The Utah Hockey Membership (17-15-7) is 39 video games into its inaugural NHL season and sits 4 factors out of a wild card spot. On the similar level final season, the Arizona Coyotes held a 20-17-2 document. Whereas Utah is approaching the second half of its season quickly, if the workforce desires to proceed to play by way of mid-April 2025, head coach André Tourigny’s squad should discover methods to play constant 60 minutes night-in and night-out. Due to this fact, let’s check out the elements contributing to Utah’s streaky play.
Parallels Between Utah and Arizona’s Seasons
The 2023-24 Coyotes skilled a rollercoaster season: whether or not it was a 14-game dropping streak, a consecutive sweep of the previous 5 Stanley Cup-winning groups, or coping with relocation rumors (which ultimately got here true), Arizona completed seventh place within the Central Division with a 36-41-6 document. Right here’s a take a look at the place each groups have related metrics:
- Energy-play proportion
- 2023-24 Arizona Coyotes: 21.99% (fifteenth within the NHL)
- 2024-25 Utah Hockey Membership: 22.22% (sixteenth within the NHL)
- Longest profitable streak
- 2023-24 Arizona Coyotes: 5 video games
- 2024-25 Utah Hockey Membership: 4 video games
- Recreation-winning streaks
- 2023-24 Arizona Coyotes: 10 streaks (82-game season)
- 2024-25 Utah Hockey Membership: Three streaks (by way of 39 video games)
- Recreation-losing streaks
- 2023-24 Arizona Coyotes: 10 streaks (82-game season)
- 2024-25 Utah Hockey Membership: 5 streaks (by way of 39 video games)
- Common purpose margin in regulation losses
- 2023-24 Arizona Coyotes: 2.46 targets (41-game tempo)
- 2024-25 Utah Hockey Membership: 2.53 targets (15-game tempo)
- Wins
- 2023-24 Arizona Coyotes: 36 wins (82-game season)
- 2024-25 Utah Hockey Membership: 35.7 wins (82-game tempo)
As you’ll be able to see, there are a number of connections from final season to this season. Utah’s particular groups, which rank within the middle-of-the-pack, have barely improved from final season, whereas Arizona posted the Twenty fifth-best penalty-killing proportion.
Accidents Amongst Components Resulting in Inconsistent Play
It’s no secret the harm bug has damage Utah’s defensive core this season. Blue liners Sean Durzi, John Marino, Robert Bortuzzo, and Maveric Lamoureux are all on injured reserve. Moreover, all these gamers are right-handed, forcing defensemen Olli Määttä and Vladislav Kolyachonok to play on the fitting aspect as left-handed gamers. Enjoying on their off aspect makes it troublesome to create taking pictures lanes from the purpose and get pucks out on their backhand underneath strain.
On Jan. 5, Utah’s Common Supervisor Invoice Armstrong claimed defenseman Nick DeSimone off of waivers from the New Jersey Devils. DeSimone, the 30-year-old who appeared in 11 video games this season, joins defenseman Michael Kesselring as the one two energetic right-handed defensemen.
Whereas Utah acquired Mikhail Sergachev from the Tampa Bay Lightning within the offseason, Durzi’s presence has been missed. The 26-year-old posted two assists in 4 video games earlier than needing surgical procedure on his proper shoulder in late October. The 6-foot, 195-pounder set profession highs in assists (32) and factors (41) in Coyotes’ final season. Though Sergachev has been the quarterback on Utah’s prime power-play unit all season, Durzi was a superb second-unit offensive defenseman.
Lamoureux and Bortuzzo had been two latest additions to the injured reserve listing. Due to this fact, followers could marvel when Durzi and Marino may return to the lineup this season. Durzi’s estimated return was 4 to 6 months in late October. Nevertheless, the Canadian was seen on the ice on Jan. 6, engaged on some particular person drills and didn’t take part within the workforce’s follow.
“It’s a number of weeks now he has skated. However want to carry him again slightly bit,” Tourigny stated about Durzi’s development by way of his harm restoration.
Marino is nearer to returning than Durzi. The 27-year-old was acquired from the New Jersey Devils on the 2024 NHL Entry Draft and had lower-back surgical procedure in October. The 6-foot-1, 183-pounder notched his third 24-point-plus marketing campaign final season.
Whereas each gamers are progressing in direction of a possible return this season, Armstrong offered estimated returns for each:
The final time GM Invoice Armstrong up to date me (final week), these had been the timelines for return:
— John Marino: Feb 1.
— Sean Durzi: Finish of season
— Connor Ingram: Nonetheless no timeline https://t.co/i1v0WsSUvB— Craig Morgan (@CraigSMorgan) December 24, 2024
One other contributing issue to Utah’s unpredictable play this season is the workforce’s third line of forwards Matias Maccelli, Nick Bjugstad, and Lawson Crouse. All three are on a trajectory towards having career-down campaigns. Due to this fact, Tourigny has damaged up the trio, bringing ahead Liam O’Brien again into the lineup on the third line. Right here’s a take a look at Utah’s ahead traces the previous two video games:
Clayton Keller — Barrett Hayton — Nick Schmaltz
Jack McBain — Logan Cooley — Dylan Guenther
Liam O’Brien — Nick Bjugstad — Lawson Crouse
Michael Carcone/Matias Maccelli — Kevin Stenlund — Alex Kerfoot
O’Brien’s return to the lineup sparked the newly-created third line’s two-goal efficiency towards the Calgary Flames on Jan. 2 as Crouse potted his first two targets since Nov. 29 within the workforce’s 5-3 win that evening. The 6-foot-1, 213-pounder has wearing Utah’s final three video games, marking his first recreation since Oct. 28.
“We’re all massive our bodies,” O’Brien stated of the road’s 637-pound mixed weight. “We prefer to get in on the forecheck. We’ve been taking part in a easy recreation, but it surely’s been efficient. They’ve performed very well, and I’m blissful to see them have some success.”
Associated: Analyzing the Utah HC’s Underperforming Third Line
The ultimate pillar of the workforce’s struggles is discovering a goalie who can maintain the reigns because the starter for a full season. Final season noticed the rise of goalie Connor Ingram (whose six shutouts tied for the league greatest) whose marketing campaign capped off with being named the Invoice Masterton Memorial Trophy recipient. This season, the 27-year-old holds a 3.61 targets towards common (GAA), a .871 save proportion (SV%) and a league-worst minus-10.7 targets saved above anticipated (GSAx.)
Alternatively, goalie Karel Vejmelka seems like he has earned the beginning position between the pipes. The Czechia netminder boasts a 2.45 GAA, a .914 SV% and a plus-12 GSAx (seventh-best within the NHL). With the fixed change on Utah’s defensive core, Vejmelka has held this workforce collectively whereas the workforce awaits Durzi, Marino, and Ingram to return.
Utah will look to place collectively a constant effort with 43 video games remaining in its common season. All of it begins with a recreation on Jan. 8 towards the defending Stanley Cup champions, the Florida Panthers, at Amerant Financial institution Enviornment in Dawn.
