SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH - OCTOBER 19: Vladislav Kolyachonok #52 of the Utah Hockey Club shoots the puck over the glove of goaltender Jeremy Swayman #1 of the Boston Bruins during the third period of a game on October 19, 2024 at Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. (Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images)
(Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY – A Boston Bruin giveaway in the offensive zone was all Vladislav Kolyachonok needed to set up a backhander that tied the game 1-1 late in the third period.
What a shot, what a move! 🚨
KOLYACHONOK!!! pic.twitter.com/GN4KLyjIWO
— Utah Hockey Club (@utahhockeyclub) October 20, 2024
Utah had scoring chances all night, but pucks off the post, incredible goal-tending from Boston goalie Jeremy Swayman, and just plain bad luck had conspired to keep Utah HC off the scoreboard through more than two and a half periods of play.
Growing increasingly frantic, Utah got their chance when Kolyachonok stole the puck and raced in unimpeded for a back-handed, top-shelf goal.
It was Kolyachonok’s first goal of the season on the 29th shot for Utah. Utah HC was outshooting the Bruins, but Boston’s physicality has been a problem all night. The Bruins have 25 hits to just 10 for Utah.
Utah and Boston are even 1-1 with 2:44 left in regulation.
There’s no sugarcoating it. The Utah Hockey Club’s blue line has experienced some major setbacks and is already shorthanded early in the season. Not only is Marino’s injury worse than initially anticipated, but losing a player like Sean Durzi is not an easy fix. There’s no immediate solution to these injuries forr a team that invested so heavily in upgrading their D-core this offseasos.
Until the front office decides on a direction, the team’s current defensive pairings must dig a little deeper to remain competitive.
Get ready for @utahhockeyclub’s 2nd ever home game with tonight’s preview!
Then on the drive over, join the pregame show with @801AdrianDenny on @kslnewsradio 📻#UtahHC https://t.co/iXG8dHMEdo
— Mike Folta (@mike_folta) October 19, 2024
“Everybody giving a few more minutes of what they can do for the team. We all bring different stuff. It’s got to be by committee, it can’t just be one guy stepping up. Everybody’s going to have to be a little bit better, a little bit more consistent, so that’s kind of what we’re looking for,” Michael Kesselring told KSL Sports.
Like Kesselring said, it has to be a full-on group effort. Everyone is getting more minutes; lines are changing, and the depth is being heavily tested. For now, Kesselring has moved up to the top line with Mikhail Sergachev, Ian Cole is playing with Juuso Valimaki on the second line, and Robert Bortuzzo has joined Vladislav Kolyachonok on the third pairing.
Despite the changes and extra minutes, expectations are even higher for this group to play competitively.
“The big thing is the load management. The big thing is the number of minutes. Everybody takes more than they normally were planned to take…What’s important is the guys in the lineup must play to their full potential,” head coach André Tourigny said.
The game can be viewed on SEG+. Fans can also tune in on air on the KSL Sports APP or 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. Listen to Cole break down the team on KSL Sports Zone and KSL 5 TV.
Find KSLSports.com coverage of the Utah Hockey Club here.
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Brian Preece is a KSLsports.com insider covering Locals in MLB and Salt Lake Bees. Follow Brian’s Bees and Beehive baseball coverage here.
