Utah HC beats Dallas Stars 5-3. Why aren’t they tanking?

The Dallas Stars went into their matchup with the Utah Hockey Club on Saturday hoping they’d complete a season series sweep.

Utah HC had other plans.

A 4-for-4 record on the power play aided Utah to a 5-3 win. Utah HC played 60 minutes of high-octane hockey and they showed resilience when the going got tough.

They did it against a powerhouse Stars team, which holds the third-best record in the NHL this season. That being said, the Stars have struggled recently.

Saturday’s game extended their losing streak to five games. Part of their struggles are undoubtedly due to the personnel they’re missing, which includes defensemen Miro Heiskanen, Esa Lindell and Nils Lundkvist, as well as forwards Tyler Seguin and Mason Marchment.

Utah did a good job to take advantage of the situation.

“I think we played really well,” said Utah head coach André Tourigny after the game. “Power play came up big, obviously, but also the way we played with and without the puck. ... I think we were solid.”

Utah Hockey for dummies

If you’re more familiar with sports other than hockey, you might assume that this part of the season is “tanking time” — Utah has already been mathematically eliminated from the playoffs, so they might as well pursue a better draft pick, right?

But hockey players aren’t wired that way.

“This team has no quit,” Tourigny said before the game. “They never quit. They never did. They will never quit. Those guys are proud athletes out there.”

That’s why Utah HC started Karel Vejmelka in net for the 23rd time in a row — something that no goalie has done since 2015. They played a fast, physical, unafraid game, despite the fact that they won’t be in the playoffs this year.

But why isn’t tanking really a thing in hockey?

In hockey, prospects typically take three to five years to develop. By the time those guys are NHL-ready, half of the current players will probably be playing elsewhere. That’s not worth sacrificing their pride.

From a team’s perspective, too, it usually doesn’t make sense to intentionally lose. Losing can quickly turn into a habit, which soon develops into an expectation.

There are a handful of NHL teams that miss the playoffs year after year, and that’s largely due to a losing culture.

Plus, fans don’t like to see their teams lose. In a new NHL market like Utah, every game matters, even if it’s just to keep the fans engaged.

The hope among Utah Hockey Club players and staff alike is to build momentum through these last few games and take it into next season, where they’ll build upon their success.

Utah Hockey for casual fans

Injuries held Barrett Hayton out of the lineup the majority of the 2023-24 season, a year after he set career highs in goals, assists and points.

But this year, he picked it right back up, and on Saturday, he set new career highs in each of those three categories.

In addition to his offensive contributions, Hayton has been a rock defensively for his team all season. Tourigny frequently praises Hayton’s work ethic and hockey IQ, though he still doesn’t get enough credit.

“He can score, he can defend, he can play the penalty kill, power play — kind of a utility guy who does it all,” said Nick Schmaltz after Saturday’s game.

Although he plays like a 15-year veteran, Hayton is only 24 years old. He has the chance to be a key player for Utah HC for a long, long time.

Utah Hockey for nerds

Throughout the month of March, the power play was Utah HC’s biggest struggle. They operated at a 13.2% success rate — the sixth-worst in the NHL.

April has been a completely different story.

They’re at 52.6% so far this month, which is the best in the league. That was aided, in large part, by their four power play goals and 100% success rate on Saturday.

That 4-for-4 record is even more impressive when you realize that the Stars came into the game as the league’s second-best team on the penalty kill this season (they dropped to third on Saturday).

“It’s just hard to be good consistently the entire year,” said Schmaltz, who scored one of Utah’s power play goals. “You’re going to have your ups and downs.

“Right now, they’re going in for us. Earlier, the last month, they weren’t. I feel like it all evens out at the end.”

Per the Utah HC media relations team, Utah is just the third team this season to score four power play goals from four different scorers.

That’s significant because it shows that both units are contributing — something that hadn’t been the case for Utah most of the season.

What’s next?

UHC flies to the Music City for a Monday rematch with the Nashville Predators, who beat them in a shootout in the final game of the season at the Delta Center.

The game is at 6 p.m. MDT and will be broadcast on Utah HC+ and Utah 16.