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Blittner’s Blue Line: The Nameless Team

Sports teams are always recognizable, based upon their names, their logos and sometimes even their color schemes. But when the Arizona Coyotes were forced to move to Utah – Salt Lake City to be precise – back in The Spring, they left behind their identity. 

Currently masquerading around The NHL as the “nameless” Utah Hockey Club – don’t worry, they have assured everyone they will have an actual name next season – the team formerly known as the Coyotes is off to a surprisingly strong start. Utah came into their game against the Devils on Monday, October 14, 2024, having scored 16 goals in their first three games; all of which were wins. With these two teams playing a Columbus Day matinee, the result was a 3-0 victory for the Devils. 

We’ll get to the game highlights in a moment, but first, let’s delve into how this “new” team is adjusting to life in The NHL and a new market. 

According to Utah’s TV Play-by-Play broadcaster, Matt McConnell, the “new” team is not a traditional expansion franchise, nor is it being treated as a relocated team, so “it is a little bit strange.” 

“Obviously, I know a majority of the players from years gone by in Arizona,” McConnell continued. “But, I think the other side of it is, being a new team, there’s certainly a lot of advantages to that. There’s the excitement and the advantage of all the energy that goes with it. We’ve certainly seen that. Opening night in Salt Lake City at Delta Center was incredible. The people were into it. I remember, on the very first goal, when Dylan Guenther scored the first one in franchise history. As that play was going up, one entire side of the lower bowl at Delta Center got up in anticipation. So that’s kind of what it’s been like. Overall, it’s the newness, the excitement, the freshness of it all. The fact that people in Salt Lake City and around Utah have embraced the team has been wonderful.”

It’s always welcome for a team to have excitement and buzz surrounding it. In the long run, Utah will have to prove it can win consistently to keep up that level of excitement. For the players, as well as broadcasters and other team staff, the energy around the team helps as they also deal with the process of uprooting their lives from Arizona to Utah.

“By what I’ve been able to gather, they’ve all kind of enjoyed the process and they’ve all adjusted very well,” McConnell explained. “Whether it’s single guys or guys who have families, kids and all that. I know, for myself, I found a place downtown. I wanted to experience downtown living because I’ve been a suburbanite forever. It’s got good restaurants and pubs nearby. It’s a great place to walk and get some exercise. You’re close to music and all that. I think the players are all adjusting well. 

“The practice facility is gonna be out in Sandy, Utah, which is south of Salt Lake a little bit. So I think a lot of guys have settled in that area as well. But they’re excited because of all the energy they’re getting from not only the fans but just the city in general. I think they’re excited to be recognized in grocery stores and when they go out. The people there are so friendly. When they see you, they want to know about hockey. They want to learn about the team and that’s been a real refreshing experience.” 

The funny thing about this “new” experience for Utah is that the roster is mostly the same as that of the now-defunct Coyotes. Outside of the rookies, everybody has been through the grind of The NHL season before. They’ve been in the spotlight. Yet, just like when you put a fresh coat of paint on something, it now feels fresh, new, and exciting. 

“There’s a curiosity on the other side with fans,” McConnell said. “If you’re going into Madison Square Garden, Rangers fans are wondering, ‘Okay, well this is mainly the Arizona team, but this is a new team we’ve gotta start learning about.’ The reception, it’s like anything new, right? The reception is always pretty positive. That’s what we’ve seen so far. This is the first trip (of the season), so it’s different, yet, in a lot of ways it just kind of feels like the same.”

That positive reception is being helped along by the hot start Utah’s offense is displaying, especially the one by Dylan Guenther, who as of the writing of this column, is leading The NHL in goals scored with five. 

“Dylan’s a guy who is gonna bring a lot of the Utah fans out of their seats,” McConnell exclaimed. “And, he’s kind of a whole group. You’ve got Clayton Keller off to a great start. Logan Cooley is another dynamic player. He’s got a lot of speed. He is exciting. With Dylan, he’s been in big-time games before. He scored the Golden Goal in Halifax a couple of years ago with the Canadian World Junior team. Off the ice, he’s very unassuming. He’s just a nice kid. But on the ice, he is as dangerous as they come. He’s got an incredible release on his shot. He knows where to get to on the ice to create plays. I’m just really happy for his maturation and what he’s been able to do as he raises his game. He’s a lot of fun and he’ll be a fan favorite by the way he plays.”

Getting back to the game, the Devils attempted more shots during the first period but Utah managed to block a dozen of them, leading those viewing the box score to have a misconception about how the first 20 minutes went. By the end of the opening period, neither team had scored a goal, which was noteworthy for a few reasons; the biggest of which was that Utah had scored 16 goals in its first three games. Plus, last season, New Jersey gave up the first goal of the game a whopping 57 times! And this year they’d already done so once in their first four games. So, getting through the first period without giving up a goal was a good accomplishment for the Devils. 

Then came the second period and the script quickly changed. On the power play after a carry-over penalty – 1:14 into the period – New Jersey’s dynamite rookie defenseman, Seamus Casey sniped his third goal of the season, beating Utah’s Karel Vejmelka high, blocker side, to give the Devils a 1-0 lead. Just under seven minutes later, Casey was again in the middle of the action as Vejmelka made the initial save on his shot from the point but couldn’t corral the puck. Stefan Noesen was there waiting at the side of the net and swiftly put the rebound into Utah’s net to extend New Jersey’s lead to 2-0. 

“It looks like he’s having a lot of fun,” Devils Head Coach Sheldon Keefe said about Seamus Casey. “The puck’s kind of finding him in good spots and he’s making good on it, showing his ability to score.”

Onto the third period, the Devils added another goal to their tally when Captain Nico Hischier converted on the suddenly hot Devils power-play to extend their lead to 3-0 with just 9:47 left in the game. On the play, Jesper Bratt passed the puck down to Jack Hughes, who fed Hischier with an on-the-money pass right in front of the crease for the easy tap-in goal to salt the game away.

The 3-0 Devils’ victory marked Utah’s first loss of the season and it gave New Jersey their fourth win of the year. It was also the first shutout of the year for the Devils, as well as for netminder Jake Allen. Next up for the Devils is a trip to Carolina and a date with the Hurricanes on Tuesday night.

“Tomorrow’s gonna be probably our toughest test of the year,” Allen said after his victory against Utah. “It’s Carolina in their building. The energy they play with and the urgency. (Hopefully, we) can get some rest tonight, and get our legs back. Obviously, it was good to get a couple of wins here in a row, but, like I said, we’ll enjoy this for half an hour, 45 minutes, we’ll get on the plane and then you gotta flip the switch. You gotta start prepping for tomorrow ’cause it’s gonna be a challenge.”

 

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