Utah Hockey Club faces new challenge after bad loss to Seattle: Turning the page

SEATTLE — The Utah Hockey Club let one slip away.

That was the feeling inside the team's locker room on Friday after a 4-2 loss to Seattle at Climate Pledge Arena.

Or, maybe more accurately, Utah gave one away. The Hockey Club had 23 giveaways in the loss, with none bigger than the one that led to the eventual game-winning goal.

Utah defenseman Mikhail Sergachev tried to clear the zone from behind the goal, but the puck ended up hitting the back of the net. Seattle forward Kaapo Kakko quickly took advantage, secured the puck and scored on a wraparound.

In some ways, that play was microcosm of the game — poor puck handling, bad turnovers and gifting Seattle golden scoring chances.

"I'm not happy about much, to be honest," Utah head coach André Tourigny said. "Our execution was not there. I don't think we had our usual transition game, our usual offense, our usual inside presence. It's one of those off nights where you put the tape right in the trash and move on."

Moving on was the key phrase after the game. With a win, Utah would have pulled into a tie with Calgary and Vancouver for the final wild card spot; and the team felt the weight of that.

"Obviously, every game here on out is a playoff game with the race being so tight," defenseman John Marino said. "And we feel like we had our chances and we kind of gave them the goals that they got."

Even so, for a moment, it looked like Utah was on its way to overcoming it.

Kevin Stenlund's goal in the second period gave Utah a 2-1 lead, helping erase what had been a slow start for the team. But that start — which included allowing a goal in the first minute of the game and only having one shot on goal for the first half of the first period — suddenly felt like a distant memory.

Utah had the momentum, and with Calgary losing to Colorado, it looked like it was going to be a good night for the boys from Utah.

But by the end of the second period, Seattle had tied the game when a puck bounced off Brandon Montour and into the goal. Then, the Kraken peppered Karel Vejmelka in the third until one finally got by.

Now a team that was riding high faces a new challenge: turning the page after a tough loss.

"Every game feels like do-or-die at this point," said Nick Schmaltz, who scored Utah's first goal. "We've got to control our own destiny."

The team gets a chance to do that on Sunday against a Vancouver team 2 points ahead of them in the standings.

Tourigny said that if his squad wants to be in the playoffs, it better start having a postseason mindset now. Teams have bad Game 1s and Game 2s — the best ones don't let that end a series. He doesn't want to see Friday's performance cost his team a chance at a postseason run.

"If you lose 9-1, 22-0, or 1-0 in the playoff, you need to be ready for the next game," Tourigny said. "We're frustrated, but at midnight we will turn the page; and now it's all eyes and all focus will be on the next game. We have to move on."

To help handle these moments, the team brought in the likes of Ian Cole, Stenlund, Sergachev and Olli Määttä — players that have won Stanley Cups and know how to handle the emotional toil that a playoff run entails.

But Tourigny has his own advice for the players in a playoff chase for the first time: enjoy it.

"It's a privilege," he said. "Would you rather us to be 10 points out? I'm having a blast. I'm having the time in my life, so let's embrace it. Let's make sure we don't play like that next game, and then we'll have the best time we can have."

Friday wasn't fun; he still thinks the rest of the season can be, though.

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