Columbus, Ohio • There was a common phrase used by Utah Hockey Club on Thursday night.
“We found a way to win,” head coach André Tourigny, Dylan Guenther and Josh Doan all said following the team’s 3-2 overtime victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets at Nationwide Arena.
It was Guenther again who secured the two points for Utah with his second overtime, game-winning goal in as many games. The forward missed nearly a month due to a lower-body injury and has logged three points (two goals, one assist) in his first two games back in the lineup.
After a back-and-forth affair through regulation, Guenther ended it with just over 30 seconds left in the 3-on-3, five-minute period.
Connor Ingram came out of the net to defend against Columbus’ rush and rocketed the puck off the boards and up the ice. Guenther gathered it at the offensive blueline, got an initial shot off which was stopped and then tapped in his own rebound for the final 3-2 scoreline. Ingram got an assist on the play and made 20 saves on the night.
“Once I saw Ingy got it, I kind of figured he was gonna shoot it,” Guenther said. “I didn’t even really see it, I just started skating and it landed right on my stick. Got a little bit lucky that it came back to me, but we’ll take it.”
Despite Utah out-chancing the Blue Jackets in the first, it left the period trailing 1-0. Justin Danforth put Columbus ahead after the puck bounced out to the front of the net from a battle along the boards. The forward knocked it past Ingram from the left doorstep at 5:51.
Lawson Crouse found the equalizer in the second period. The goal carried a bit more weight. The associate captain was back in the lineup after being a healthy scratch Tuesday against the Philadelphia Flyers and knew he needed a noticeable response.
That he provided.
(Bethany Baker | The Salt Lake Tribune) Utah Hockey Club left wing Lawson Crouse (67) brings the puck down the ice during the third period of the game at Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Friday, Nov. 15, 2024.
Thanks to a pesky forecheck from Josh Doan, Utah kept the puck in the zone. Michael Kesselring found Doan down low where the 23-year-old patiently held the puck before hitting Crouse in the slot to one-time it home for the 1-1 score at 2:06. It was Crouse’s eighth goal of the season and first since Jan. 23.
Doan could’ve tried to jam the puck in on the play. But he didn’t. It is the type of maturity Utah hoped he would continue to gain during his time in the AHL earlier this season.
“Something I’ve been working on is looking for the extra option. There’s a chance that you can just stuff it and hope for the best,” Doan said. “But there are certain times where you have to look around and see if you’ve got other options to upgrade your percentage of putting the puck in the net and that was one. I think that’s something that a lot of our development staff and coach have worked with me through the last little bit.”
Doan was recalled from the Tucson Roadrunners on Jan. 1 as Guenther was ruled out indefinitely with a lower-body injury. However, even as Guenther has returned, the forward has maintained his spot in the lineup, and regulars — like Crouse and Matias Maccelli — have been on the outside instead.
“It is nice to have that internal competition and have a little bit of a feeling that you have to play well no matter what. I think it’s driving us a little bit right now,” Doan said.
In his 14 games back in the NHL, Doan has logged four points (one goal, three assists), but his impact has been felt in all three zones. The defensive, gritty and physical nature of Doan’s play has opened up opportunities for his linemates and made Utah a tougher team to compete against.
(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) Utah Hockey Club right wing Josh Doan (91) in NHL action between the Utah Hockey Club and the San Jose Sharks, at the Delta Center, on Friday, Jan 10, 2025.
“It’s his strength. I think he’s heavy on the puck and he wins battles. He has such a great hockey sense,” Tourigny said. “He’s a young guy. He’s still growing and finding his way. I like the process, I like the growth. He’s a hockey mind. He’s a hockey player.”
Utah earned its first advantage of the night off a goal from Olli Määttä. The defenseman picked up a pass that Nick Bjugstad dished across the zone and proceeded to throw it on net from a low angle. With bodies in the crease, the puck deflected off the Blue Jackets’ Zach Werenski and in to make it 2-1 at 12:33.
The Club was put on the power play to close out the middle frame but it was Columbus that benefited. Werenski sprung the puck out of the zone and up ice to Ivan Provorov, who sped toward Utah’s net and released a short-handed snapshot off the rush that beat Ingram and tied the game 2-2 at 19:21, ultimately forcing overtime.
(Matt Krohn | AP) Utah Hockey Club right wing Dylan Guenther (11) is congratulated for his goal against the Minnesota Wild during the first period of an NHL hockey game Friday, Dec. 20, 2024, in St. Paul, Minn.
Guenther’s ensuing goal put Utah on a two-game win streak as it heads into back-to-back matchups against the Carolina Hurricanes and Washington Capitals before the 4-Nations Face Off break.
“I don’t think that we played our best today and we found a way to win. When you’re in those situations more often I think you get more comfortable and more confident,” Guenther said. “We’re going to be in a lot of those moving forward so it’s important for us to get some wins doing it like that.”
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