MORNING SKATE NOTES
- Utah held a full morning skate ahead of their game in Ottawa
- It’s the final of a five-game road trip, and the fifth of six-straight on the road
Need for Speed
Speed is a significant part of Utah’s identity. When the team uses its speed defensively, it can help shut down plays and turn things around quickly.
“That’s what our game’s about, it’s our pace,” MacKenzie Weegar shared. “Defensively for sure. We kill plays quick, and then our forward group is so fast that we get the puck up to them as quickly as we can, and then the (defensemen) likely going to join as well. I think that’s a big strength for our game, and what we’ve been focusing on, on this road trip.”
Entering Saturday, Utah has the third-lowest defensive zone time in the NHL. Part of that is because they end plays quickly, and the other part is because the team possesses the puck and has the third-highest offensive zone in the league. Continuing to play to their identity is key.
“We have our own style, and we would like to apply a lot of pace on the puck,” Tourigny shared. “So, that will be a tight checking game. If both teams play their A game, that (will) be a hell of a game.”
Pushing Back
Like the Utah Mammoth, the Senators limit time in their own end. Ottawa has the sixth-lowest d-zone time in the league. Tourigny shared what makes Ottawa so effective in their own end.
“They’re really strong in their battle, really strong in the interior as well,” head coach André Tourigny explained. “Their (defensemen) are really good at skating with the puck, so as soon as you lose the puck, they have the ability to break out quickly, so they kill your possession a little bit.”
Utah must be efficient and capitalize on their chances to score. However, the team has different ways they can contribute. Utah’s power play has scored in three consecutive games, their d-core leads the NHL in goals (15), and players like center Logan Cooley can have a huge impact. In fact, Cooley has seven goals on this road trip, including two separate hat tricks.
If Utah can generate more 5-on-5, and continue to find offense from special teams and their defensemen, it’ll increase the team’s chances against Ottawa.
“Our power play right now is pretty hot, but we gotta find ways to contribute 5-on-5 as well. We can score on the back end as well, but I think our forecheck (has) been a big key for us as well, just generating offense and getting that puck back, and really working it as well. But I’m comfortable with scoring anyway with this group, it’s a pretty talented group and we’re focusing on our forecheck a lot as well.”
