Utah jumps early, Wild lose

Two first period power play goals by Utah doomed Minnesota on Thursday.

By Jess Myers, Pioneer Press – February 27, 2025

SALT LAKE CITY – With two of their top forwards injured, and another offensive mainstay serving a suspension, there has been much talk among the healthy Minnesota Wild players about stepping up, making the most of new opportunities and having a “next man up” attitude.

But on some nights, that rhetoric doesn’t match the reality.

Making their second-ever visit to the Delta Center in Utah, the Wild fell behind early and couldn’t find enough consistent offense to mount a comeback, falling 6-1 to the Utah Hockey Club on Thursday night.

Freddie Gaudreau scored his second goal in the past four games, and Marc-Andre Fleury dealt as best he could under heavy traffic in front of him, finishing with 25 saves. The Wild have now lost two in a row, and after winning in their first trip to Utah in December, have now lost their last three to Utah.

“I thought we didn’t get off to a great start,” Wild coach John Hynes said. “I felt we clawed our way back into the game. I thought we had some pushes at some points, but in general, tonight’s game wasn’t what it needs to be for us to give ourselves a chance to win.”

The Wild’s penalty killers—an Achilles’ heel for the team all season—were overwhelmed early, as Utah scored on its first power play of the game, and went up 2-0 on a 5-on-3 advantage late in the first.

The video player is currently playing an ad. You can skip the ad in 5 sec with a mouse or keyboard

Goalie Karel Vejmelka had 16 saves for Utah, which is creeping back into the Western Conference playoff picture, having won four of its past five games.

Fleury, playing in his 21st game of the season, got a nice ovation from the fans at the Delta Center before the game, then was put to work right away as Utah dominated the offensive zone and took a lead less than four minutes in on a power-play goal by Barrett Hayton.

On the next shift, the Wild found their defensive corps reduced as Jake Middleton threw hands with Utah’s Jack McBain at center ice, and both men got a five-minute break.

The Wild had a pair of first-period power plays and tested the Utah goalie but got nothing on the scoreboard. Then the final minute of the first proved disastrous for Minnesota.

First Jonas Brodin went to the box for hooking. Then on the ensuing faceoff, Marcus Foligno caught Utah winger Nick Schmaltz with a high stick to the face, causing a bloody mess on the ice and sending Foligno to the penalty box for four minutes. The home club needed 16 seconds of 5-on-3 power play to double its lead.

“It just seems right now, I don’t want to say shaky confidence, we’ve just got to button up,” Foligno said of the team’s penalty kill. “It’s really little things. Just a step behind here and they’ve got some shifty forwards that made good plays.”

Minnesota finally found an answer late in the second when Matt Boldy set up Gaudreau for a pretty solo rush to the net, which ended with Gaudreau making a deft move on the Utah goalie and netting his 12th goal of the season.

The celebration was short-lived, as Sean Durzi deflected a long-range shot past Fleury less than two minutes later, for a 3-1 Utah lead after 40 minutes. Then Schmaltz got his revenge for the first-period high stick, popping a third-period shot past Fleury.

“We were kind of disconnected from the start. They were connected and we never really gained any traction throughout the sixth minutes,” Middleton said. “When we did, we gave up a quick one right after.”

When Clayton Keller popped a backhander over Fleury a few minutes later, the rout was on. Former Gophers star Logan Cooley added a sixth Utah goal with 4:59 to play, while Minnesota managed just three shots on goal in the third.

“They played connected,” Gaudreau said, tipping his cap to Utah. “We need to find a way against teams like that, that just step up and play, all five guys. We need to find a way to play more connected, be there more for each other, create more plays for each other, find ways to play the puck smarter if we need to place it or make the plays. We didn’t really do that.”

The Wild’s two-game visit to the Mountain Time Zone concludes on Friday when they visit the Colorado Avalanche for the second time this season. Puck drop is at 8 p.m. CT.

PHOTO: Minnesota Wild defenseman Brock Faber (7), center Frederick Gaudreau (89) and goalie Marc-Andre Fleury (29) react to a Utah Hockey Club goal during the first period of an NHL hockey game, Thursday, Feb. 27, 2025, in Salt Lake City. | AP Photo/Melissa Majchrzak