Utah Hockey Club center Kevin Stenlund (82) battles to keep control of the puck while moving it down the ice during an NHL game between the Utah Hockey Club and the Los Angeles Kings at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Thursday, April 3, 2025 (Brice Tucker, Deseret News).
(Brice Tucker, Deseret News)
SALT LAKE CITY – Despite a dominant performance in most statistical areas by the Utah Hockey Club, 44 seconds was all it took for the Los Angeles Kings to walk away from Delta Center with two points and a 4-2 victory. Following several costly mistakes in short order during a 4-on-4 sequence, Utah buried their chances of winning by gifting the Kings two golden opportunities late in the game.
Here are the key takeaways from Utah’s deflating loss to the Kings.
Just past the midway point of the second period, the Delta Center erupted in unison with chants of “Ref you suck,” following a bizarre sequence of events that resulted in a goal for the Los Angeles Kings.
After several of LA’s forwards flew into the offensive zone, the puck was sent in the direction of the crease for a streaking Adrian Kempe who had favorable positioning ahead of Logan Cooley.
As both players crashed the net, Cooley pushed Kempe into Karel Vejmelka and the puck somehow trickled into Utah’s net.
Originally, Cooley’s actions resulted in the official raising his arm for a delayed penalty.
However, because Vejmelka never had possession of the puck before it crossed the line, the goal was counted, and the penalty was cancelled out.
believe it or not, this is a goal highlight 🤷‍♂️ pic.twitter.com/0Rf0DGKskA
— LA Kings (@LAKings) April 4, 2025
Without a doubt, an incredibly strange and unlikely sequence but a good goal nonetheless that gave the Kings a 1-0 lead.
While the Utah Hockey Club’s four lines have been fairly fluid throughout most of the season, the team has finally settled on a true checking line between Lawson Crouse, Josh Doan and Jack McBain.
Since their inception, the trio has prided themselves on setting the tone in terms of physicality every shift and refusing to let the opposition breathe.
Leading the team in hits most night, Utah’s checking line yet again asserted themselves against Los Angeles as they combined for 10 of the team’s 27 hits and scored the only goal for the home squad.
Staying true to their identity, Crouse found the back of the net after a stellar forecheck from Doan who then battled in the corner, freed up the puck and found his teammate wide-open for a gorgeous top-shelf finish.
That is a PRETTY shot.
The amount of space he had to work with over Kuemper’s shoulder was incredibly small, but he was able to thread the needle.
Doan deserves a lot of credit here for winning that battle in the corner and feeding Crouse. https://t.co/YMzjQgt1WQ
— Cole Bagley (@BagleyKSLsports) April 4, 2025
In addition to their consistent production and physical play, the line has made a noticeable difference for Crouse in terms of his confidence and enjoyment.
“We’re a reliable line,” Crouse said. “I think we play at our best when we’re playing with speed and getting in on the forecheck…we’re all big, strong, and can skate. It’s been a lot of fun.”
As someone who experienced a down year and struggled to play up to par, Crouse has rediscovered his game by playing alongside Doan and McBain as they embrace a style of hockey that more so resonates with his skillset.
Despite a final score of 4-2, the Utah Hockey Club dominated 59 minutes of play on Thursday night against the visiting Los Angeles Kings.
Unfortunately for Utah however, the single minute that belonged to LA determined the outcome of game and resulted in a deflating loss.
During a period of 4-on-4 hockey with Anze Kopitar and Kevin Stenlund in their respective penalty boxes, Utah made several costly mistakes in the span of 44 seconds which suddenly buried them into a two-goal deficit.
GO KEVIN GO pic.twitter.com/5ZdfpW7DRx
— LA Kings (@LAKings) April 4, 2025
First up, defenseman John Marino made a rare error by passing the puck in front of his net to a wide-open Kevin Fiala who then instantly capitalized.
While it was a brutal pass, Marino rarely makes those kinds of mistakes, and he instantly knew how badly he messed up by breaking his stick over the net immediately after the goal.
GET! OUT! THE! WAY! pic.twitter.com/z5KnB1dq4I
— LA Kings (@LAKings) April 4, 2025
Second, a couple bad pinches by Utah’s defensemen paired with Karel Vejmelka’s indecisiveness to play the puck resulted in a breakaway opportunity for Trevor Moore who beat Vejmelka five-hole.
“Well, just obviously four and four, it’s man on man coverage. Picks, you have to fight through stuff like that. It’s man on man, so winning races is a big part,” Crouse explained.
That’s how quickly things can get out of hand in the NHL.
Doesn’t matter if you’re dominating a team in shots, hits, or any other stat.
If they’re able to capitalize on your mistakes, nothing else matters.
“Frustrating. We were in the driver’s seat for the first two periods and unfortunate what happened on the 4-on-4, and they capitalized on two chances. That’s how quick the game can get away from you,” Crouse said.
In the grand scheme of things though, these are still priceless learning moments for a team working through a rebuild.
They made sizable progress this season, played meaningful games and offered a commendable playoff push.
For now, all they can do is finish the season strong and try to build momentum towards taking a legitimate leap next year.
“I don’t think you change it if we were in last or first place. You’re always playing for something,” Dylan Guenther said.
“These next games can give us momentum into next season so they’re all big.”
Dylan Guenther on the mindset for the final 6 games: “I don’t think you change it if we were in last or first place. You’re always playing for something.”
“These next games can give us momentum into next season so they’re all big.”#UtahHC pic.twitter.com/3GwF1uZgTY
— Cole Bagley (@BagleyKSLsports) April 4, 2025
The Utah Hockey Club will now host the Winnipeg Jets on Saturday 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.
