SALT LAKE CITY – Despite trailing by two goals to begin the third period, the Utah Hockey Club clawed their way back into the game against Chicago and claimed a valuable point in OT. While they did eventually lose to the Blackhawks, Utah showed heart as they refused to give up and still added to their tally amidst a tight playoff race.
Here are the key takeaways from Utah’s OT loss to the Blackhawks.
Despite standing just 5-foot-9, Utah Hockey Club forward Michael Carcone is a fearless and scrappy skater who never backs down from defending his teammates.
As demonstrated by his fight with Ryan Donato in Chicago, Carcone is willing to go with anyone, anytime, anywhere.
Carcone is fearless.
He can flat out fight. Not afraid of anybody either and is willing to defend his teammates.
Donato absolutely asked for it with that nonsense on Cooley.
Carcone answered the call.
— Cole Bagley (@BagleyKSLsports) March 8, 2025
While Donato originally delivered a fair hit on Logan Cooley, he then tried to shove No. 92 into Utah’s bench which Carcone didn’t appreciate.
Carcone let Donato have it & rightfully so.
No fear.pic.twitter.com/FoKfU52mfG
— Cole Bagley (@BagleyKSLsports) March 8, 2025
When something like that happens to a star player, somebody needs to challenge the offender and Carcone was instantly ready to go as he called out Donato, waited for the referees to move and then delivered several punishing blows to let everybody know that type of behavior would not be tolerated.
All season long, Carcone has played with the same ferocity as he’s fought on other occasions and been involved in a number of player gatherings when there’s been a disagreement.
As the saying goes, “It’s not the size of the dog in the fight, but the size of the fight in the dog.”
Without a doubt, Carcone certainly has a lot of fight and is willing to prove it.
Following an abysmal second period where the Utah Hockey Club surrendered three goals and all the momentum to Chicago, Utah clawed their way back into the contest with a pair of goals in the third.
Led by their captain Clayton Keller, No. 9 blasted one past Chicago netminder Spencer Knight to tie the game and reignited Utah’s energy.
Captain Clutch finds the back of the net to tie the game.
Textbook movement and what a slapper. Perfectly placed. Bar down 😮💨 https://t.co/0BW8RE6weg
— Cole Bagley (@BagleyKSLsports) March 8, 2025
As the first ever to wear the “C” for Utah, these are the kinds of moments that illustrate why he was appointed to lead the team.
All season long; Keller has come through in clutch moments and consistently delivered to help Utah claim points in key games.
With 72 total points in 62 games this year, including four game winners, Keller is on pace for a career season.
That’s our Captain 👏
Congrats, Kells! With that assist, @ClaytonKeller37 has tallied 300 career @NHL assists! pic.twitter.com/DuksR7nDZT
— Utah Hockey Club (@utahhockeyclub) March 7, 2025
While Karel Vejmelka has arguably saved Utah’s season, Keller has led them towards truly contending for a playoff spot.
Facing a tw0-goal deficit to begin the final frame, Utah had to dig incredibly deep in order generate anything from a game that appeared out of reach.
After the ice had titled heavily in favor of the Blackhawks, the club emerged with a different determination in the third period as they locked down their own zone, applied pressure on the forecheck and crafted two big goals to tie the game.
“I like the third period. I think our guys were resilient…I like the mindset…I like the fact we were composed; we were resilient, we stick together, and we didn’t get out of the structure,” Andre Tourigny said.
“We played as a team, and I liked the way we responded.”
Pretty shot from deep.
Still work to be done in order to tie this game up late. https://t.co/cqd2k5cAnt
— Cole Bagley (@BagleyKSLsports) March 8, 2025
While they ultimately ended up losing in OT following some individual brilliance by Connor Bedard, forcing the additional frame and securing a point was a victory in itself.
During this defining stretch of the season, points are remarkably precious and the difference between making the postseason or not can come down to a single point.
“We need points at this point,” Tourigny said.
“It’s a back-to-back. I think we stayed in the hunt; we’ll stay right there, and we’ll take that.”
To claim three out of four points on a back-to-back on the road is a huge win for this team.
Obviously, four would be ideal but based on how that game against Chicago went, one point was an incredibly positive result.
The Utah Hockey Club will now host the Toronto Maple Leafs on Monday night at Delta Center. 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.
