Utah Falls to 1-1 on its five-game homestand
Despite a strong effort, Utah Hockey Club fell to the Los Angeles Kings, 3-1. The visitors scored two goals within 44 seconds to put the game out of reach in the third period. Lawson Crouse had Utah’s lone goal while Adrian Kempe, Kevin Fiala, Trevor Moore and Drew Doughty all scored for the Kings.
“Solid game,” head coach André Tourigny. “A few broken plays we made were the difference in the game. I think the guys were ready and they were really structured. We didn’t give up much, unfortunately a few break downs made the difference.”
“Frustrated,” Crouse said postgame. “We were in the driver’s seat for the first two periods and before you know it, what happened on the 4-on-4, they capitalized on two chances. That’s how quick the game can get away from you and playing catch up from there.”
Utah came out strong from puck drop. A minute and a half into the game, Dylan Guenther scored to give the home team a 1-0 lead. However, Utah was offside when entering the zone and the goal was disallowed. Despite this, Utah continued to push, recording seven shots in the first five and a half minutes against one of the best defenses in the NHL.
In addition to a strong offensive push in the first, Utah limited the Kings opportunities, holding LA to just three shots in the first 20 minutes. The home team finished the first period with 16 shots on goal.
Seven minutes into the middle frame, Adrian Kempe and Logan Cooley were tied up and both slid into Karel Vejmelka. While he was falling, Kempe’s skate pushed the puck across the goal line. The officials ruled it as a good goal due to Cooley inadvertently tripping Kempe.
“It was a weird one,” Crouse said on Kempe’s goal. “But at that point of the hockey game, you got to be able to bounce back. It went in, it was called a goal, it is what it is. You got to move on and get ready for the next shift.”
With just under eight minutes to play in the second period, Lawson Crouse got a feed from Josh Doan, squared up to the goal, and scored, tying the game, 1-1. The play started when Jack McBain dumped the puck to the right corner where he had support from Doan. After Doan won the puck battle, he got it to Crouse who took advantage of the smallest margin of room behind Darcy Kuemper’s head and the crossbar.
With a minute left in the middle frame, Vejmelka made one of his strongest saves of the game stopping Kevin Fiala, on a breakaway. Vejmelka received support from Ian Cole who rushed back to help stop one of LA’s best players. After 40 minutes of play, Utah held their opponent to just nine total shots, while recording 25 shots through two periods.
“We were urgent,” Dylan Guenther shared. “We were pretty dialed in on the game plan. We played well the first two periods.”
In the opening minutes of the third period, Kevin Stenlund was cross-checked by Anze Kopitar during a battle in the corner. Both players were sent off with minor penalties, resulting in 4-on-4 hockey. With extra space on the ice, Los Angeles took advantage, scoring two goals in 44 seconds to take a 3-1 lead. Kevin Fiala scored the go-ahead goal while Trevor Moore increased the visitors lead once again. Both goals were the result of turnovers by Utah.
A bench minor (too many men) by Utah halfway through the third period gave the Kings time and space to get more chances; however, Utah’s penalty kill and goaltender came up strong. With under two to play, Utah pulled its goalie and the Kings capitalized. Drew Doughty was credited with an empty net goal to make it 4-1. Utah didn’t quit, even with a three-goal deficit, and scored a power play goal with 18.1 seconds remaining. Jack McBain’s 13th of the season made it a 4-2 final score. With the loss, Utah falls to 1-1 on this five-game homestand and 34-30-12 on the season.
What’s Next?
Utah’s homestand continues when the Winnipeg Jets visit Saturday. Game time is 5 p.m. MT. Limited tickets available here!
