After playing on Tuesday night against the San Jose Sharks, it was a quick turnaround for the Utah Hockey Club as they flew down south to play the Anaheim Ducks. Unfortunately for them, it was a big game for the Ducks’ youth as they handed Utah their second loss of the preseason. Despite the loss, it was a good night for multiple players on both teams. Here are some takeaways from Utah’s 5-2 loss on Wednesday night.
Lukas Dostal Continues Dominant Preseason
The best player of the game by far was Lukas Dostal for the Ducks. The young Czech goaltender has been a prospect many fans have been looking forward to. He was one of the best rookie goaltenders last season with the team. So far in the preseason, Dostal has been one of the best goalies and Wednesday night’s game proved it.
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Dostal made glove save after glove save, not letting some of Utah’s best scorers have any chance at scoring. At the end of the day, the goaltender made 35 saves off of 37 shots, ending the game with a .946 save percentage. He also stopped every Utah player in the optional shootout after the game.
Dostal will most likely be the starting goaltender for the Ducks to begin the season due to John Gibson being out due to an appendectomy surgery. It will be a big step for him if he can retain his preseason form into the regular season. He’s one of the many young players for the team who will need to give it their all if the Ducks want any chance of being somewhat competitive this season.
Kailer Yamamoto Continues Hot Hand
In less than 48 hours, Kailer Yamamoto has not just proven he belongs in the NHL but also on Utah’s roster. After the Ducks scored the first goal of the game, Josh Doan took a shot from the blue line that Yamamoto then tipped from near the left faceoff circle. The puck soared into the net giving Utah their first goal.
The goal was Yamamoto’s third of the preseason. He has fit in well with every line combination head coach Andre Tourigny and the Utah coaching staff has placed him on. He’s played in almost every single preseason game as well and has had an impact in most of those games. Yamamoto has shown he deserves an NHL contract.
The question is where does he fit in on Utah’s roster? Players like Michael Carcone and Matias Maccelli are better than him and will be on the opening night roster. Kevin Stenlund will most likely be a fixture as…
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