The Hat Trick: Karel Vejmelka Saves The Day For Utah Hockey Club In Shootout Victory Over Caps

Feb 9, 2025 , 2:46 PM | Updated: Feb 10, 2025, 5:29 pm

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COLE BAGLEY


Utah Mammoth Insider

SALT LAKE CITY – Despite surrendering a late two-goal lead, the Utah Hockey Club found a way to pick up two critical points against the Washington Capitals in their final game before Four Nations. Following an impressive shootout goal from Nick Schmaltz, Karel Vejmelka stood tall between the pipes to shutout the Capitals in a shootout and lead Utah to critical road win.

Here are the key takeaways from Utah’s mammoth victory inside the Nation’s Capital.

Pucks were flying early for the Utah Hockey Club & Washington Capitals with five goals in the first

Less than two minutes into the game, the Utah Hockey Club had a 2-0 lead over the Capitals in Washington, D.C.

With arguably the most speed and urgency they’ve played with in an initial frame this season, Utah put a plethora of pucks on goal and crowded the net front to light the lamp efficiently.

However, the top team in the Eastern Conference wasn’t about to roll over as they put a whopping 14 shots on net and connected twice on the power play.

While the Capitals kept the game close, Utah took a one-goal lead into the locker room as McBain captured his first goal in 19 games to cap off a five-goal period.

With such a poor result against the Carolina Hurricanes less than 24 hours before the puck dropped in D.C., Utah took the ice with a purpose right from the start.

They understood the importance of picking up two points, came out flying, set the tone early and rolled with the punches for their biggest win of the season.

“We got the two points against an eastern team. They can have theirs if that makes them happy. As long as we get two,” Head coach Andre Tourigny said.

Dylan Guenther is a superstar in the making for Utah Hockey Club

While Washington Capitals fans have become accustomed to a certain NHL sniper making a living from the left faceoff circle with countless one-timers, it was Utah’s Dylan Guenther who netted one from Alexander Ovechkin’s office on Sunday afternoon.

What makes this particular play so elite was a collection of minor details that resulted in a critical goal for Utah.

For starters, the power play crafted a beautiful series of passes and off-puck movement to set up No. 11 for a one-timer.

After Guenther dumped it off to Mikhail Sergachev, he discretely skated over to his spot, Barrett Hayton drew attention on the opposite side of the net front and Clayton Keller kept the defense guessing as he closed in before finding the Salt Lake Assassin.

Guenther then went far post with a perfectly placed rocket to light the lamp.

In the four games since his return, Guenther has registered seven points (4G, 3A), led Utah to three important wins and consistently proven that he is a superstar in the making.

In addition to one of the top releases in the entire NHL, he’s also incredibly smart, assertive, elusive and makes big plays nearly every time he steps onto the ice.

With a minimum of eight more years on his contract, Guenther will continue to make history for the Utah Hockey Club and just might end up with his jersey in the rafters of Delta Center when all is said and done.

Karel Vejmelka saved the day for Utah with a shutout in the shootout after Ingram was injured

Following arguably his worst game in a Utah sweater against the Carolina Hurricanes, Karel Vejmelka answered the call after he was unexpectedly inserted between the pipes in D.C.

“He was great. That’s a tough situation for Ingy there. Took a slapshot to the face. Hope he’s doing well,” Schmaltz said.

“Vej playing on back-to-back days, that’s pretty impressive for him to stay ready and help us get a win.”

In addition to 30 saves on a barrage of 32 shots (93 percent), Vejmelka had several clutch stops in the third period and overtime to keep Utah in the game.

“He was assertive. It never felt like he was shaky. He wanted to play, and he was confident,” Tourigny said.

Into the shootout, Vejmelka was a certified brick wall and fed the Capitals their veggies with three stops on three shots.

This put Schmaltz in the position to give Utah a one-goal lead which Vejmelka followed up with the game-winning save on Washington’s third and final attempt.

Hockey is an unpredictable sport and what sets winning teams apart is the ability to quickly adjust to adversity.

Against Washington, Vejmelka bounced back with a vengeance and helped his team secure two pivotal points to remain in the wild card mix before the Four Nations break.

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Next For The Utah Hockey Club

The Utah Hockey Club will now have 12 days off for the Four Nations Tournament before returning to play against the LA Kings on February 22. 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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