Utah Hockey Club news: Mikhail Sergachev’s possible return, changes in the forward group, goaltender tandem

Utah Hockey Club is back in Salt Lake City for a four-game homestand as the fight for playoff positioning continues.

Here is a notebook on how the team is shaping up in the second-half push.

New combinations in the forward group

Head coach André Tourigny debuted some new forward lines during Tuesday’s practice at Utah’s Olympic Oval. He said he plans to stick with the combinations for Wednesday’s game against the Pittsburgh Penguins at Delta Center.

While the first line of Clayton Keller, Logan Cooley and Nick Schmaltz remained the same, the other three changed – namely moving Jack McBain to center on the third line between Michael Carcone and Lawson Crouse.

“I’ve always loved him in the middle. He’s reliable, really competitive, physical down low. He’s a real center for me,” Tourigny said.

McBain is a natural center but has been used on the left wing this season. Nick Bjugstad has occupied the pivot position on the third line for most of the season but was moved to play with Liam O’Brien and Kevin Stenlund on the fourth line in which Stenlund is the center.

“I’ve always played center so it’s good. I’ve played a lot with Carcone the last couple of years and with Crouse the last couple of games. I’m looking forward to it,” McBain said. “We haven’t been scoring, haven’t gotten the results we wanted to the last couple games so I think sometimes a change can help. Hopefully, it will give us a spark.”

McBain has 15 points (10 goals, five assists) through 49 games and has been somewhat of an unsung hero for Utah this season. While his offensive production has no doubt been positive, the commitment to his defensive game is what has made him so effective — and what helps at the center position. McBain also leads the team with 167 hits. Crouse is closest behind him with 98.

“I think a lot of it is more defensive when you’re at center. You have a lot more responsibility down low in your own zone. Obviously, the big thing is faceoffs,” McBain said. “I think it’s a lot more taxing — more skating, more responsibility defensively.”

While going through line rushes in practice on Tuesday, Alex Kerfoot slotted in on both the third line and second line of Matias Maccelli, Barrett Hayton and Josh Doan. He was in Maccelli’s spot on the left wing for a few rotations.

Hayton has driven play for his trio as of late and was named the NHL’s third star of the week on Monday with six points in his last four games. The forward has credited the hard work of 22-year-old Doan as something that has contributed to his success as of late.

Doan was recalled from the AHL’s Tucson Roadrunners earlier in January after Dylan Guenther was sidelined “indefinitely” with a lower-body injury. Doan has played nine games since rejoining the Club and posted three points (one goal, three assists) in that stretch.

“He’s been awesome,” Doan said of Hayton. “Playing with him you see it every game that he’s always in the right areas. He’s a guy that I try to look up to when I play — the way that he sees the ice, he’s never on the wrong side of pucks and always doing the right thing.”

While Doan was added as a fill-in for Guenther, he might have earned a permanent spot in the lineup. The implications of Guenther’s eventual return are ones Doan tries not to focus on.

“It’s one of those things where you come up and you just try to worry about your game, play your game and not focus on anything else. When we get Dylan back, we’re a better team as a group. My mindset is more on that than anything else,” Doan said.

Managing the goaltender tandem

Since Connor Ingram’s return earlier in January, Utah Hockey Club has had two experienced goaltenders to choose from. Karel Vejmelka carried the load while Ingram was away and now the two have been splitting the net.

“There’s no rotation. We go one game at a time who we think is the right guy for tonight,” Tourigny said. “It can be opponent, recent performance, communication with our goalie coach … related with past performance against certain teams.”

Vejmelka — who has a 2.47 goals against average and .912 save percentage through 30 games — started in two of Utah’s three games on last week’s road trip. He had a 26-save shutout against the Minnesota Wild and made 24 saves in Sunday’s 3-1 loss to the Ottawa Senators.

“I’m feeling pretty good. My body is feeling great and honestly, I would like to be playing every game because my body works the best [that way],” Vejmelka said. “But I am glad he is back and hopefully we are going to do a great job for our team and support each other.”

Ingram has started in four games since rejoining the team and has posted a .908 SV% during that time. The 27-year-old was in net for Friday’s 5-2 loss against the Winnipeg Jets and made 24 saves after backstopping the team to two wins at home.

“It’s good to be back. It was a long road back. It’s only a couple games, but hopefully it keeps going,” Ingram said. “Nothing changes whether you’re playing or not. Your routine doesn’t waver much. It doesn’t make a difference to us. Both of us just whatever we can do we will be there.”

Having two steady goaltenders who are ready and healthy to play is a position many NHL teams would envy. But there is something to say about consistency between the pipes that trickles down through the roster. If Tourigny doesn’t believe it’s a rotation, what is it? And is it sustainable for the rest of the season?

Blueline getting healthier, emergence of Nick DeSimone

Utah Hockey Club had 10 defensemen at practice on Tuesday. Granted, not all of them are fully healthy and available to play, but it’s a good sign for a team that has struggled with injuries on the backend for the entire season.

After missing Utah’s latest three-game road trip with an upper-body injury, Mikhail Sergachev was back with the team as a full participant at practice. Tourigny said Sergachev will be a game-time decision Wednesday against the Penguins.

Sergachev skated on the first pair with John Marino on Tuesday, and if he’s able to play, that will likely be the duo the Club sticks with. Marino was previously playing with Olli Määttä in Sergachev’s absence the last five games.

“Give him the puck a lot. Look for him in the O-zone, let him create the offense in the O-zone. If he’s left open he’s going to make the play, he’s that good of a player,” Marino said of playing with Sergachev. “Just trying to read off each other and do as best we can to defend.”

Robert Bortuzzo — who traveled and practiced with the Club during the road trip — was also at practice as he works back from a lower-body injury. Tourigny said the veteran is day-to-day. Sean Durzi skated in a non-contact jersey in his first session back with the team since undergoing shoulder surgery in October. Tourigny said Durzi will not be available before the 4 Nations Face-Off which starts in mid-February.

“He was messing up a couple drills out there. Looked a little rusty,” Marino joked of Durzi’s return.“It’s great to have him back. He’s a huge part of the team. Obviously brings the personality aspect to the room, too.”

With Sergachev presumably back, Tourigny put Määttä with DeSimone and kept Michael Kesselring and Ian Cole together. It appeared Juuso Välimäki and Vladislav Kolyachonok may be healthy scratches; Välimäki was skating with Bortuzzo who is not game-ready and Kolyachonok was with Durzi.

DeSimone has been the latest player to step up and fill the gap in the D-corps — and he’s done a good job at it. The 30-year-old was claimed off of waivers by Utah from the New Jersey Devils on Jan. 5 and has played in seven games since then, logging three assists.

“Just kind of knowing my job and my role. Come in and provide a steady presence, move pucks, defend hard and do whatever I can to help the team win when I’m given the opportunity,” DeSimone said. “I feel comfortable at this point. I think the first game you kind of thinking a lot and there’s different things going on. But then the more you play, the more you get adjusted to it. … Just kind of learning on the fly.”

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