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Jusso Valimaki, Utah Hockey Club (Jess Starr/The Hockey Writers)

3 Takeaways From Utah’s 4-2 Win Over Flyers

Originally posted on The Hockey Writers
By Chase Beardsley | Last updated Dec 9, 2024 11:10 AM ET

Sunday night’s game against the Philadelphia Flyers capped off the Utah Hockey Club’s road trip, which arguably has been one of their best in franchise history. Many players on Utah played excellent once again as they took down the Flyers 4-2. However, it was a complete team effort that really got them the win. Here are some takeaways from Sunday’s win.

Jaxson Stauber Shines

Jaxson Stauber has found success at almost every level he’s played at. He put up a save percentage (SV%) higher than .915 in the three seasons he played in the NCAA. In the American Hockey League (AHL), he became the first-ever goaltender to score a goal and record a shutout in the same game. Now, in the NHL, Stauber has won his first two games with the Utah Hockey Club and has dominated in his short tenure in the best hockey league in the world.

Like his shutout win against the Vegas Golden Knights a couple of weeks ago, Stauber looked poised in his game against the Flyers. He made a bunch of crucial saves and stopped 22 of the 24 shots he faced.

Stauber’s NHL career so far has been nothing short of impressive. This season, he’s won both of the games he’s appeared in, only allowing two goals in total. In his whole career, he has won seven of the eight games he’s started, has a .922 SV%, and a 2.36 goals-against average (GAA). These stats have put him in NHL history. He’s now tied with Spencer Knight, Igor Shesterkin, and a couple of other players for second place for most wins through his first eight career appearances in the NHL. Martin Jones and Bob Froese lead the way with eight wins.

The Flyers aren’t a bad team either. Their penalty kill has been very good this season and they have a lot of young talent that makes up their roster. However, thanks to a great overall game, including Stauber’s performance in net, Utah was able to secure the win.

“They have an elite PK,” head coach André Tourigny said. “We score a big goal on the power play, and they generate as well on their PK, and we did a good job against that. Our PK was really solid. Our goalie did a really good job. I like our game.”

If Stauber keeps playing the way he has, he could snag a permanent spot with Utah, making them roll with him and Karel Vejmelka (who has also been excellent in his appearances) as the two goaltenders. It would also force Utah to make a tough decision with Connor Ingram who hasn’t been good. Either way, Stauber continues to grab the league’s attention with his terrific play.

Juuso Välimäki Gets His Goal

There have been a couple of Utah players who haven’t had the best of luck so far this season. Nick Schmaltz went 20-plus games without a goal. Michael Carcone was rotating in and out of the lineup due to his play. Juuso Välimäki has been one of those players who also hasn’t been doing great. In his first 20 games, Välimäki really struggled, only putting up one point, not doing great defensively, and ending up being healthy scratched a couple of times.

Välimäki hadn’t been scratched for a couple of games but he needed to make a good impression sooner or later. That came in the form of Utah’s second goal. Mikhail Sergachev was able to blast a shot from the blue line to have Välimäki tip it near the front of the net. The puck ended up going in and the Finnish defenseman finally had his first goal of the season.

“It felt pretty good,” Välimäki said. “It took a little too long but better late than never.”

It’s not common to see a defenseman tip a shot in front of the net but Välimäki has the habit of going there, seeking to get a rebound or a tip. This had displeased Tourigny which had gotten Välimäki scratched a couple of times. However, after Sunday’s game, he had nothing but good things to say about his defenseman.

“He’s playing good for us lately,” Tourigny said. “He’s making good plays and he’s creating movement in the O-zone. That’s the way he got there and got a stick on that puck.”

This caps off a great week for Välimäki. He was also named to Team Finland for the upcoming 4 Nations Face-Off. It’s good to see Välimäki back on track and playing good hockey again. With the Arizona Coyotes in the past two seasons, he was a vital part of their blue line. Now Utah is hoping he can do exactly that for them this season.

Utah (Finally) Wins Back-to-Back Games

Yes, you read that correctly. The last time Utah had won back-to-back games was during their three-game winning streak that kicked off their inaugural season. Since October, they hadn’t won two or more games in a row.

Utah’s games in Buffalo and Philadelphia were massive for them. Not only do they fly back to Salt Lake City with four points but they also come back with more confidence and as a better looking team. In their past six games, Utah is 4-1-1. Their offense has excelled as everyone is now scoring. Kevin Stenlund scored back-to-back goals on the road trip, Logan Cooley and his line have kept being an offensive threat, and now even the blue line is scoring consistently.

“It was a huge road trip for us,” Keller said. “Two good efforts. I thought we stuck to the game plan most of the game. Lots of ups and downs tonight. But proud of the guys and the way we fought. I think we did a good job.”

Not only has Utah finally won back-to-back games again but they are also above .500 for the first time since early November. They now sit with a 12-11-4 record with 28 points and currently hold the fifth spot in the Central Division. While there’s still some road to make up as they try to inch closer to the Western Conference’s wild card spots, it has been a great couple of weeks for Utah as they continue to find and play their best hockey.

Utah’s next matchup will be a big one for them. They’ll head home and face off against their division rivals: the Minnesota Wild. The Wild have been one of the best teams in hockey, sitting on top of the Central Division with an 18-5-4 record. They are coming off a 4-1 loss to the LA Kings.