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Karel Vejmelka, Utah HC (Jess Starr/The Hockey Writers)

3 Takeaways From Utah’s 4-1 Loss to Avalanche

Originally posted on The Hockey Writers
By Chase Beardsley | Last updated Dec 28, 2024 9:55 AM ET

The Utah Hockey Club dropped their third straight game on Friday evening, losing 4-1 to their division rivals: the Colorado Avalanche. While Utah’s overall record remains above .500, their home record becomes even more alarming with the loss. Here are some takeaways from Friday night’s game.

Nick Schmaltz Continues Point Streak

There have been a handful of Utah players who have had extended point streaks over the past couple of games. One of the more quieter ones has been Nick Schmaltz, who extended his point streak to three games after Friday’s game.

During a Utah power play in the third period, Mikhail Sergachev snapped a shot from the blue line. Schmaltz, who was in front, was able to tip home the puck, tying the game at one, and sending Delta Center into a frenzy.

While Schmaltz had assists in his past two games, he had gone without a goal in his past four games. He now has six in the season along with 22 assists for 28 points. Schmaltz is slowly starting to catch up to his normal scoring rate after having a disappointing start to the season.

Despite getting the goal, Schmaltz’s main focus was on his team’s play. He acknowledged it’s a tough league and it’s a long season that can change in an instant. He is just hoping Utah can get back to their winning ways soon.

“It’s a lot of ups and downs,” Schmaltz said. “You’ve got to be able to get out of it and stay even-keeled, not get too frustrated…Hopefully, we can get hot again.”

Karel Vejmelka Stays Hot

Despite being credited with the loss, Karel Vejmelka has still been one of Utah’s best players this season and Friday’s game was another example. Vejmelka faced a high-flying Avalanche team and didn’t give up a goal in the first half of the game.

The lone two goals that the Czech goaltender did give up were arguably not his fault as poor positioning from Utah’s defense let Artturi Lekhonen score two goals. The Avalanche are a difficult team to cover thanks to their speed and all-around offensive awareness. Nathan MacKinnon had three points on Friday which only helped the Avalanche topple Utah.

“He’s really tough to cover,” head coach André Tourigny said. “We did it by committee tonight. A lot of guys who played against him tried to be aware and on the D side of (the play) all the time.”

Vejmelka has been Utah’s bright spot in net this season. Connor Ingram wasn’t performing his best before getting injured and Jaxson Stauber hasn’t appeared in that many games this season. Despite having a losing record, Vejmelka has compiled a .918 save percentage and a 2.32 goals-against average stat this season.

Over the past couple of weeks, Vejmelka’s teammates have been asked about his play. Each time they have all said something along the lines of that Vejmelka kept Utah in the game. Friday night, Sergachev’s thoughts on the goaltender didn’t vary from his teammates’.

“He’s obviously unbelievable,” Sergachev said. “His stats show that. He comes in and gives us confidence every game. He’s not just stopping pucks, but playing the pucks well too. He’s huge and we love his game.”

Similar to the past couple of weeks, Vejmelka will more than likely get a majority of the starts on the upcoming road trip. Utah will need him to play his best throughout their four games away from the Delta Center as they take on some tough opponents.

Utah Loses Third Straight Game

After their extended point streak ended a couple of games ago, Utah has been in a slump. They’ve now lost their past three straight games and are still out of a playoff spot.

However, for fans, the worst part about Friday’s game is that it adds yet another loss to their home record which has not been good at all. Utah is 5-7-4 at home and hasn’t won a game in regulation since early November. Their three-game losing streak has all been games at home.

It becomes even more disappointing when you consider the fact that Utah fans have packed Delta Center for the past three games including selling out a Sunday afternoon game against the Anaheim Ducks and putting on quite a loud environment including thousands of rally towels during their game on Friday.

“We would love to be at the level of energy of our fans all the time,” Tourigny said. “I think the effort is there, the love is there. We need to find a way to just stay a little bit more composed and a little bit more even-keeled.”

Tourigny has said in the past that the team wants to win in front of fans. Unfortunately, the wins aren’t coming and the fans are getting impatient. It’s unclear if it’s a coincidence or simply just bad luck. Whatever it is, Utah will need to figure it out soon. While their next four games are on the road, their following seven games will be at Delta Center.

The Avalanche take the inaugural Rocky Mountain rivalry series with their win over Utah. The two have developed a hatred for each other and it was made clear when MacKinnon decided to drop his gloves with Barrett Hayton late in the second period. While playoffs are not a certainty for Utah this season, it would be fun to see a playoff series between these two teams.

Playoffs are starting to get in everyone’s minds. The Avalanche know that and to do their best to not just make the playoffs but try to win the Stanley Cup, they switched up their goaltending tandem on the fly, adding Mackenzie Blackwood and Scott Wedgewood. Early results have shown success and the Avalanche look deadly again. Tourigny knows their expectations and puts his team right there with them.

“They have the expectation to win the Stanley Cup,” Tourigny said. “We’re right there with them. We’re one shot away with them.”

Utah drops to 16-13-6 overall. They’ll now head on the road for a four-game trip. Their first game will be against the Seattle Kraken. The Kraken are 15-19-2 this season. While they dropped their latest game to the Avalanche by a score of 5-2, they’ll face the Vancouver Canucks before taking on Utah.