Clayton Keller's 18th goal of the season not enough as Utah falls, 3-1, in Ottawa

Claude Giroux broke a third-period tie and added an assist, rookie Leevi Merilainen made 34 saves and the Ottawa Senators beat Utah 3-1 on Sunday night.

The Utah Hockey Club has played better games than the one it had on Sunday. Here's what went wrong, in addition to some things it did well.

Against a tough Ottawa team that recorded 12 hits in the first period, Utah came out aggressive and disruptive on defense in the second. But by the third period, it was Ottawa who broke through Utah's defense first with two goals.

Leevi Merilainen made 34 saves, and the Ottawa Senators won 3-1 against the Utah Hockey Club at Canadian Tire Centre on Sunday. Merilainen, a rookie who is 5-1-1 in his past seven starts, stretched to make a pad save on a bat from Logan Cooley to keep it 3-1 at 18:14 of the third

A Utah turnover while on the power play led to the Senators’ first goal of the game in the second period. Shane Pinto and Ridly Greig exploded on a two-on-1 as Utah’s Nick Schmaltz trailed while trying to get back. Greig one-timed Pinto’s pass past goalie Karel Vejmelka at 12:16 for the 1-0 advantage.

Utah's lone goal came on a flukey bounce in the second period. Clayton Keller sent a pass into the slot that was intended for Logan Cooley, but it hit off Ottawa's Ridly Greig and into the back of the net. It was Keller's 18th goal of the season and extended his point streak to seven games.

Coming off a 2-1 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs in the Battle of Ontario on Saturday, Ottawa closed out the weekend with its second straight win by knocking off the Utah Hockey Club 3-1 in front of 16,897 on Sunday night at the Canadian Tire Centre.

The organization will turn to its fans to help find another new name with the final three names in the running being Utah Hockey Club, Utah Mammoth and Utah Wasatch.

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Game Preview, 1/26: Utah Hockey Club vs. Ottawa Senators WHEN: 3:00 p.m. MT WHERE: Canadian Tire Centre - Ottawa, Ontario TV: SEG+, UtahHC+, Utah 16 | RADIO: KSL Sports Zone 97.5 FM, NHL App

Prediction for the NHL-1 match between Ottawa vs Utah, which will take place on January 27th. Who will turn out to be stronger? Check the teams' conditions! Several betting options are available.