Logan Cooley #92 of the Utah Hockey Club celebrates a goal during the second period of a game against the Anaheim Ducks at Delta Center on December 22, 2024 in Salt Lake City, Utah. (Photo by Alex Goodlett/Getty Images)
(Photo by Alex Goodlett/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY – Despite going toe-to-toe with the reigning Stanley Cup Champions for most of the night, the Utah Hockey Club dropped yet another close game at the Delta Center. While the Panthers physicality ultimately proved to be too much, Utah continued to show progress as they battled one of the NHL’s very best till the final horn.
Here are the key takeaways from Utah’s 4-1 loss to the Florida Panthers.
For the last six to eight weeks, Logan Cooley has simply been on another level as he’s dazzled fans with his remarkable talent.
In addition to tallying his 11th goal of the season against the Panthers, Cooley continued to demonstrate just how skilled and crafty he can be with the puck.
“I think you learn a little bit each year. Last year, (I had) a lot of ups and downs. This year, I feel a lot more steady. Obviously, some ups and downs still. It’s a long year; you’re going to go through some challenges. For me, confidence is a big thing—and I’m having that right now,” Cooley said.
Logan Cooley on how his game has progressed this year: “Last year was a lot of ups and downs. This year I feel a lot more steady…for me, I think confidence is a big thing and I’m having that right now.”
2023-24: 44 pts in 82 games
2025-25: 34 points in 40 games📈📈📈 pic.twitter.com/YL4xVfbhkE
— Cole Bagley (@BagleyKSLsports) January 9, 2025
Following the midway point of the second period, Cooley attempted a jaw dropping backhander between his legs after spinning away from the defensemen that had everybody fooled.
Unfortunately, it went wide but was still absolutely brilliant.
Unreal attempt from Cooley here.
Spins and tries to go between the legs with his back to the net???
Goal of the year if that would’ve gone in.#UtahHCpic.twitter.com/zlHihmp6t5
— Cole Bagley (@BagleyKSLsports) January 9, 2025
As for his goal, it was also a stroke of brilliance as he netted a no-looker past Sergei Bobrovsky to bring Utah within one.
Celly game Cool 🥶 https://t.co/eoVmA82KKC pic.twitter.com/681vKwmeJz
— NHL (@NHL) January 9, 2025
Cooley simply has that killer hockey instinct written in his DNA.
He’s fast, assertive, aggressive, crafty, smart and is able manipulate the puck in ways that others can’t.
He’s also a very balanced player who can be relied upon in the defensive end and contributes on the PK.
“He’s obviously a special player. He can make really good plays all over the ice. I think his 200-foot game has come a long way. He’s still so young; it’s crazy to think about. To be able to do what he’s doing at that age is pretty impressive,” Jack McBain said.
Like McBain pointed out, the craziest part about Cooley is that he’s so young and there’s still so much room to grow for No. 92.
If he can continue to develop like he has this season, Utah may have a future star in their arsenal that could help lead this team to new heights.
After lifting Lord Stanley last summer, the Florida Panthers established themselves as arguably the most physical team in the National Hockey League.
Night after night, the Panthers are simply a relentless, punch you in the mouth, steal your lunch money type of bully.
Against Utah, they brought that same energy and eventually it was too much for the home team despite a commendable effort.
“For us, you look at the growth of the team. You look at where we were last year in that kind of a game. Against them, we got pushed around a little bit…We didn’t get pushed last year physically, but we got pushed emotionally, we got pushed mentally,” Head coach Andre Tourigny said.
“We were all over the place from the emotion, the physicality. But not this time. We stayed level and went toe to toe with them in that sense.”
While the hockey club did a great job at matching Florida’s intensity and physicality through the first period with nearly an even number of hits, Florida remained overly physical, and it wore Utah down in key moments.
Reino PPGs are our favorite 😺 pic.twitter.com/B3dP4GyTgy
— Florida Panthers (@FlaPanthers) January 9, 2025
FINDING THE SPACE 💪 pic.twitter.com/OItyjmYniL
— Florida Panthers (@FlaPanthers) January 9, 2025
Both of the Panther’s goals were simply a direct result of their relentless energy and an aggressive forecheck.
While Utah had chances to clear, they simply could not get the puck out of their own zone as the Panthers applied suffocating pressure and made them pay.
Florida is starting to suffocate Utah a bit right now.
The club cannot get out of their own end aside from icing the puck.
Panthers forecheck is brutal right now. Just non-stop and Utah is struggling to respond.
2P: 10:12 | 1-0 Florida
— Cole Bagley (@BagleyKSLsports) January 9, 2025
So, despite a valiant effort and more composure than in years past, the Panthers were still able to assert themselves physically and Utah couldn’t quite keep up for all 60 minutes.
Hosting the reigning Stanely Cup Champions is no simple task for any team in the NHL, especially considering the brand of hockey the Florida Panthers play.
Related: How The Florida Panthers Stanley Cup Impacted Utah Hockey Club
While the final score may have read 4-1, it was another one-shot game that Utah was in but narrowly lost.
So, where exactly is the silver lining? How does a team continue to have these kinds of results and find positives?
Well, it starts by understanding where the team is at and noticing how much closer they’re getting in these situations.
“I think we’re in it all night. We were managing the puck the right way. Obviously, (Florida is) a team that has won in the past. They don’t give you much. They play the right way the whole game. It seems like there’s always a guy in your face,” Cooley said.
“I think we managed the game pretty well until the end. I think that we’re in it with these teams; Dallas, Florida. The goals are going to start to come; I just think we’ve got to stay positive.”
Cooley’s assessment of the loss: “We were in it all night. We were managing the puck the right way. They’re a team that’s won in the past…they play the right way the whole game…we’re in it with these teams like Dallas, Florida. The goals are going to start to come…”#UtahHC pic.twitter.com/DHMHehzQIq
— Cole Bagley (@BagleyKSLsports) January 9, 2025
This team is still in a learning mode.
They’re not going to win a Stanley Cup this season and while a playoff berth is still a possibility, the most important thing this team can do is learn from their mistakes.
“We’ve been in there with all the teams,” Jack McBain said. “I think we’re playing good enough to win. It’s just that sometimes it doesn’t happen for you. The result is frustrating, but I think there’s a lot of good things that you can take out of each game and learn from.”
This is the process of rebuilding in the NHL.
When you hit the reset button, it takes time. It also generally takes some painful years before transitioning to true development years and then eventually competing.
So, while it might seem like the same story a lot of nights, that’s simply where this team is at and everybody in the organization is aware of it.
They’re striving for greatness and want to win but nobody is expecting it to happen overnight.
For now, they’ll continue to learn, grow, develop and inch closer towards the elite teams, even if that means losing a lot of close games.
The Utah Hockey Club will host the San Jose Sharks on Friday night. The game can be viewed on SEG+. Fans can also tune in on air on the KSL Sports APP or on 97.5 and 1280 The Zone. Click here for the full schedule.
