The franchise had a new name and home — and plenty of new faces — but old identity or new one, it’s a team that knows how to make the Detroit Red Wings suffer this time of year.
The Utah Hockey Club made its debut at Little Caesars Arena Thursday, and made it a difficult night for the Wings, who lost, 4-2, dropping their fourth straight game in regulation.
Formerly the Arizona Coyotes until a relocation and renaming last summer, the franchise’s roots trace back to the one that beat the Wings twice last March, costing them points at a key time in the race for a playoff spot, including at the 2024 NHL trade deadline. As Utah HC (a new nickname is expected by next season) Thursday, the day before the 2025 NHL trade deadline, it was the same story.
Dylan Larkin scored his 25th goal of the season and Jonatan Berggren his 10th as the Wings briefly built a lead, only for it to be a tie game going into the third period. The Wings started that period with a minute left on their second power play and went on their third man advantage shortly after Kevin Stenlund put Utah ahead by a goal, but couldn’t get anything by Karel Vejmelka.
A lack of defensive coverage in front of Alex Lyon enabled Lawson Crouse to score from just outside the paint midway through the period to double Utah’s lead.
The Wings (30-26-6) play at Utah on March 24.
Coach Todd McLellan has emphasized all week that whatever happens one way or another by Friday’s 3 p.m. trade deadline, the Wings have to spark themselves from within. Few players need to ignite more than Larkin, who hadn’t scored since Feb. 22, and hadn’t had a point since Feb. 23. Larkin came through early in the first period, when he lost his balance as he got the puck, but still managed to get off a shot that tied it at 3:17, a little more than a minute after Dylan Guenther had put Utah on the board.
The Wings had to play with a short bench after Carter Mazur got hurt two shifts into his NHL debut, suffering an upper-body injury. He had begun the game on a line with Berggren and Tyler Motte. Patrick Kane was out with the group instead near the midpoint of the first period. He had the puck along the boards and fired a pass to Motte in the slot. Motte threw the puck on net, and Berggren was wide open on the side to redirect the rebound for his 10th goal of the season. Nick Schmaltz scored on a power play to make it a 2-2 game.
A game after Carolina’s Shayne Gostisbehere reminded the Wings what they used to have on their back end last season, defenseman Olli Määtta returned with Utah. The Wings traded him to that club in October, to alleviate carrying eight defensemen. Now Määtta is exactly the type of steady, smart, third-pair defensemen the Wings could use as they try to shore up for a run at a playoff spot. But Määttä, 30, signed a three-year extension this week with an annual average value of $3.5 million. McLellan had Määtta with the Los Angeles Kings, and called the Finnish blueliner, “a real team character individual. He can play the game a lot of different ways. A winner. Just a real good teammate and fun to be around.”
Contact Helene St. James at hstjames@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @helenestjames. Read more on the Detroit Red Wings and sign up for our Red Wings newsletter.
