The Utah Hockey Club haven’t been very effective at winning close games recently, losing three straight after the score was tied or after holding the lead during the third period.
Utah will try to close out January on a positive note when it hosts the Columbus Blue Jackets on Friday night in Salt Lake City.
Utah is coming off a 3-2 overtime loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Wednesday night in the opener of a four-game homestand. The team led 2-1 entering the final period but gave up the tying goal at the 6:17 mark and the winner at 3:54 of overtime.
The loss dropped Utah’s record to 5-6-2 for the month, not enough to make a dent in the club’s bid for a playoff spot.
“I don’t know what it’s going to take, but I think the leadership group and the coaches are doing everything we can to try to turn it around,” Utah defenseman Mikhail Sergachev said. “We can’t be too negative about it, but we can’t be just whatever.”
Sergachev missed five games with an upper-body injury before giving Utah a 1-0 lead with a power-play goal in the first period against the Penguins.
“He has a lot of character,” head coach Andre Tourigny said of Sergachev. “He takes ownership and he doesn’t shy away from responsibility. He’s a winner. He’s won before so he knows what it takes and he believes in that group. He wants to win.”
Sergachev has looked comfortable with his new defense partner in John Marino, who has a three-game point streak.
“He’s very easy to play with,” Sergachev said of Marino. “He’s very poised with the puck, very good on breakouts. And without the puck, he knows where to put his body and how to play the right way.”
Columbus won its second straight overtime game on Thursday to move back into the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference.
Cole Sillinger scored 52 seconds into the extra frame to beat the Vegas Golden Knights 2-1 and open the four-game trip on a positive note.
“We know what we’re capable of in here and if we play the right way what can happen,” Columbus defenseman Zach Werenski said. “We still have a lot of games left, but if we play that way and play to that standard, there’s going to be a lot of success.”
Columbus has been playing well on the road, and the Blue Jackets face a tough test on this trip that concludes in Buffalo on Tuesday. The Blue Jackets are 4-2-1 in their past seven road games and have earned at least a point in 15 of their past 19 (13-4-2).
“We wanted to raise the bar,” Werenski said. “I think guys that have been here and been leaders on this team, it hasn’t been good enough the last few years. We showed it early in the season how we have to play and that was our standard, and I feel like we’ve just gotten better and better. Now, we have a new standard on how we have to play, and it’s even higher.”
Elvis Merzlikins made 26 saves in the win against Vegas, so it’s likely Daniil Tarasov will make his 14th start of the season for Columbus.
Tarasov faced 42 shots in his most recent outing and allowed six goals in a 7-4 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes on Jan. 23.
–Field Level Media
