Clayton Keller #9 of the Utah Hockey Club moves the puck through the neutral zone during the second period of a game against the Dallas Stars at Delta Center on December 02, 2024 in Salt Lake City, Utah. (Photo by Alex Goodlett/Getty Images)
(Photo by Alex Goodlett/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY – Despite surrendering their third consecutive loss to the Stars this season, the Utah Hockey Club played nearly a complete game as they consistently responded and took Dallas to overtime.
While they ultimately came up short, there were a plethora of positives as Matias Maccelli had his best game of the season with two goals and the club emerged with a point.
Here are the key takeaways from Utah’s OT loss in Dallas.
For weeks the Utah Hockey Club’s third line was in a significant slump as they struggled to score and couldn’t find any answers for their lack of production.
However, since the return of Liam O’Brien to the lineup over the last three games, that line has looked rejuvenated and arguably been Utah’s best trio.
O’Brien isn’t flashy but adding him to the third line over the last few games has greatly lifted their energy & ability to put pressure on other teams.
Collectively, they’re so much more physical & have been trapping teams with their aggressive forecheck.
They look rejuvenated.
— Cole Bagley (@BagleyKSLsports) January 5, 2025
O’Brien is not a flashy player by any means but what he does well is play with a relentless energy that becomes contagious.
He suffocates the opposition with his aggressive forecheck, finishes checks hard, battles in front of the net, and sets a completely different tone for the team.
According to Lawson Crouse, he’s even provided some things that Utah has been lacking.
“He plays a physical game & a hardworking game…For me that’s great to play with…He loves to get in on the forecheck…It was great to play with OB. He brings a lot to our team that is missing,” Crouse said.
Crouse on Liam O’Brien: “He plays a physical game & a hardworking game…For me that’s great to play with…He loves to get in on the forecheck…It was great to play with OB. He brings a lot to our team that is missing.”#UtahHC pic.twitter.com/SrhWaFrMAQ
— Cole Bagley (@BagleyKSLsports) January 4, 2025
Against the Stars, the third line was buzzing again as they continuously trapped Dallas in their own zone, created dangerous opportunities and even helped Matias Maccelli score his first goal since November 7.
Great zone entry and perfect passing from Crouse, Bjugstad, and Maccelli.
That one had to feel good as the trio finally connected for a big goal.
1-1 in Dallas. https://t.co/gNyiMVN7Zd
— Cole Bagley (@BagleyKSLsports) January 5, 2025
With Maccelli still on the ice amidst a forward line change, Utah crafted a perfect zone entry with tic-tac-toe passing and No. 63 absolutely buried it.
Following another great performance, the third line has looked so much better over the past week with O’Brien on the wing.
Collectively, they’re much more energetic, are creating extended O-zone possessions with their forecheck and have registered five points over the last two games.
Based on the way those three have played during this stretch, O’Brien has proven that he should be considered for more minutes as his energy has directly impacted their production.
After an underwhelming season for Matias Maccelli with less production than usual, he erupted against the Dallas Stars with two critical goals for the Utah Hockey Club.
Related: Matias Maccelli Scores Twice For Utah In Second vs Dallas
Following 23 games without a goal, Maccelli had his best performance of the season against the Stars as he responded not just once, but twice to keep the game tied in the second period.
“He had energy, he moved the puck quick, he made good decisions with the puck.”
“He was intense with his battle, recovered loose puck. Did a lot of good stuff on the ice other than his two goals…he played a really solid game,” Head coach Andre Tourigny said about Maccelli’s performance.
As demonstrated by both of his goals, Maccelli is simply a crafty player with remarkable talent when he plays confidently.
Great zone entry and perfect passing from Crouse, Bjugstad, and Maccelli.
That one had to feel good as the trio finally connected for a big goal.
1-1 in Dallas. https://t.co/gNyiMVN7Zd
— Cole Bagley (@BagleyKSLsports) January 5, 2025
On the first goal, Maccelli sent a well-placed saucer pass to Nick Bjugstad on the blue line and then crashed the net hard for a wide-open opportunity which he buried.
Great skill and a high IQ play to put himself in the right place to score.
We’re tied at 2-2 after the second period.
Dallas was very opportunistic, but Utah was the better overall team.
Notably, Maccelli is on Hatty watch after this absurd finish. He’s buzzing tonight.#UtahHCpic.twitter.com/W9AK5nQEi8
— Cole Bagley (@BagleyKSLsports) January 5, 2025
As for the second, this was another very highly skilled play as he quickly spun around without hesitation and beat two Dallas skaters to light the lamp.
Maccelli is playing with some serious confidence right now.
Nearly assisted Kevin Stenlund after winning the puck back in the O-zone with a stellar poke check.
When he plays with confidence, he’s so incredibly dangerous.
— Cole Bagley (@BagleyKSLsports) January 5, 2025
When he plays with confidence, Maccelli is a talented player who can greatly impact the outcome of games with his ability to facilitate.
A season ago, he finished with 57 points (third most on the team) and 40 assists (second most on the team).
But so far this season, he’s mostly played uninspired.
After tonight, Utah needs to be selective with where he plays as it hasn’t been working on the third line this year.
If he can get into a rhythm, Maccelli can be a game changer and raise the Utah Hockey Club’s potential.
For the third time this season, the Utah Hockey Club came up short against the Dallas Stars in a Central Division matchup.
However, the loss wasn’t because of a lack of effort.
Notably, Utah outshot the stars 30-24, won 55 percent of the face-offs, outhit them 21-16, had more chances off the rush and nearly double to amount of slot driving plays (40-22).
“I thought we played a really, really good game. Really proud of the way the guys played.”
“They closed the gap again…they’re [Dallas] one of the toughest teams to play against in the league. This year, every time we played them, we got closer and closer,” Tourigny said.
While the team would rather win and at times the moral victories get old, there were still a lot of positives against Dallas.
Utah played hard, responded in key moments, didn’t commit a single penalty, received strong performances from the third line and showed improvement like coach pointed out.
Unfortunately, Dallas just capitalized on a few key breakdowns and walked away with the extra point.
Still undefeated in 2025 😌@BudLight | #EasyToCelebrate | #TexasHockey pic.twitter.com/64eXmrcAIc
— Dallas Stars (@DallasStars) January 5, 2025
If Utah can replicate their performance against the Stars, they’re not going to lose very often as it was a respectable complete effort from top to bottom and they still managed to walk away with a point.
The Utah Hockey Club will now return home to face the Florida Panthers on Wednesday. The game can be viewed on TNT. 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.
