The Hat Trick: Utah Overwhelms Buffalo As Kesselring Records Gordie Howe Hat-Trick

Dec 7, 2024 , 2:44 PM | Updated: Dec 9, 2024, 7:32 pm

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COLE BAGLEY


Utah Hockey Club Insider

SALT LAKE CITY – After trailing in the first against the Buffalo Sabres, the Utah Hockey Club got back to their game in the remaining two periods enroute to a commanding victory. Featuring a Gordie Howe hat-trick from Michael Kesselring and 12 skaters recording a point against Buffalo, Utah started their two-game eastern road trip off strong with a 5-1 victory on Saturday afternoon.

Here are the key takeaways from Utah’s big win in Buffalo.

Utah Hockey Club thrives when the energy is high, the pucks moves, and bodies crash the net

The winning recipe for the Utah Hockey Club this season is no secret. When they come out flying, move the puck in the offensive zone and generate traffic with bodies crashing the net, they generally score goals and win games. But it’s not always that easy.

While they did have a strong start against Buffalo, and it appeared they had taken a 1-0 lead thanks to Nick Schmaltz, the goal was overturned, and Utah fell flat.

Throughout the remainder of the first period, Utah backed off, lacked consistent possession, were unable to generate a strong offensive zone presence, the energy dropped, and Buffalo cashed in.

But rather giving up, Utah responded with a strong second period, got back to their game and never looked back.

“When we play with that kind of a pace, when we play as well with the puck, we made a lot of good plays…we went at the net. So, create good offense. It started with a few rebound opportunities, that opened up the next play,” head coach Andre Tourigny said.

Nearly every one of their five goals against Buffalo was a result of high energy, getting bodies to the net, and moving the puck in the offensive zone. It’s also important to note that they kept their foot on the gas and refused to allow Buffalo back into the game.

“It’s always hard in those games when you get a few goal lead. You’ve got to stay mentally focused because that’s a team too. You give them a few chances, bang, bang, they’re right back in the game…so just keep managing the puck and play hard,” Michael Kesselring said.

Utah has a really talented roster and for the most part, their lines are pretty well balanced. While they each bring something a little different, all four lines are outfitted to play Utah’s brand of hockey. When that happens, they score goals and win hockey games.

The floodgates have opened for Nick Schmaltz and its resulting in wins

It was a rough go for Nick Schmaltz through the first quarter of the NHL season as he had zero goals on 49 shots in 23 games. Despite a number of grade A scoring chances, pucks were going wide, a goal was overturned, and he just could not find the back of the net.

However, over the last three games, Schmaltz has four goals on 11 shots and the floodgates have officially opened.

The biggest difference for Schmaltz over the last few games is that he’s simply getting puck to finally bounce his way, and his hard work is paying off.

Early on, it was consistently poor luck as shots went wide, rang off posts and goaltenders simply appeared to have his number. Luckily, things have changed and its resulting in victories.

Schmaltz’s production could not have come at a better time for the Utah Hockey Club. In the three games he’s scored, Utah has won twice and collectively outscored their opponents 12-3.

Utah has needed more of a response from their veterans. So, if Schmaltz can continue to keep his foot on the gas, it’s only going to result in more wins for the club.

Michael Kesselring is evolving into a very skilled two-way player for Utah Hockey Club

Stepping into his first full season with the Utah Hockey Club, defenseman Michael Kesselring has been developing rapidly on both ends of the ice.

Appearing in all 26 games this season, Kesselring has four goals, 10 assists, 14 points (5th on the team), 22 blocks, 34 hits and a team-high plus/minus of plus 11.

Despite a plethora of adversity with injuries to Sean Durzi, John Marino and Maveric Lamoureux, Kesselring has stepped up in a big way and proven he belongs in the NHL.

In addition to his composed and confident play in the defensive zone with such an impressive plus/minus, the 24-year-old defenseman has also consistently proven he can contribute offensively.

With an absolutely wicked and accurate wrist shot, a powerful slapshot, impressive patience and an ability to find his teammates for grade A scoring chances, it’s no surprise that Kesselring was able to record the first Gordie Howe hat-trick in franchise history (goal, assist, and a fight).

“Great job. [Kesselring] Scored a big goal. He skated well, skated the puck out of a trouble a few times. I like the fact that he did not try to complicate his game a lot,” Tourigny said about Kesselring’s game against Buffalo.

After being traded from Edmonton in 2023, Kesselring has been a diamond in the rough for the Utah Hockey Club.

The way that he’s responded to so much adversity in his first full season in the NHL has been impressive and it appears he’ll be a key building block for Utah’s blue line moving forward.

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Utah Hockey Schedule

The Utah Hockey Club will now travel to Philadelphia for the second half of a two-game Eastern road trip against the Flyers on Sunday 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. 

Cole Bagley is the Utah Hockey Club insider for KSL Sports. Keep up with him on X here. You can hear Cole break down the team on KSL Sports Zone and KSL 5 TV.

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