Missed opportunities weigh on the Utah Hockey Club in their frustrating loss to Dallas

SALT LAKE CITY – Andre Tourigny thought he knew what to expect on Monday against Dallas.

“Every time we play these guys, it’s inch by inch,” the Utah Hockey Club head coach said after the morning skate.

It was just a few inches – or maybe even a single inch – that made the difference between his team and the Stars Monday.

In the second period, Dallas forward Evgenii Dadonov beat Utah goalie Karel Vejmelka through the smallest of gaps. That goal opened the scoring and helped the Stars to a 2-1 victory over Hockey Club at the Delta Center.

It was Utah’s fourth single-goal loss in its last seven games – all against teams expected to be in the postseason. All defeats were also accompanied by solid victories. There was the five-goal win against Pittsburgh, then the overtime win in Montreal and Saturday’s 6-0 win against Las Vegas.

“It feels like we take one step forward and then two steps back,” said forward Michael Carcone. “We just have to reflect on this game and find ways to beat the teams that are in the top 10 and go from there. … I think we played a great game. We just can’t get results.”

That’s been the recurring theme for Utah over the last two weeks: strong play against some of the best teams in the league, but no strong results.

It was similar on Monday. Utah beat Dallas 35:21 and repeatedly created good chances. However, Dallas goalkeeper Casey DeSmith rarely had these chances.

“If you look at the three games we played against Dallas last year (as the Arizona Coyotes) and add up all the scoring opportunities we had, I think that’s about the number we had tonight,” said Tourigny. “We had a lot of sustained offense, a lot of shots from the slot, a lot of passes to the slot, a lot of opportunities to break up the game. Unfortunately we didn’t manage to finish.”

Things became even more frustrating when Dallas scored from an unfavorable chance.

“It’s going to happen about every 100, that’s what it is,” Tourigny said. “We had our share of those shots too. This is a hockey game. They didn’t go in for us.”

Dadonov’s second-period power-play shot gave the Stars a 1-0 lead, and Dallas doubled that with a late rush that left Utah slightly out of position.

Nick Schmaltz brought some life into the club in the third period. The experienced striker came off the bench in a substitution and immediately received a pass in the slot from Nick Bjugstad. His shot eventually beat DeSmith.

It was Schmaltz’s third goal in the last two games after going scoreless in the first 23 games of the season.

“I thought we were done,” Schmaltz said. “I think they just held on, put pucks out and we controlled the game for the most part. The goal late in the second period kind of hurt us, it gave them a two-goal lead, but they fought back in the third and just couldn’t find a way to get the next one.

So what is the secret that has eluded the team so far to getting the equalizer?

“If I had the magic pill, I would certainly use it,” Tourigny joked. “We are really proud of the way we play. I’m really frustrated with the result.”

That sums up the game on Monday and also the few defeats before it. However, Tourigny said he didn’t want to focus too much on the final results. He said then players would start trying too much.

When that happens, the losses can really pile up.

“There is no moral victory in this league,” he said. “They want to win. We want to win. But when we talk to the players, it’s important to focus on the process and continue to focus on the process. Because when you focus on the outcome, you pick up your racket and try to do things you shouldn’t do, and that becomes the worst part of your game.”

Right now, the Utah Hockey Club’s process is certainly looking good. Now they’re looking for more consistent results.