Utah Hockey Club spent big on defense, but the team’s blueline is suddenly very thin

Utah Hockey Club entered Wednesday’s matchup against the Anaheim Ducks with a challenge.

The team was without defenseman Sean Durzi who exited Monday’s game against the New Jersey Devils with an upper-body injury. Things did not get easier for Utah who went back to skating with five defensemen in the third period after Robert Bortuzzo left the game.

“You cannot replace those guys. What you have to do is do what you do best for longer,” head coach André Tourigny said. “Everybody has to be a little bit more consistent.”

While the Hockey Club was able to take the West Coast contest to overtime, it ultimately fell 5-4 following Leo Carlsson’s game-winning goal less than a minute into the five-minute, 3-on-3 period at Honda Center.

Bortuzzo was inserted into the lineup as the sixth defenseman in his first game with Utah and was on the third pair with Vladislav Kolyachonok. However, the veteran headed to the locker room at 3:04 of the final frame and did not return. Anaheim’s Mason McTavish tripped over Bortuzzo who was down blocking a shot, and it looked like his skate caught the Utah defenseman’s leg.

For the second consecutive game, Utah’s backend had to step up, log extra minutes and play on offsides to fill the hole until the final buzzer. Mikhail Sergachev — who manned the first pair — finished the night with 27:53 of total ice time and four blocked shots. Ian Cole also had four blocked shots and 24:46 on the ice.

“It’s just the next-man-up mentality. We’re confident in what we have back there. It’s a chance for a few guys to step up, chew a few more minutes here and there,” Bortuzzo said. “I think if you come together as a team, or in this case a D-corps, you’ll have success.”

Utah recalled Patrik Koch from the AHL’s Tucson Roadrunners to have as a seventh defenseman option. After losing two blueliners in two games, he may be used earlier than anticipated.

A D-corps that once looked deep after offseason acquisitions is suddenly the shallowest piece of Utah’s team. Durzi — an offensive defenseman who plays in all situations and is a key piece to Utah’s special teams — is a tough loss. As is Bortuzzo’s experience. What’s more, Utah has yet to see defenseman John Marino on the ice; he remains week to week with injury.

Tourigny said he did not have updates on Durzi or Bortuzzo’s statuses.

Despite the thinned backend, the Hockey Club’s scoring has kept it in games.

On Wednesday, Troy Terry gave Anaheim an early first-period advantage with a snapshot at 4:40 to make it 1-0, but Utah’s Jack McBain and Barrett Hayton responded to put their team up 2-1 by the end of the stanza.

McBain’s second goal of the season came on a tip-in shot to tie things 1-1 at 8:54. Sergachev saw the forward in front of the net and sauced the puck towards the crease where McBain got a stick on it to deflect into the net.

“[McBain] played rock solid. What I like about [McBain] is when the moment’s raised, he raises his game as well,” Tourigny said. “He’s a guy that has a lot of grit, a lot of pushback, a lot of character. He’s important for us.”

Utah claimed its first lead of the night on the power play while the first unit was cycling. Nick Schmaltz drove the puck to the net and forced a shot that was stopped by Anaheim goaltender Lukas Dostal, but Hayton was there to bury the rebound at 13:25.

The Ducks took over in the second period with goals from Robby Fabbri and Pavel Mintyukov to make it 3-2.

“I thought we were solid at times, we just made a few mistakes,” Utah defenseman Michael Kesselring said. “They’re a good team on the rush, we had to limit them a little bit more, but at least we got one point out of it and we battled all game.”

The Hockey Club had to defend a 5-on-3 Anaheim power play in the third period and caught the Ducks on a change as the penalty expired. McBain sprung the puck to Kesselring in the high slot off the rush to wrist home. The defenseman’s first goal of the season tied the game 3-3 at 5:21.

Clayton Keller’s backhand shot — dished to him by Schmaltz — gave Utah a 4-3 lead at 10:50. The tally was the captain’s seventh point and fourth goal in five games. However, Anaheim’s Mintyukov found the 4-4 equalizer at 14:55 with his second of the night to force overtime in which Carlsson secured the 5-4 victory.

Utah closed out its four-game road trip in Anaheim and collected five out of the eight points available.

“I think they fought really hard. I really like our battle, our competitiveness,” Tourigny said. “I think all in all, there’s a lot of positives.”