The Hat Trick: Utah HC Responds With Dominant Win Over Penguins While Crosby Scores No. 600

Nov 23, 2024, 9:49 PM

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PITTSBURGH – Despite a remarkable milestone reached by Sidney Crosby in front of the Pittsburgh faithful, the Utah Hockey Club responded with a much-needed win over the Penguins. After returning to their style of offense and finally unlocking the power play, Utah dominated the Pittsburgh Penguins 6-1 to claim two big points on the road.

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

Sidney Crosby reaches legendary milestone, score’s goal No. 600

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the fact that Sidney Crosby scored goal No. 600 against the Utah Hockey Club, and I was in the building to witness his greatness.

Only 21 players ever have scored 600 goals in the National Hockey League and Crosby has now added his name to the prestigious list.

As demonstrated in the video, Crosby will go down as one of the greatest players ever to lace up his skates and take the ice in the best league in the world. He’s a class act who has wowed fans and captured the hearts of young hockey players for two decades.

His skills, IQ, handles and scoring abilities are nearly second to none, and he netted No. 600 in a way that he’s done so many times before on a one-timer from the right side.

“It was nice reception and a cool moment,” Crosby said. “To have them [his parents] here for that is special and I’ve been fortunate for some of those milestones to be here at home, have family here, and be in front of the home crowd. So, it’s even more special to be able to do it.”

To be in the building for such a prestigious accomplishment for my childhood hero and one of the greatest to ever play was a true honor.

Even some of Utah’s players shared that it was special moment to be a part of.

“Pretty cool to be a part of that game. [He was] My favorite player growing up,” Dylan Guenther said.

Utah’s power play was reborn in Pittsburgh

After a rough stretch for Utah’s special teams’ unit with zero goals in 11 opportunities over the previous two games, the Club’s power play was reborn against the Penguins as they scored three times in Pittsburgh.

“It’s huge for us, just for a confidence booster. We’ve actually done some good things I think, just haven’t got rewarded like against Washington. So, nice for us to get a few of them,” Dylan Guenther said.

Sometimes, all it takes to break open the floodgates is to see the puck go in the back of the net and Utah seized the moment against a pitiful Pittsburgh team.

As a whole, Utah’s offense played their brand of hockey which resulted in a plethora of goals and much needed success on the power play. The right guys got to their spots, they moved the puck well, played high in the zone, got the goaltender moving and generated traffic.

When that happens, Utah is going to puck the puck in the back of the net.

“Offensively we played the way we want to play…we played good defense…all in all its a good, complete performance. PK did a good job, power play did a good job, we create good offense. For the most part, we were good defensively,” head coach Andre Tourigny said.

Utah can be a dangerous team when they want to be. They have the talent, roster and leadership to make some noise. But finding consistency in their performance will determine whether or not they can reach their ceiling this season.

Utah Hockey Club finally responded with passion and energy

Following a disappointing loss to the Bruins with very little energy or urgency, head coach Andre Tourigny was clearly frustrated and looking for a response from his team.

“I didn’t like the urgency and the speed around the puck…if we want to score goals, we need to get in the dirty area and we need to get there with passion. Not just get there. Get there with burning desire to score goals,” Tourigny said following the Boston loss.

“It’s a test for everybody,” Head coach Andre Tourigny added after Saturday’s morning skate in Pittsburgh. “It’s a test for the coach. It’s a test for the player…adversity is where you can measure people. Now we’ll see what we are made of. I said that to the team yesterday…we need to find a way.”

Against Pittsburgh, Coach Tourigny got the response he was looking for as the boys came out strong in the first period with two goals, intense offensive zone pressure, creativity, movement and a determined urgency to score.

In addition to their newfound energy, Utah also looked better in terms of their forward lines and overall chemistry. Returning to a similar lineup as opening night, the puck was moving, the chemistry was obvious, players were getting to their spots, and Utah played their brand of hockey.

“Really happy…tonight we got it done. I like the way we did it as well. I liked the way we played offensively…the traffic we put at the net, we went at the net, it’s not just the goal we scored, it’s the intention, the intensity around the net,” Tourigny said postgame.

Even after surrendering a goal to Sidney Crosby who netted the 600th of his career, Utah yet again responded. Despite a shift in momentum after such a legendary achievement, Utah remained composed and generated textbook offense to regain a two-goal lead.

When Utah is at their best and responding the way Tourigny described, they are a force to be reckoned with. The key to their continued success this season will certainly be based upon whether or not they can recreate the energy they had in Pittsburgh and find consistency.

“We’re good,” Guenther added. “I think when we play our best, we can compete and beat anyone, any night. So, I think it’s about finding that consistency and wanting to play the right way every game.”

Utah Hockey Schedule

The Utah Hockey Club will continue their four-game road trip in Toronto 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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The Hat Trick: Utah HC Responds With Dominant Win Over Penguins While Crosby Scores No. 600