Utah HC Loses First Game In History To New Jersey Devils – Hockey Writers – Utah Hockey Club

Utah had to lose at some point this season. Although it took them until the fourth game of the season to lose their first game in history, it was the talented New Jersey Devils who shut them out 3-0. Although there are things you can learn from a loss, a road trip to the eastern seaboard can be labeled as a success. Here are some takeaways from Monday afternoon's game.

Utah HC's Special Teams Was Wrong

In a complete reversal of Saturday's game, Utah's power play and penalty kill didn't look good. It was a sudden change from the incredible special teams look from the game against the New York Rangers.

Playing with intensity, the team was not as prepared as they were on Saturday. Yes, the Devils defense looked very good offensively and defensively. Seamus Casey produced two points in the victory. However, Utah not only failed to bring the pressure they did on Saturday, but they also failed to get a shot from Jake Allen on the power play.

It wasn't just a power play where the offense wasn't great. Most of Utah's shots were easy saves. The Devils easily outshot Utah 33-20 and despite a few chances including one in the first half where Allen didn't save a chance from Utah, it wasn't the team we've seen in the last three games.

Returning to special teams, Utah's penalties hampered them as well. The defense was poorly positioned on many power play opportunities allowing the Devils to dominate and control the game. Two of the Devils' three goals came on the power play, including Nico Hischier's third-period goal that you could see coming from a distance.

A clear problem was the number of penalties taken by Utah. The Devils had seven power play opportunities. If you look at the fines, there are some that you don't notice. Another highlight is the small multi-man ice bench. Fans who have been following this team for a while know that it is a standard penalty to take. It has been one of the criticisms so far in coach Andre Tourigny's career but it is something that needs to be fixed.

One of Utah's flaws so far this season has been the amount of penalties they've had. They are currently one of the most penalized teams in the league and could be a major weakness going forward. Yes, the penalty kill needs to improve but the main thing that needs to happen is to reduce the number of careless penalties the team takes. Moving on to the next game, it's something Utah needs to fix in order to be the best team they can be.

Karel Vejmelka Looked Great in Season Debut

Although not many players had a good game against the Devils, Karel Vejmelka looked the star. After Connor Ingram started Utah's first three games, Vejmelka made his season debut on Monday. The Czech goalkeeper made 30 saves against a highly skilled Devils side.

Despite taking the loss, Vejmelka posted a .909 save percentage and helped kill five of the Devils' seven power plays. It was a good sign for the goaltender who struggled with points last season which eventually led to Ingram getting the starting spot late in the season.

If Vejmelka can play at the level she did Monday through the rest of the season, Utah could have a two-headed monster in net this year. Ingram, like Vejmelka, has looked good so far this season. Combined with an improved defense, especially with John Marino returning from injury, scoring against Utah could be a tough task for opponents this season.

Best Road Trip so far

Despite the loss to the Devils, it was Utah's best start to the season. A 3-1-0 start isn't bad at all, especially when you look at the last three games against opponents that have played in the playoffs the past two seasons. Compared to last season's trip to the east coast, the team managed to get one more win than last season's team.

Despite some issues that have come up over the past four games including a potential injury to Sean Durzi that could be a concern, the team has looked good and many players are still starting work including NHL First Star of the Week Dylan Guenther. and Barrett Hayton. However, there are 79 games left in the season to try and win. While the road trip has been successful thus far, Utah will quickly look to its next set of games to try to quickly take the lead in the Central Division.

One game remains on the road trip as Utah heads to the other side of the country to play the Anaheim Ducks on Wednesday. The Ducks are 1-1-0 so far this season and are coming off a 3-1 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights.