SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH - OCTOBER 08: Mikhail Sergachev #98 of Utah Hockey Club skates against the Chicago Blackhawks at Delta Center on October 08, 2024 in Salt Lake City, Utah. This game is the first for the franchise in Utah following their relocation from Arizona. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
(Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY – In the second period against Las Vegas, Utah defenseman Mikhail Sergachev loaded up from long range and found the top right corner.
The goal was Sergachev’s fourth of the season and made the score 2-0.
🚨 Power play goal for Sergy! pic.twitter.com/0JHrqYNJGZ
— Utah Hockey Club (@utahhockeyclub) November 16, 2024
The first period was nothing short of dominant for Utah.
They won 86 percent of faceoffs and a Logan Cooley goal saw the first 20 minutes come to an end at 1-0.
RELATED: Logan Cooley Finds Top Shelf To Give Utah Lead Over Las Vegas In First Period
When they got on the power play in the second period, Sergachev called his own number to make it 2-0.
SERGACHEV WITH A LASER AND UTAH LEADS 2-0!!!#UtahHC
— Cole Bagley (@BagleyKSLsports) November 16, 2024
The goal was Utah’s first on the power play since October 30th against Calgary.
They held onto the two-score lead for over five minutes before Las Vegas finally found the back of the net to bring it back to a one-score game.
After a strong start to their inaugural season, the Utah Hockey Club has endured a significantly tough stretch.
Over nine games, the team was shut out three times, outscored 31-19, and posted a 2-5-2 record.
According to head coach Andre Tourigny, this difficult stretch has forced the team into a “solution mode” in an attempt to turn things around.
RELATED: Utah Hockey Club Sweaters Will Go On Sale Friday At Noon Ahead Of Vegas Matchup
Can’t wait to see these in the crowd tonight! pic.twitter.com/Vksa656CXS
— Utah Hockey Club (@utahhockeyclub) November 15, 2024
As one of Utah’s most seasoned veterans and someone who knows how to turn things around as a member of the 2016 Stanley Cup Champion Penguins roster who flipped a nightmare season into a dream, defenseman Ian Cole shared that Utah needs to look at it from every angle and be open to necessary changes.
“Along the way here, we need to continue to make changes and be mature about it and say hey, this is what worked, this is what didn’t work, we’re going to continue to do this, we’re going to change this, and we’re going to improve this,” Cole said regarding the situation.
“We need to take a step back, try to look at it as objectively as we can. I mean, some of the underlying numbers are really good, some of them aren’t good enough. So, what do we need to fix, what do we need to change, what do we keep the same, what do we improve on? These are all questions we’re trying to systematically answer and move forward.” he added.
