It is hard to win a game in the NHL without competing for a full 60 minutes.
Utah Hockey Club proved this true in Sunday night’s 3-2 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs at Scotiabank Arena in which a slow and sloppy second period made moot of the team’s stronger showings in the first and third.
Four penalties taken and three goals from the Maple Leafs in the middle frame made the final 20 minutes of play harder than they had to be for Utah. While Jack McBain pulled his team within striking distance and Karel Vejmelka posted 32 saves, Utah was unable to complete the comeback and has yet to win consecutive games since the first week of the season.
“Back-to-back games are tough, but no excuse,” McBain said. “Our first and third period were great but let off the gas a bit in the second and it cost us.”
Despite playing in its first back-to-back game of the season, Utah had pace and energy in the first period after coming off a 6-1 win against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday night. Utah’s power-play success carried over and the team scored its fourth goal on the man advantage in two games during Sunday’s first period in Toronto.
The first unit cycled the puck well around the zone and opened up space before Dylan Guenther launched a shot toward the net from the left circle. Logan Cooley was stationed in front and tipped the puck in for the 1-0 lead at 17:48 and his fourth goal of the season. With his assist on the play, Guenther now has four points (two goals, two assists) in the last two games.
The Maple Leafs took over in the second period, partially because Utah let them.
“Our game management, our game in the game, cost us a lot today,” head coach André Tourigny said. “From bad changes to getting penalty trouble — that kind of stuff, it costs you at some point.”
Mitch Marner potted the 1-1 equalizer at 5:15 off a breakaway; Utah was caught behind the play and got beat to its own net. Marner scored his second of the night just over four minutes later while on the power play and William Nylander followed it up with a backhanded shot at 10:50 to make it 3-1 following a Utah turnover at the offensive blueline.
Utah took four penalties in the second period, limiting its 5-on-5 opportunities. Toronto unleashed 16 shots on goal while Utah had just six.
Rookie defenseman Maveric Lamoureux logged two penalties before the third period started, marking five in the last two games. Utah’s youth is glaring at times, but the penalty kill came up strong.
“It’s a big issue. You get on the road and you repeat the same mistake, the same guys, stick penalty and that kind of stuff. That’s tough,” Tourigny said.
McBain brought Utah within one to open the third period. The 6-foot-4 forward forced his way into the shooting lane in front of the net where he deflected in Cooley’s shot from the point for the 3-2 scoreline at 1:51. McBain has seven goals on the season, including four in his last six games. With the tally, McBain passed captain Clayton Keller for second-most goals for Utah.
Utah Hockey Club's Jack McBain (22) returns to the bench after scoring during the first period of an NHL hockey game against the Pittsburgh Penguins, Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
Utah pushed for the remainder of the final stanza — including some high-danger opportunities in the dwindling minutes while skating 6-on-5 — but could not force overtime.
“I think we showed a lot of resilience in the third,” McBain said. “I thought we played really well and dominated in the third. Too bad we couldn’t get it done, but a lot to build on.”
The narrative is getting somewhat repetitive at this point: Utah needed one of its core players to step up with the killer goal, but no one did. Nonetheless, the group has to be happy with the production of its younger forwards who have begun to carry the scoring load as of late.
Cooley, Guenther and McBain combined for four points against the Maple Leafs after posting a cumulative six points against the Penguins the night before. The consistency and chemistry of that line is a positive for Utah — especially in the long term — but the team needs more from everyone to win in the present.
Utah will close out its four-game road trip and look for a three-period effort Tuesday night against the Montreal Canadiens at Bell Centre.
