Nick Schmaltz goes over game winner, the value of road wins and the Super Bowl It came down to the wire, but ultimately, Utah (24-23-9) notched its first-ever shootout win and heads into the 4 Nations break with an impressive victory After allowing a season high seven goals in a loss to the Carolina Hurricanes less than 24 hours ago, Utah faced a tough challenge as it had to travel to Washington to take on the Capitals, a team with the second-most wins in the NHL and the second-highest goals per game, averaging 3.56. With Utah goalie Karel Vejmelka stretching his left leg to stop Capitals' Jakob Chychrun Snap Shot from winning the game late in overtime, Utah was tasked to do something it had never done before: win a shootout. With the Capitals coming back from a 4-2 deficit to tie the game and not allowing Utah to score since the second period, Utah would need to muster up any remaining energy it had to pull out the win. But it was clear early on that Utah wasn't phased by its previous two shootout losses to Minnesota and Anaheim nor the Captials' comeback, as Nick Schmaltz scored on Utah's opening shot, Schmaltz was able to get Capitals goalie Logan Thompson to bite after making it seem like he was going to shoot from his left side. But with Thompson leaning towards that side, Schmaltz quickly adjusted his shot to go to the right side for the goal. "We were generating a lot. Sometimes they don't go in, but we stuck with it and found a way to get two points," said Schmaltz. "That's all that matters." However, the Capitals still had ample opportunities to win as it had two more shots left in shootout period. But after shots from Aliaksei Protas and Dylan Strome, whose third period goal was vital for in Washington's efforts to force overtime, were stopped by Vejmelka, Utah had made franchise history. Vejmelka's performance was particularly impressive for Utah, as he played in place of Utah's starting goalie Connor Ingram, who exited the game after a puck hit him directly in the facemask. [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/utah/latest-news/connor-ingrams-exits-after-receiving-a-puck-to-the-face] Even after the unexpected injury forced Vejmelka back onto the ice, he never seemed unprepared on route to a 30-save night that included some very important and clutch stops. "He was assertive," said coach André Tourigny. "He never felt he was shaky or whatever. He was assertive. He wanted to play and was confident. Good for him." But regardless of whether or not Vejmelka was meant to play, his effort helped Utah secure a win against one of the best teams in the league and keep the team within six points of the last Wild Card spot, currently held by the Vancouver Canucks. Early in the game, Utah got off to a furious start, scoring three goals in 7:07, including two goals in the opening 1:42, which tied Washington for the fastest two goals to start a game, a feat the Capitals also have accomplished back in November. [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/washington-capitals/takes/washington-capitals-takeaways-columbus-blue-jackets-112] The first goal would come from Josh Doan, who surprisingly shot the puck just past the blue line. With Lawson Crouse taking Washington defenseman Martin Fehervary to the net, space opened up for Doan to take and make the shot. His goal marked the third consecutive game in which he has registered a point. Interestingly, Ingram earned an assist on the play, his second consecutive assist after tallying his first of the season on Dylan Guenther’s game-winner. [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/utah/game-day/dylan-guenther-gets-second-consecutive-overtime-game-winner-redeems-utah-in-3-2-win-against-columbus] Later, Doan assisted on Jack McBain's goal, Utah's third of the day, marking Doan's second multi-point game of the season. Utah's fast start didn’t stop with Doan. Another goal came for Utah just 32 seconds later, this time from Michael Carcone. At first, Chychrun was covering Carcone, but with no one on Guenther, Chychrun tried to switch his assignment onto teammate Trevor van Riemsydk. However, the switch came too late as Guenther passed it to Carcone who immediately scored the goal. Guenther also registered his team-leading eighth power-play goal in the second period. Strangely enough, the first three shots on goal by both teams—two from Utah and one from Washington—resulted in goals. The goal for the Capitals would come right after a tripping minor from Utah's Olli Määttä gave them the power play. Tom Wilson's shot would get past Ingram's leg despite him partially hitting it with his save. Washington would also score on its second power play opportunity to cut Utah's lead in first period down to only 3-2. But after being held scoreless in the second and allowing Guenther to score on a Utah power play, the Capitals still managed to send the game to overtime by pulling Thompson for an extra attacker. In the end, Utah was able to survive Washington's 43 shots and its efficient power play to win the game. Up next for both teams is the much needed 4 Nations break. Image [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjEyNTM0NDQ2ODY2Mzc2MjAx/google-news.png]
