3 Takeaways From Utah’s 5-2 Win Over Sabres

After a 7-1 loss to the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday, there was no other option other than winning on Thursday for the Utah Hockey Club. It might’ve been a bit dramatic, but Utah pulled off a 5-2 win over the Buffalo Sabres to keep their spot in the wild-card hunt in the Western Conference and also regain a little bit of confidence and respect back after Tuesday’s game. Here are some takeaways from Thursday’s game.

Mikhail Sergachev Continues Strong Season

Across the league, there have been many defensemen having strong seasons. Zach Werenski has been an anchor for the Columbus Blue Jackets, helping them contend in the wild card race when no one predicted they would be there. Cale Makar once again has been one of the best defensemen in the league for the Colorado Avalanche. Quinn Hughes is in contention for the Norris Trophy on the Vancouver Canucks. However, Mikhail Sergachev is having an underrated season in Utah.

Looking at his offensive stats first, Sergachev currently has 45 points in 64 games this season. It is the second-highest amount of points he’s put up in a single season, only behind his impressive 2022-23 season. In the 64 games he’s played this season, he has 13 goals, which is the most he’s ever tallied in his career. Thursday’s game helped him reach that lucky number.

During the second period, Jack McBain won a faceoff in the Sabres zone and the puck went back to Sergachev. He danced with it on the blue line for a second and then flung a shot that got through a bunch of traffic and into the back of the net. 

At the end of the third period with Utah up 4-2, the Sabres received a power play. After getting a shot off on Karel Vejmelka to try to enter the zone, Vejmelka quickly passed it to Sergachev who flung it all the way to the other side of the ice into an empty net. It was Sergachev’s second goal of the game.

Two more goals for Sergachev is great. His offensive totals look even better as they continue to rise. However, he isn’t doing much different than he has in his past couple of seasons. He’s more focused on Utah’s collective success anyway.

“I shoot more, I think,” Sergachev said. “It means nothing to me.”

Sergachev is right. His shot percentage is 11.7 which is the highest by far of his career. His average ice time is also higher than most seasons, sitting at 25:21, which also plays into why he’s been able to get more time to shoot and score.

There’s a reason why Sergachev is more concerned about Utah’s collective success and that’s because he’s a leader. He cares more about the team than his individual success. He’s also more concerned about his defensive play as a defenseman. 

When Utah acquired Sergachev, everyone knew how important he would be for the team’s blue line, which had struggled in Arizona. However, no one really mentioned how important he would be as a leader in the locker room. He’s won two Stanley Cups in his career, but he has the drive like he still hasn’t won one. It’s exactly what Utah needs around their youth. It’s just an under-the-radar part of one of Sergachev’s best seasons in his career.

An Explosive Third Period

The Sabres were keeping it pretty close with Utah throughout the first two periods. After Ryan McLeod scored early in the third, it seemed like it would be a nail-biter until the end. However, near the end of the period, Utah’s offense came alive.

Utah got the puck to the front of the net where Barrett Hayton tried whacking it past James Reimer. The puck got away from them and onto the stick of Dylan Guenther, who sniped it home. The goal was his 25th of the season and also the eventual game-winner. Coincidentally enough, Utah is 18-0-1 this season when Guenther scores. He laughed when both of those stats were mentioned, calling it lucky.

“That’s pretty cool, maybe a bit of a coincidence too, just getting lucky on some of them,” Guenther said. “Those are the times of the game that you want to play in. Those are the fun times. So, it’s nice to be recognized.”

With the Sabres’ net empty due to a delayed penalty in the final two minutes of the game, the team tried getting some pressure on Vejmelka in an attempt to tie things up. Tage Thompson passed the puck back to his blue line, but the pass was too hard, and it went all the way back into their own zone and into their own net.

It’s not common for a team to score into their own net for obvious reasons. Funny enough, this is the second straight season where Utah has witnessed an own goal. Last season in Arizona, Kris Letang tried passing the puck backward to Evgeni Malkin on a delayed penalty, but the pass missed and ended up going into the Pittsburgh Penguins’ own net.