The San Jose Sharks and the Utah Hockey Club meet on Monday night in Salt Lake City, looking for back-to-back wins.
Utah returns home to open a short two-game homestand, trying to avoid a fourth straight loss.
On Saturday afternoon, the Utah Hockey Club dropped a 3-2 decision to the Kings in Los Angeles. Clayton Keller and Logan Cooley scored for Utah, which has lost five of its last six games.
“I thought we had a good layup,” said Utah center Nick Bjugstad, who returned to the lineup after missing eight games with an upper back injury. “It’s a one-goal game, we have to find ways to win that, especially the last few games we’ve had. Good teams find ways to win in certain situations like this.”
Keller leads Utah with five goals and nine points through nine games, while Dylan Guenther has five goals and two assists this season.
Goaltender Connor Ingram is 4-2-1 in seven starts this season with a 3.71 goals-against average and .862 save percentage. In two games against the Sharks, Ingram is 2-0-0 with a 1.00 GAA and a .958 save percentage.
“It’s not good, three walks in a row here, but I can’t hit the panic button,” Bjugstad said. “We’ve got the tools, we’ve got the guys there, and it’s just going to come down to us having that killer mentality.”
The Arizona Coyotes swept all three meetings between the two teams last season, defeating the Sharks 11-4, before moving to Utah earlier in the season.
The Sharks now head to Utah, where they are looking for their first win of the season. San Jose remains the only club in the NHL without a win and has gone six straight without a point.
San Jose lost 7-3 in Vegas to the Golden Knights on Saturday and concluded a four-game road trip in Salt Lake City on Monday.
“We have to find a way to weather the storm in strong buildings,” Sharks defenseman Mario Ferraro said. “We are chasing this game a lot right now. There are many reasons why we are not well prepared. That is something that does not help our cause.”
Mikael Granlund, Nico Sturm and Luke Kunin scored for the Sharks in a loss to Vegas.
“I don’t think anybody’s happy by any means. There’s a lot of emotion in that locker room,” Sharks coach Ryan Warsofsky said. “Frustration, exhaustion. It’s hard.”
Granlund has a team-leading 10 points (four goals, six assists) through nine games this season. Center Tyler Toffoli has four goals and seven points this season.
Goaltender Vitek Vanecek is 0-4-0 in four starts this season with a 4.00 GAA and a .869 save percentage. Vanecek is 2-0-0 with a .917 save percentage and 1.99 GAA in two career appearances against the Arizona Coyotes franchise.
Monday is the first of three meetings between the Sharks and the Utah Hockey Club this season. The two teams meet on Dec. 14 in San Jose before concluding the season series on Jan. 10 in Salt Lake City.
–Field Level Media