Dec 7, 2024; Buffalo, New York, USA; Buffalo Sabres defenseman Bowen Byram (4) looks to block a pass by Utah Hockey Club center Nick Schmaltz (8) during the third period at KeyBank Center. Mandatory Credit: Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn Images The Utah Hockey Club and the Philadelphia Flyers opened the weekend by taking different doses of momentum medicine.
Utah hopes on Sunday to carry over the energy from an exciting win when it visits Philadelphia, which is aiming to rebound from a tough defeat.
The Utah Hockey Club are coming off a convincing 5-2 road victory over the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday in which they scored five straight goals after giving up the first tally of the afternoon.
“It feels like an important win,” said Utah coach Andre Tourigny, who notched his 100th NHL win in his 272nd career game. “I think it was good, important for us to start that trip the right way. We had a good break. We had five days off, so it’s always tough to get going after that. I like the way the guys played, especially the first two (periods). … I like the way we played offensively and defensively.”
Among the Utah players who had strong performances against Buffalo were defenseman Michael Kesselring, who registered a goal and an assist, and forward Nick Schmaltz, who had a goal among his team-leading five shots.
“It’s good for the confidence,” Kesselring said. “I felt like we’ve played good the last five or six games now, so (it’s important to keep) the momentum going.”
The Flyers are battling the opposite mindset after squandering a 3-1 third-period lead in Saturday’s 4-3 overtime loss to the host Boston Bruins.
That marked the second straight late-game meltdown for Philadelphia, which led the Florida Panthers 5-4 in its previous contest before allowing the last three goals in a 7-5 setback.
“We’ve got to learn from our mistakes,” Philadelphia captain Sean Couturier said. “This is two games where we take stupid penalties, give the other team a chance to come back, and we did it again today.”
Still, Flyers coach John Tortorella isn’t losing any confidence in his squad, which had posted a 4-0-1 stretch prior to the current two-game skid.
“It’s never a question with me about our fight,” Tortorella said. “That’s a given within our room here. So, that’s what keeps us afloat. That’s the only way we’re going to stay afloat in this league is that — it’s the will and not willing to give in.”
The Flyers play four of their next seven games at home before embarking on a season-long six-game road trip.
“We’re a good team and we expect to win every game,” Philadelphia defenseman Cam York said. “So, to lose that one, obviously it hurts. But we’ve got an opportunity to come back (Sunday) and, hopefully, come out on top.”
The Flyers will certainly be focusing on Dylan Guenther, who leads Utah with 10 goals, and Clayton Keller, who has posted a team-high 23 points. Guenther enters on a four-game goalless streak, while Keller has been relatively quiet with one goal and three assists over the past six games.
“It’s huge. Obviously, we want to get away with four points here,” said Kevin Stenlund, one of Utah’s goal scorers against Buffalo, of his team’s two-game road trip. “Big game (Sunday). Focus on that and move on.”
–Field Level Media
