The Utah Hockey Club traded for John Marino this summer to help bolster their top two defense pairings. However, he arrived at training camp with an injury and was listed as week-to-week.
Shortly after Sean Durzi went out with an injury, Utah announced that both Durzi and Marino would miss months after undergoing surgery.
Two months and 24 days after surgery, Marino made his season debut against the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday night, a 5-3 loss. This debut came somewhat ahead of schedule, considering the team announced in October that he would miss three to four months. This was also Marino’s first NHL game in nine months, so some rust was expected, considering he didn’t even have a conditioning stint in the American Hockey League (AHL).
Recapping Marino’s Utah HC Debut
Marino showed precisely why he did not need time in the AHL to get back into shape. He played over 18 minutes, ranked third among Utah defensemen. Utah also dominated the play in over 15 minutes Marino spent on the ice at even strength.
Related: Hutson’s 3-Point Night Leads Canadiens to 5-3 Victory Over Utah
With Marino on the ice at five-on-five, Utah had 18 shot attempts, seven shots, 10 scoring chances, six high-danger chances, and 1.13 expected goals. Without him, the team had five shot attempts, two shots, four scoring chances, two high-danger chances, and 0.21 expected goals. Marino led all Utah skaters in on-ice shot attempts, unblocked shot attempts, shots on goal, and expected goal percentage at five-on-five. He finished the game with the second-highest “GameScore” among Utah defensemen according to Hockey Stat Cards.
Marino was also one of five skaters on the team to play more than two minutes on the penalty kill, and he allowed two shots and zero high-danger chances. The only concern is that despite spending plenty of time in the offensive zone, he did not get involved offensively. He finished the game with zero shot attempts, which is surprising considering he was on the ice for 18 shot attempts but none of them were his.
Marino Utah HC Debut Grade: A
The only stat Marino recorded on the night was one giveaway. Will this stop me from giving Marino an ‘A’ for his first performance with Utah? No.
Utah dominated with him on the ice. His defensive presence and positioning positively impacted his team’s success, even without the puck. Marino has a positive shot attempt share, scoring chance share, and…
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