hockey Club center Kevin Stenlund (82) as Utah Hockey Club hosts the Minnesota Wild, NHL hockey in Salt Lake City on Thursday, Feb. 27, 2025.
Bennett will be a sought-after name in the NHL’s free-agent market this summer. The 28-year-old is in the last season of his four-year, $17.7 million contract. Bennett is also a center — a position the Club will likely shop around for this offseason.
Nonetheless, Utah escaped the middle frame trailing by one after its penalty-killers — like Alex Kerfoot and former Panther Kevin Stenlund (who was back in Florida for the first time since winning the Stanley Cup there) — limited opponent opportunities.
“The boys, they were into it, they were fighting, they were emotionally engaged in the game. Really detailed and disciplined,” Tourigny said.
Durzi knotted the contest early in the third as the teams were skating 4-on-4. Barrett Hayton picked up the puck in front of the Utah net and dashed up ice; Durzi joined the forward on the odd-man rush. Hayton dished it over to Durzi on the right side who snapped it past Sergei Bobrovsky at 1:55 to make it 1-1. Durzi’s goal broke a seven-period scoring drought for Utah.
(Jayne-Kamin-Oncea | AP) Utah Hockey Club center Barrett Hayton controls the puck during the first period of an NHL hockey game against the Los Angeles Kings, Club, Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025, in Los Angeles.
“Proud of the effort. Loved our intensity today. I thought we had the right mindset,” Durzi said. “Results will take care of themselves. If you ask me about the belief in the room going forward, it hasn’t wavered.”
A late power play for Utah gave it the chance to claim two points in regulation with a timely tally, but the team could not convert. The Club was 0-for-4 on the man advantage in Florida. Accordingly, overtime ensued.
Bennett backhanded the puck past Karel Vejmelka — who made his record 16th consecutive start — at 4:18 of OT to secure the 2-1 win for the Panthers.
“The staff gives us confidence to go out and play our game. We just have to execute. It’s on nobody but us,” Durzi said. “We know that in the room. The coaches can bark and we can talk to each other — but we’ve got to show it.”
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