Utah is back in the win column. A gutsy third-period effort against the Calgary Flames on Thursday earned them a 5-3 win, ending their five-game losing streak. It was a big game for Utah. Here are some takeaways from Thursday night’s game.
The Sheriff Is Back in Town
Lawson Crouse has been a consistent scorer for the past couple of years. He has put up 30-plus points in his past three seasons with the Arizona Coyotes. However, this season, he has really struggled with Utah. Before Thursday’s game, he only had seven points in 37 games and hadn’t scored in the past eight games.
A nice pass from Ian Cole changed that narrative. Crouse received the pass and snapped it home to score his first goal since Nov. 29. It would be the first goal of the game as well, giving him and his line motivation going into the rest of the crucial game.
The first goal wouldn’t be enough for Crouse. In the third period, Olli Määttä found Nick Bjugstad entering the Flames’ zone. Bjugstad dropped it for Crouse who snapped the puck home once again for his second goal of the game. It ended up being the game-winner.
The third line has been under a lot of scrutiny over the past month due to its lack of production and overall lack of chemistry. Something needed to change between Bjugstad, Crouse, and Maccelli. Tuesday’s game against the Edmonton Oilers provided that opportunity with illness taking Clayton Keller out of the lineup. Head coach André Tourigny inserted Liam O’Brien and moved Maccelli up to the first line. It worked as the line was one of the most dangerous in the 4-1 loss.
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With illness hitting Maccelli before Thursday’s game, it was the perfect opportunity to keep the new line together. Obviously, it worked out well.
“They played with pace,” Tourigny said. “They had no hesitation in their game. They were skating. They were hard on the forecheck. They made plays with the puck and put pucks at the net. Big man (Crouse) came up with two big goals. Happy for him.”
For Crouse, it felt good to get the two goals and break his scoring drought. However, it felt even better to win.
“It felt good. Feels better to get a win. That’s a big win. We needed that and something to build off going into Dallas.”
It certainly is a big win for the team. It is something for them to build off of. It is also something the third line can…
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