Utah Hockey Club may just be turning a corner.
With its 4-2 win over the Philadelphia Flyers Sunday night at Wells Fargo Center, Utah earned victories in consecutive games for the first time since the first week of this season.
The four-point, road-trip sweep was a culmination of what Utah has been building for the past eight games.
At last, it resulted in tangible results that made the team’s performance feel all that more rewarding.
“Two good efforts. I thought we stuck to the game plan most of the game,” captain Clayton Keller said. “Proud of the guys and the way we fought.”
Coming into the second game of a back-to-back, Keller’s crew had juice nonetheless. After a scoreless but hard-fought opening frame, both teams got going in the second period.
It was a cumulative five-goal middle stanza on Sunday that started with Michael Carcone.
Carcone forced the puck into the zone with speed before backhanding it toward the net where it hit off Philadelphia defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen and in. The play gave Utah a 1-0 lead at 7:01 and marked Carcone’s second goal and third point in the last four games.
(Bethany Baker | The Salt Lake Tribune) Utah Hockey Club left wing Michael Carcone (53) brings the puck down the ice during the third period of the game at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Monday, Dec. 2, 2024.
Utah has gotten six goals from its fourth line of Carcone, Alex Kerfoot and Kevin Stenlund in the last five games which has, evidently, been an important part of the team’s realized offensive depth.
Philadelphia was quick to respond as Joel Farabee scored just 19 seconds later with a wrist shot to tie things 1-1, but Juuso Välimäki earned his first goal of the season at 9:42 to make it 2-1. The defenseman positioned himself down low in the Utah shooting lane where he tipped in Mikhail Sergachev’s look from the point.
“Took a little bit too long, but better late than never,” Välimäki said of his goal.
The Flyers found the 2-2 equalizer from Owen Tippett who released a snap shot from above the left circle at 13:34. Utah regained its lead, though, before the start of the third period.
After assisting on Välimäki’s tally, Cooley logged his second point of the night with a goal of his own while Utah skated on the power play. The 20-year-old forward picked up a pass from Dylan Guenther near the crease, flipped the puck to his backhand and slipped it past Samuel Ersson’s left pad for the 3-2 advantage at 15:30.
Cooley now has six points in the last five games and seven goals in his sophomore season. He’s taken on a more significant role this year while on the first power play unit, penalty kill and centering the ever-productive second line with Guenther and Jack McBain. The trio now holds the top-three goal-scorers for Utah; Guenther has 10, McBain has nine and Cooley has seven.
“I liked the way we played, we defended,” Tourigny said. “I like the way we played in the O-zone as well. We had good looks, generated good offense.”
Ian Cole was called for high-sticking with less than five minutes remaining in the third period while Utah had a one-goal lead. It could have changed the game in the Flyers’ favor, but Utah did not allow it.
Stenlund took advantage of a Philadelphia miscue at the offensive blueline, drove to the net and wired it home for the final 4-2 scoreline at 15:43. The play marked Stenlund’s second goal in as many games, this time short-handed.
Utah Hockey Club goaltender Jaxson Stauber, left, looks to block a shot past the screen of Philadelphia Flyers' Morgan Frost (48) during the second period of an NHL hockey game, Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Derik Hamilton)
“They got the puck and then fumbled it,” Stenlund said. “Obviously I got a breakaway and good goal. We needed that one.”
Not to be overlooked, goalkeeper Jaxson Stauber got his second start of the season after posting Utah’s first-ever shutout on Nov. 30 in the win over the Vegas Golden Knights. The 25-year-old goaltender made 22 saves and stepped up for Utah once again with a steady, confident showing.
Utah has been working toward weekends like this all season — where its offense, defense, goaltending and, most of all, killer instinct and will to win come together through 60 minutes. Scoring nine goals in two games no doubt helped for a road-trip sweep, but it was Utah’s overall team game that earned those four points.
“I think that’s been something we’ve talked about a long time, and now being able to do it, it feels good,” Välimäki said. “I think it’s all about keeping going with it.”
