Category: NHL

Utah Mammoth game wrap: Stamkos Sparks Predators 4-3 Comeback Win Over Mammoth

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Alex Kerfoot (15) and the Utah Mammoth played a tight game against the Nashville Predators but couldn’t seal the deal in a one goal loss at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City (Utah Mammoth X photo)

By Tom Walker

SALT LAKE CITY–Utah began the scoring in each of the three periods, but Nashville drew even each time before taking the only lead they would need with a 4-3 win.

The Utah Mammoth (18-18-3) closed out 2025 at home on Monday night against the visiting Nashville Predators (16-17-4). Prior to the Christmas break, Utah lost a tough road game in Colorado in which backup goaltender Vítek Vaněček, who unexpectedly started in place of Karel Vejmelka who injured himself earlier in the morning, held the Avalanche to a single goal, but the Mammoth offense was completely shut down by the Colorado defense in the 1-0 loss.

Making history for the Mammoth in that game was the signing of Emergency Backup Goalie (EBUG) Colten McIntyre to a professional tryout contract. McIntyre is the first Utah-born and raised player to suit up for the franchise and sit on the team bench in the event that Vaněček should also go down.

Though his services weren’t required in the game, it was a memorable experience for the 21-year-old Park City native who won three state championships playing for Park City High School. Prior to the puck drop in Colorado, the Mammoth had McIntyre skate a lap around the rink in recognition of his roster appearance.

As a full-time practice goalie for Utah, McIntyre is already well acquainted with facing NHL-level shots on goal, and his teammates and coaching staff gave him tons of encouragement and support heading into the game. After Monday morning’s practice, McIntyre told the media that he had been kicking back in the bathtub of his Denver hotel room, watching “Scooby Doo,” when he received word that he would be suiting up. He quickly got ready, caught an Uber to Ball Arena, and signed his professional tryout agreement which permitted him to don the Mammoth jersey and join the team.

Nashville provided Utah with an early power play opportunity in the first period when Nicolas Hague went to the sin bin for high-sticking against Barrett Hayton at 4:56. The Mammoth cashed it in with Clayton Keller sending the puck to Dylan Guenther near the goal crease, who immediately passed it across to the opposite side of the net where JJ Peterka’s stick was waiting to bang the puck in for his 15th of the season.

The Predators would even things up by the halfway mark of the period on Roman Josi’s 4th goal of the season, assisted by Filip Forsberg and Steven Stamkos. The two squads finished the period knotted up at 1-1, with Juuse Saros stopping 10 of 11 shots for Nashville, and Vaněček turning away 6 of 7.

At 3:41 of the second period, Utah defenseman Mikhail Sergachev smashed a trademark laser line drive from the blue line past Saros for his 5th goal of the season, assisted by Nick Schmaltz and Sean Durzi, to put the Mammoth ahead 2-1.

That lead didn’t last long, with Predators forward Luke Evangelista finding the back of the net four minutes later with his 6th goal of the season, assisted by Tyson Jost and Nick Blankenburg. Once again, both teams went to the locker room at the period break with a tie score. Saros stopped 9 of 10 Utah shots, while Vaněček turned away 8 of 9.

Just over four minutes into the third period, Dylan Guenther continued the succession of early goals in a period with his 17th of the season, a sweet backhand past the outstretched arms of Saros to put the Mammoth ahead 3-2, assisted by Lawson Crouse and Barrett Hayton.

Nashville, in turn, continued their succession of responding to Utah’s offensive efforts with a goal of their own. With Utah forward Kevin Stenlund in the penalty box for slashing against Forsberg, future Hall of Famer Steven Stamkos netted his 16th of the season with just over eight minutes remaining the game, assisted by Ryan O’Reilly and Evangelista.

Barely a minute and a half later, Stamkos struck again at short range to beat Vaněček with his 17th, assisted again by O’Reilly as well as Nick Perbix, to give the Predators their first lead of the game at 4-3. Nashville opened the door for a potential Mammoth comeback committing two penalties in the closing minutes, but Utah was unable to convert the opportunities as Saros stood tall in net for the Predators. With the loss, Vaněček’s record in the crease falls to 2-9-1.

