Against a second skilled, speedy team in three nights, the Utah Hockey Club showed once again why things are different this year.
This time, it was captain Clayton Keller who scored with 54 seconds left in overtime, and Utah made NHL history in a 6-5 upset win over the Presidents Trophy-holding New York Rangers Saturday at Madison Square Garden.
“They’re really good on the other side,” head coach Andre Tourigny said. “We dug deep to defend against them, and we had a good balance of attacking and defending with pride.”
Utah (3-0-0) can definitely take pride in beating one of the best teams in the league, all the while becoming the second NHL expansion team to win each of its first three games, the other being the Vegas Golden Knights.
“We have a team with talent, but the battle for us is to get those greasy goals,” Tourigny said. “We’re a threat passing the puck, but we’re also a threat getting those goals.”
One of the goals Saturday certainly were those kinds of plays, as Jack McBain jammed in a loose rebound off a scramble in front to give Utah a 2-1 lead early in the second period.
But once again, Utah’s resilience was on display.
After the Rangers (1-0-1) tied the game through Will Cuylle to send it to overtime, Keller swung in tight thanks to a defensive breakdown by the Blueshirts.
He then lifted a backhander over Igor Shesterkin to end the game and give Utah its historic win on the road.
“(The record) doesn’t mean much at this point,” Tourigny said. “Everybody’s focused on their team. We stay focused on getting better every day.”
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