Utah Spoils Debut Party by Beating Blackhawks 5-2

There was a nice buzz in the United Center before the puck dropped, with two more first-round picks making their NHL debuts. However, the Utah Hockey Club spoiled the party atmosphere by scoring four unanswered goals in a 5-2 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks.

The day’s big news was the NHL debuts of defenseman Sam Rinzel and forward Oliver Moore just three days after their college season and careers ended at the University of Minnesota.

“They’re going to be excited,” said interim head coach Anders Sorensen. “So, just trust their games and play their games. It’s going to be exciting to watch them. They bring some really good attributes that should translate really well to this level. Just play your game. As we go along, we’ll work through some structure stuff. They know the scaffolding of the structure, so just go play.”

It took nearly half the game for the goals to come, but they came often once the dam was broken. Utah defenseman Nick DeSimone opened the scoring when his shot from the left point found its way through traffic. The Blackhawks responded quickly as Joe Veleno showcased some nice moves after receiving a pass from Artyom Levshunov.

Ryan Donato gave the Blackhawks a 2-1 lead by roofing the rebound off a Connor Bedard shot for his 29^th goal of the season. The lead didn’t last long, as Mikhail Sergachev’s shot from the left point hit off Kevin Korchinski’s skate and got past Arvid Soderblom. Utah took the lead 31 seconds later on nearly the same play as Alex Kerfoot directed Sergachev’s shot into the Blackhawks net.

Utah added two insurance goals from Kailer Yamamoto and Logan Cooley on similar plays, with traffic moving in front of the net to take away Soderblom’s vision.

“There have been times in the last couple of games where you see we’re doing some really good things,” Sorensen said after the game. “Then, when we have a little hiccup, we have a hard time stopping it after that. But a lot of the young guys are doing a lot of good things.”

Sam Rinzel Impresses in Debut

When Rinzel was drafted with the 25^th overall pick in 2022, many experts said he was a long-term project. Less than three years later, he’s in the NHL. He made tremendous strides during his two seasons at the University of Minnesota.

“I think I simplified a lot while also keeping offense there,” he said. “Growing into my body, I still have to do that a little bit. Fine-tuning the details – knowing how to use my stick. Being able to gap up and shut people down quickly.”

Sorensen was impressed with Rinzel’s skating and added that he had good habits for a first-day pro. He paired the rooking defenseman with Wyatt Kaiser on Sunday. Rinzel’s skating was as good as advertised, and he was willing to shoot all afternoon long.

In Rinzel’s 16:19 5 ice time, the Blackhawks had 19 shot attempts to Utah’s 18. They had an 11-8 shot advantage, scoring chances were even at 12-12, and each team scored a goal. Overall, he finished with four shots on goal with seven attempts and two hits.

“His mentality of attack and advancing pucks with his feet are attributes that are, at this level, really positive,” said Sorensen. “And you can see that for a first game, that was pretty impressive to watch.”

Oliver Moore Shows No Fear

After Kyle Davidson drafted Connor Bedard first overall in 2023, he worked the phones to try to move and draft Moore, fearing he wouldn’t be on the board when they picked again at 19. Moore was still there as it played out, and Davidson got his guy. While Moore didn’t put up the numbers in college some wanted to see, he is happy with where his game is at.

 “I felt like I was starting to dominate in many different facets of the game,” he said. “Obviously, my production this year wasn’t Hobey Baker finalist or anything like that. But the chances I was getting and the places I was getting myself into, I think I’m going to get a lot of reps here wherever they play me.”

Moore made a good first impression on his head coach. After Saturday’s practice, Sorensen referred to him as a “buzzsaw” and was impressed with his passing abilities. He started Moore’s NHL career on the third line with Veleno and Nick Foligno.

“He’s got a lot of pace of play,” Sorensen said before the game. “Joey has been good in the last couple of games, so we’ll take a look at those guys together. And Fliggy, obviously, has the experience with a young kid coming in. Having him to talk to on the bench and the ice helps out.”

Calling Moore a buzzsaw is perfect. He was noticeable on his very first shift. The young forward was never tentative and looked like he belonged from the opening shift. I was impressed with his confidence. You could tell he was well-coached the past two seasons. He kept his stick on the ice while defending and was in the right spots on the ice.

Moore played 15:03 of total ice time in his debut. He finished with two shots goal, and his line had a 54.5 Corsi For percentage (CF%) at 5v5 but allowed two goals. He is far from a finished product, but you can see the raw talent.

Odds & Ends

• There was a scary moment late in the second period when Kerfoot slashed Alex Vlasic on the knee. He stayed on the ice for a few moments before skating directly to the locker room. Thankfully, it looked a lot worse as he returned to the game before the second intermission.

• When Davidson woke up on draft day back in 2022, he had no first-round picks. After making a trio of trades, he made his way on stage to make three picks. All three of those picks – Korchinski, Frank Nazar, and Rinzel – were on the second power-play unit. When you add Bedard, Moore, and Levshunov, six of Davidson’s eight first-round picks played on Sunday.
• Speaking of Nazar, he was terrific against Utah. He had five shots on goal on 11 attempts, produced five scoring chances, and won 63% of his faceoffs. His stats will skyrocket once he figures out how to start burying these chances with great frequency.