The Ducks had the last say in a back-and-forth thriller in Orange County Wednesday night.
After nearly a week on the road, the Utah Hockey Club is happy just to be headed home.
That seemed to be the message throughout the locker room following a heartbreaking 5-4 overtime loss to the Anaheim Ducks Wednesday at the Honda Center.
The club rallied to take a 4-3 lead with nine minutes to go in regulation, but another injury to the defence -- first-time starter Robert Bortuzzo -- once again put Utah on their heels.
And once again, the club couldn't find that extra gear to take home the extra point.
Despite the bitter defeat, head coach Andre Tourigny said there are plenty of positives to take away from the road trip, with taking 5 of a possible 8 points one of them.
One accomplishment that cannot be understated is stealing an overtime win at Madison Square Garden against the New York Rangers, which made Utah one of only two expansion franchises to start 3-0 in its first season.
"It's tough to ask for more (from these guys)," he added. "You can see a little bit of mental fatigue, but in terms of character and fighting for the team, it was an A-plus."
Utah saw that all over the ice both offensively and defensively, as each forward recorded at least one shot on goal, with Michael Kesselring bagging his first of the season and Jack McBain scoring his second in three games.
Now, all focus shifts to what will be a difficult three-game homestand starting Saturday against the Boston Bruins.
"We have a ton of respect (for Anaheim)," Tourigny said. "It might be young talent, but it's still talent. We knew what kind of game it would be."