On a day when Calgary, the current holder of the final Wild Card spot, lost 4-2 to Colorado—just days after a shootout loss to the Canucks—Utah had a prime opportunity to close the gap and create a three-way tie with both teams.
Instead, Utah fell into a trap game against the Seattle Kraken and lost 4-2 in regulation.
"I think we need to have a playoff mindset," said head coach André Tourigny. "If you lose 9-1, 22-0 or 1-0, you need to be ready for the next game. Not happy about what happened here tonight, but I know we won't be perfect until the end of the season"
While it was easy to eagerly anticipate Sunday’s game against Vancouver due to its playoff significance, Utah first would begin its road trip against the Seattle Kraken.