In the Mammoth locker room, Mikhail Sergachev said, “I thought we played better for most of the game. We were sloppy on the PK, and the last goal there cost us the game I think. We’ve got to be more focused in those crucial moments in the game.” Sergachev, known for being a fierce competitor, said that the team needs more fight. “We were in the fight,” Sergachev opined. “I feel like we got down on ourselves because we gave up a goal. We were up, and we thought we were going to win. Just got a little too high and didn’t defend twice there and you know, the puck (got) in the back of the net.” Talking about how to put teams away when defending a 3rd period lead, Sergachev said, “you have to learn from your mistakes and not repeat them. That’s what we got to do. We know what the problem is. We just have to work through it. There’s gonna be some lapses and stuff, but we gotta get into it and play much better there in the crucial last 10 minutes of the game.”

Responding to the question of what he wants to see from the team moving forward, said, “I think just execution. Honestly, I thought we outplayed them. They had a little bit of a push there when we went out. But I think just execution all over the ice. When you get a chance, score, pass on the tape, and just bear down. … I know we had a few days off or whatever, but I feel like there’s not that much time to waste. Every game is important, so (we need to) make sure that we’re bearing down.”

A somber Utah Mammoth Head Coach André Tourigny opened his remarks to the media by saying, “A tough, tough result. Frustrating. We played really well for the long stretch of the game at five-on-five, on our power play, even on our PK. Our one mistake, a big mistake on the PK there, the broken stick was four-on-four. We should have been more aggressive, and we gave an opportunity for them to have a clean look from the slot, so that’s unfortunate. Other than that, five-on-five, I think we did a really good job defensively, but we need to find a way in key situations and key moments and when push comes to shove, to be better.” Pointing to the positive aspects of the game, Bear commented, “We doubled them in scoring chances, so we did a lot of good. I think it would be nitpicking if I go and say ‘a little bit more of this, a little bit more of that.’ At the end of the day, I guess we doubled them at five-on-five and special teams. There’s a matter of getting opportunistic, scoring big goals in key moments. I think in the third, we gave them two chances at five-on-five, one or two. They were opportunistic, and they found a way to get the two points. We need to learn from them.” While praising the team’s overall defense, Tourigny made no mention of the elephant in the room – the goaltender situation. If Vejmelka remains out of the lineup for any extended period of time, the Mammoth will need more victories from Vaněček or look into alternatives.

The Mammoth will ring in the new year in the Big Apple with a January 1st game against the New York Islanders followed by matches against the New Jersey Devils and New York Rangers before returning to Delta Center to open a season-long seven game homestand beginning January 7 against the Ottawa Senators.

Macklin Celebrini’s Three-Point Night Lifts Sharks to 5-4 Win Over Ducks

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Macklin Celebrini #71 of the San Jose Sharks skates during the third period of a game against the Anaheim Ducks at Honda Center on December 29, 2025 in Anaheim, California. (Mandatory Photo Credit: Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)

By Jeremiah Salmonson

ANAHEIM — The San Jose Sharks were back in action on Monday night in Anaheim to take on the Anaheim Ducks at Honda Center. The Ducks were coming off a bad loss to their neighbors in Los Angeles as they fell to the Los Angeles Kings on Friday, 6-1. The Sharks were wrapping up the last of a three-game road trip that saw them make stops in Las Vegas and Vancouver prior to the journey to Anaheim. On Monday, two of the younger upstart teams in the NHL went head to head for the second time this season. The prior matchup that came early on in the schedule was an overtime victory by the Ducks in San Jose. The Sharks got their revenge on Monday, defeating the Ducks 5-4 in Anaheim.

In the first period, the initial 10 minutes were dominated by pressure from the Ducks. The Sharks were struggling to keep up with the pace the Ducks were playing with and spent very little time in their zone. The Ducks had nine shots compared to the Sharks’ three through 10 minutes; however, that turned in the back half of the period. At the 10:43 mark, Mario Ferraro tucked the puck into the net for his second goal of the season to give the Sharks a 1-0 lead. The goal was assisted by Alex Wennberg (18) and Adam Gaudette (6).

