3 Takeaways From Utah’s 2-1 Win Over Blackhawks

The winning continues at Delta Center as the Utah Hockey Club won its third straight game at home by defeating the Chicago Blackhawks 2-1. Utah is now only a handful of points back from the second wild card spot in the Western Conference. Here are some takeaways from Tuesday night’s win.

Battling Through Pain

Head coach André Tourigny hinted before Tuesday’s game that some of Utah’s forwards were banged up and might miss the game against the Blackhawks. However, the lineup was left intact. Well, if some of those forwards Tourigny was referring to weren’t hurt before, they might be now. Throughout the game, multiple Utah players sacrificed their bodies to block or redirect shots that left them in some serious discomfort.

The first casualty was Barrett Hayton, who took a Clayton Keller shot to the leg. He is always near the front of the net trying to knock in rebounds or redirect shots, so it wasn’t surprising nor was it delightful when he was the first Utah player to go down. He limped back to the bench but was able to play his next shift and looked fine while doing it.

The other player who battled through pain due to a shot block was Lawson Crouse. It’s been well-documented how disappointing of a season the forward has had after a terrific 20-goal, 42-point 2023-24 campaign. However, he has continued to do some of the little things right, like put it all out there to help his team win. 

Crouse took an Olli Määttä shot that sent him down to the ice. If you know Määttä’s shot, it’s one you don’t want to be in the way of. Crouse needed help to get to the Utah bench, and he eventually made his way into the tunnel. It’s unclear if he went to the locker room or just down the hallway to try to walk things off. Either way, he returned later in the game.

Maybe the shot block was a lucky charm for Crouse as he would break the ice for Utah. After Keller scored late in the second period, it was a simple backhand shot from Crouse that beat Arvid Söderblom giving Utah its first lead of the game.

In the first half of the season, Crouse only had 12 points. At one time, he was even a healthy scratch. He knew something needed to change and break his scoring drought so he went back to the basics. Shoot first.

“I did a lot of reflecting over the break and I felt, before the break, I was getting away from the shot-first mentality,” Crouse said. “I said to myself, ‘I’m going to shoot more pucks whenever I can.'”

It paid off against the Blackhawks. While Crouse has scored on the road recently, his goal on Tuesday was his first at the Delta Center since Nov. 29 and his first point at home since Dec. 10. For Crouse, it was good to hear the crowd that has been so supportive of him and his team all season long get rewarded.

“The crowd’s been so great to us all season long,” Crouse said. “I want to score more goals for them, I’m not going to lie, but that’s a good start. Hopefully I can keep going.”

Hayton and Crouse battling through pain shows how committed Utah is to reaching a playoff spot. Learning how to overcome whatever obstacle is standing in the way is something that rebuilding teams need to do, and it seems like Utah is doing just that. It’s paid off in spades as without Crouse and his goal, the Blackhawks might’ve won. It shows the grit and determination that this team is finally starting to have. 

Not Really a One-Goal Game

On paper, it was a 2-1 game. However, in reality, it was Utah’s game to lose. They dominated in nearly every category except the power play, which was Utah’s main weakness on Tuesday, going 0/5. Shots ended up being 36-22 in favor of the home team. 

It has to be mentioned that Karel Vejmelka played well, especially considering that this was his second straight start. He is now the starter for Utah while Connor Ingram tries to find the dominance that he had last season. Vejmelka walked away from Tuesday’s game with a .955 save percentage, not bad at all.