SALT LAKE CITY- The Utah Hockey Club are playing in their fifth game of the extended seven-game January homestand, taking on a cross-country opponent in the New York Rangers. Utah will also look to snap a two-game losing streak and improve their league-worst home record.
Utah was going to have their chances with the Rangers ranking among the worst in the league in most defensive categories, meaning the Hockey Club would be able to get a lot of shots on net.
The Hockey Club came out on fire, putting two shots on Igor Shesterkin almost immediately, and while he was able to turn the first couple away, he wasn’t so lucky on the third.
Barrett Hayton crossed the blue line, bringing the puck into the offensive zone for Utah. The puck ping-ponged behind the net before it found its way back to the top of the zone. Ian Cole unleashed a shot that bounced off Shesterkin’s right blocker, laying itself perfectly on the stick of Matias Maccelli who sent it top shelf for the game’s first goal.
Great pressure from the second line and Maccelli made sure to clean up the rebound.
Great start. Need to keep it going. https://t.co/SIWTYakqpd
— Cole Bagley (@BagleyKSLsports) January 17, 2025
The goals kept coming as the Rangers tied the game up less than three minutes later with a goal from Artemi Panarin.
The Rangers and Hockey Club seemed to be on their way to a high-scoring final score, and the fans at Delta Center were already on hat trick watch not even halfway through the first period as Matias Maccelli netted his second of the night.
Utah was possessing in their offensive zone and the puck died right around the right dot. Barrett Hayton grabbed the puck and flung it behind his back toward net. The shot took a funny bounce and hopped over Shesterkin’s pad. The puck crept toward the goal line and it was a mad dash to either put it away or clear it. Matias Maccelli beat two Rangers defenders to the puck, scoring his second goal of the period.
Relentless effort by Maccelli to bury that rebound for his second of the night.
The second line is workin' Shesterkin. https://t.co/2JJpwBRnlV
— Cole Bagley (@BagleyKSLsports) January 17, 2025
New York would end up scoring again before the end of the period to tie the game.
It’s no mystery that the Utah Hockey Club has lacked consistency in recent weeks.
With continued second period woes, losses stacking up, and an inability to win on home ice, Utah has simply been unable to play a complete game as of late.
So, can they fix it?
According to 30-year-old Olli Maatta, it’s more about showing up on a nightly basis if they want to emerge from their current slump.
Olli Maatta on Utah’s recent struggles:
“Consistency is not there…I don’t think we are consistently playing at that level that we can every night.”
“You’ve got to pull a full 60 together…We have that 20 minutes, 40 minutes & then a bad 20 minutes. You can’t have that.” pic.twitter.com/vfKxWxYrT7
— Cole Bagley (@BagleyKSLsports) January 15, 2025
“Everybody kind of has to look at ourselves and their game. That’s personally what I’m doing,” Maatta said.
“But knowing we’ve got the answer, this group has shown it throughout the season. You’ve got to bring it every night. It’s a tough league. There’s no easy games. Everything matters now…We’ve just got to show up.”
Looking at it a step further, poor second periods have been one of the primary reasons for Utah’s recent struggles.
Over the last 10 games, they’ve been outscored 12-6 during the middle frame.
But even when they’ve adjusted and found success in the second, they seem to struggle in one of the other periods.
