The Utah Hockey Club suffers its first loss in franchise history, losing 3-0 to New Jersey

Newark, NJ • Before the 2024-25 season began, Bill Armstrong stabilized expectations for the Utah Hockey Club.

“Some nights you go to the rink and think, ‘Wow, are they any good,'” the team’s general manager said. “Other nights you go to the rink and say, ‘Wow, are they young?'”

That sentiment was reflected in Utah’s 3-0 loss to the New Jersey Devils on Monday afternoon at the Prudential Center. The loss came after three straight wins to start the season – including an overtime thriller at Madison Square Garden on Saturday – but that’s just the way hockey is, especially with a group still working toward its highest potential.

“It is the fourth year of reconstruction. We have some good talent on the ice. It’s going to take some time, just be patient with us,” Armstrong said.

All of the things Utah had done well over the past three games — earning on the ice, using its speed, playing physical and scoring points — fell short against the Devils. The hockey club was eliminated for the first time this season after scoring a total of 16 goals. Additionally, Utah took seven penalties and spent 14 minutes of a 60-minute game on the kill.

“That is something we will address. This is something our group knows. I don’t like our stick, there are a lot of stick penalties,” said head coach André Tourigny. “We need to move our feet and work on posture.”

The first 20 minutes of the game were sloppy for Utah. The team was unfocused in its outbursts and did not control the neutral zone well, but the period ended in a 0-0 draw.

Seamus Casey gave the Devils the lead on the power play early in the second period. The defenseman pushed Mikhail Sergachev away from the puck at the top of the zone before going the other way and firing it from the right circle to make it 1-0 at 1:14.

New Jersey doubled its lead at 8:13 of the middle frame with a backhand shot from Stefan Noesen. The striker, stationed in the goal area, directed the puck around goalkeeper Karel Vejmelka’s right ball into the net, giving the team a 2-0 lead. Vejmelka started in his first game of the season and made 30 saves by the final whistle.

“It’s a learning curve and we have people who can show by example how to play hockey and how to win.” “The guys know that we have to play a different style now to develop our game,” said Sergachev. “They’ve been in the league for a long time… it’s just going to take a little bit.”

Sergachev lost his defensive partner in the second period after Sean Durzi left the game with an upper-body injury and did not return. Utah ran with just five defenders after that, forcing guys to play offside and log longer minutes. Vladislav Kolyachonok had time for the first pair with Sergachev in Durzi’s absence.

Tourigny said there was no update on Durzi’s condition and that the defender was being re-evaluated daily.

“I don’t think we played really well without it [Durzi]But I don’t think it’s the others’ fault. “We were already slipping at that moment,” Tourigny said.

If Durzi misses games due to injury, Sergachev’s already important role will become even larger. The two-time Stanley Cup champion was acquired in the offseason to add experience and a “winning culture” to the back end. He plays in all situations – power play, penalty kill, score or loss – and will be relied upon to lead the younger talent on the blue line.

Sergachev spent seven years with the Tampa Bay Lightning and saw the team develop its young players – alongside veterans – into a title-winning team. He was one of those emerging pieces that made a difference. Sergachev brings these lessons to Utah.

“My first three or four years in Tampa, we were pretty much the same. We would score more than we gave up. …I was on a team like that, so it’s not like it’s something new, but my role is new,” Sergachev said. “I didn’t play much last year so I kind of lost the confidence I had before, but it will come and I’ll obviously be better.”

The Hockey Club’s power play – which produced three goals in the first three games of the season – struggled while going 0-for-4. New Jersey applied a lot of pressure at the blue line and didn’t allow Utah to set up big while staying on the perimeter.

The Devils sealed the 3-0 victory on Nico Hischier’s power play goal at 10:13 of the third period, handing Utah its first loss in franchise history.

“I think you can of course take both [wins and losses.] I think it’s good not to get complacent,” said Dylan Guenther, who was named the first NHL Star of the Week. “We’ve beaten two pretty good teams before and this is another team that will probably be at the top. There is always room for improvement in every game.”