The Hat Trick: Utah Hockey Club Shocks Hockey World, Beat Rangers In OT To Stay Perfect
Oct 12, 2024, 9:34 PM
NEW YORK, New York – It was madness at Madison Square Garden as the Utah Hockey Club weathered a wild hockey game and were able to outlast the Rangers in OT, 6-5. With another team effort and continued success scoring a plethora of goals, Utah improved to an unexpected 3-0 record to start the new NHL season.
Here are the key takeaways from Utah’s unbelievable victory in New York.
Barrett Hayton is off to the best start of his career
There’s something different about Barrett Hayton this season as he’s off to arguably the best start in his young career. In three games, Hayton has lit the lamp three times for the Utah Hockey Club and been a huge part of their early success.
Related: Barrett Hayton Opens Scoring For Utah Hockey Club Against Rangers
Not counting last season due to the fact that he sustained a significant injury and only appeared in 33 games, Hayton managed 29 goals in 142 games from 2021-2023. Already, Hayton looks poised to blow those numbers out of the water and could have the best season of his career with Utah.
Barrett Hayton has looked SO good to start the season.
Here’s what Coach Bear had to say about it: “I think he’s more comfortable, more relaxed I will say. Hayton is super competitive. He’s a guy who puts a lot of pressure on himself. The goal in his first game relieved the…
— Cole Bagley (@BagleyKSLsports) October 13, 2024
“I think he’s more comfortable, more relaxed I will say,” head coach Andre Tourigny said. “Hayton is super competitive. He’s a guy who puts a lot of pressure on himself. The goal in his first game relieved the pressure a little bit and he’s played really good…he’s been better every game.”
So far, so good for the young center as he’s scored several goals, been strong on the forecheck, created a few turnovers, and helped the top line be very productive. Against the Rangers, it was more of the same as he not only opened the scoring for Utah but was a constant pest for New York with his forecheck and stick all night.
That was beautiful. 👌 https://t.co/MhHWyh1GAP pic.twitter.com/StovDDTO4O
— Utah Hockey Club (@utahhockeyclub) October 12, 2024
“Last year was tough for me, missing a lot of time. But at the same time, you’re watching a lot of games and learning a lot of stuff. So, you just get a different perspective. I think I took some of that into the offseason and also the start of this season. Some of it has paid off, definitely got a lot more to dial in but yeah, I feel good,” Barrett Hayton said.
If he can keep this up, it’ll be a career year, and he’ll help Utah secure a playoff spot.
The second period was madness at Madison, but Utah Hockey Club pushed through
Before we jump into this, Utah’s second period against the Rangers was easily one of the most eventful periods of hockey I have ever seen. In addition to seven goals between the two clubs, there was also two fights at the same time, Connor Ingram got cleaned out by a Ranger and an unlikely goal went in off the stanchion. Madness at Madison.
Beginning with the goals, nearly every time one of the teams took a shot, everyone collectively held their breath because it felt like everything was going in, and rightfully so. There’s plenty of hockey games that don’t even see seven goals over the course of a game, so that many in a period was a whirlwind.
Then there was the dual fight as Jack McBain dropped the gloves with Adam Edstrom and Michael Kesselring fought Sam Carrick. Neither fight went particularly well for either of Utah’s skaters, but they never backed down.
Kesselring and McBain drop the gloves in MSG…doesn’t go particularly well for either guy. Edstrom landed a few massive hits on McBain. Carrick also had a few on Kesselring.
MSG enjoyed that sequence.
— Cole Bagley (@BagleyKSLsports) October 13, 2024
When crazy periods like that happen, it’s important for teams to just hang on, stay patient, stay together and weather the craziness.
“Those are the ones where you have to stay patient. Myself before would get off my game a little bit because things aren’t going my way, or a couple bounces here and there. But, as a group we all just stayed patient, stayed in the moment, were able to fight through and get the win,” Clayton Keller said.
The Utah Hockey Club can simply put pucks in the back of the net
Through the first three games of the season, the Utah Hockey Club has amassed a whopping 16 goals from a collection of different skaters. Doesn’t matter who they’ve faced either. Whether it’s a bottom-tier team like Chicago or the 2024 Presidents Trophy Winners in New York, Utah can put the puck in the net.
What’s most encouraging about their early production is that they’ve scored goals in a bunch of different ways, generated a ton of net traffic and seen a collection of players light the lamp. While Guenther has dominated with a third of the team’s goals, they’ve also received a lift from Clayton Keller, Lawson Crouse, Barrett Hayton, Jack McBain, Kevin Stenlund and Josh Doan among others.
So, while you want to have a few guys emerge as your standard goal scorers, it also really helps when you get contributions from others. Additionally, the fact that so many different guys are scoring makes it incredibly difficult for other teams to shut them down. It’s not just one or two guys in predictable ways. Utah is just sticking to the basics and capitalizing when the moments arise.
“Staying simple, getting to the inside. Ya know, Shesterkin is an unbelievable goalie and sometimes when you put the puck on the net, good things happen. We have a lot of skill, a lot of guys that can shoot it and we’re just going to keep doing what makes us successful,” Keller said.
Speaking of moments, Keller turned into Utah’s hero during OT as he worked his way from behind the net and went top shelf over Igor Shesterkin’s shoulder to end the night, improve to 3-0 and send Ranger fans packing with a loss in their home opener inside MSG.
WOW. He got that off his stick so fast. What a goal. https://t.co/94atPbMCDF
— Cole Bagley (@BagleyKSLsports) October 13, 2024
Clayton Keller shares his perspective on scoring the game winner at MSG.#UtahHC pic.twitter.com/9AeAwmRrIl
— Cole Bagley (@BagleyKSLsports) October 13, 2024
Full Story: Clayton Keller Shoots Down Rangers With Overtime Winner In New York
It’s still early but this team has been nothing short of magical through these first three games.
Utah Hockey Schedule
The Utah Hockey Club will now take on the New Jersey Devils on Monday afternoon. 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.