What transpired then was a travesty for the Sharks. Yaroslav Askarov played a puck behind the net, and as he was out of his crease, the puck was stolen and easily scored into the empty net as the Ducks tied the game at one apiece. It was an embarrassing blunder by a goaltender who is no stranger to that type of mistake, as he is prone to them with his aggressive style of goaltending. However, the Sharks quickly dusted themselves off and took the lead right back on a Macklin Celebrini goal at the 19:12 mark of the first period. Celebrini’s goal, which was his 21st of the season, was assisted by Alex Wennberg (19) and Tyler Toffoli (16). The Sharks led 2-1 at the end of the first, but the Ducks outshot them 14-7 overall.

In the second period, the Sharks continued to pour it on. The Sharks weren’t impressing much with shots on goal as they only had three all period, yet they managed two goals in the period. The first came courtesy of Igor Chernyshov on what was his second goal of his career at the 6:30 mark of the period. It was assisted by Macklin Celebrini (38) and Sam Dickinson (3). William Eklund would score the next goal for the Sharks, his 10th of the season, at the 12:17 mark of the period. Eklund’s goal was assisted by Macklin Celebrini as it put the Sharks up 4-1. The Ducks would get one more goal in the second period as the game would go to the third period with the Sharks leading 4-2. Shots on goal would remain sharply in the Ducks’ favor as they were outshooting the Sharks 27-10 through the first two periods of action.

In the third period, you just had a feeling the Ducks weren’t going to go away quietly.

Indeed, the Ducks came out in the third period and scored at the 3:07 mark to get an early goal and pull within one, making it a 4-3 game. Shortly after the goal, Macklin Celebrini took a puck off the face that deflected off a skate and went straight to the dressing room. He would return to the bench a few minutes later, right as the Sharks scored their fifth goal of the game to go up 5-3. The goal was scored by Zack Ostapchuk, which was his first goal of the season. Ostapchuk’s goal was assisted by Vincent Iorio (3) and Barclay Goodrow (5).

However, the Ducks weren’t done yet. They scored again as they pulled their goaltender to pull back within one goal and make it a 5-4 game. The Sharks then followed shortly after with a John Klingberg tripping penalty that gave the Ducks the man advantage with just over three minutes to go in the game. The Sharks were able to kill that penalty and defeated the Ducks by a 5-4 final.

The final shots on goal totals weren’t pretty, as the Ducks outshot the Sharks 42-13, but that didn’t worry head coach Ryan Warsofsky.

“As the shot counter was what it was, I didn’t really think our game was as bad as maybe the shot counter looked,” Warsofsky said after the game.

It was a big win for the Sharks, one that even just a year ago they most likely would have lost. As for Askarov’s early-game blunder, it wasn’t a sticking point with the Sharks’ head coach.

“He’s mentally tough. He’s a competitor. He doesn’t get rattled, and if you want to be a good goalie in this league, you can’t get rattled… when we needed him, he made the saves.”

Yet, Askarov was hard on himself postgame and on the standards he holds himself to.

“I was talking with myself before the game and I was like, ‘it’s the game when I have to start playing with the puck more…’ and that happened, and I was like, what a f—— idiot.”

In all the action that took place on Monday, Macklin Celebrini’s performance may have slipped under the radar. However, the dressing room was keenly aware of his performance and heaped praise on the young center.

Macklin finished the game with three points (one goal and two assists) and took a puck to the left under-eye before shortly returning to the bench. As Team Canada prepares to announce the remainder of its roster for Milan 2026 on Wednesday, there’s very little doubt in the minds of the Sharks that Macklin, a Vancouver native, will be selected.

“He has to be on that team,” William Eklund said after the game. “It would be weird otherwise.”

With the win, the Sharks improved to 19-17-3 with 41 points and moved two points up on the Seattle Kraken for the second wild card spot.

Up Next: The Sharks will return to San Jose to take on the Minnesota Wild on Wednesday at 1 p.m. PST inside SAP Center.

Sharks Win 6-3 Over Canucks, End Losing Streak

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San Jose center Macklin Celebrini celebrates his third period goal against the Vancouver Canucks at Rogers Centre in Vancouver on Sat Dec 27, 2025 (Canadian Press via AP photo)

By Mary Walsh

The San Jose Sharks defeated the Vancouver Canucks 6-3 on Saturday. Ryan Reaves, John Klingberg, William Eklund, Igor Chernyshov, Macklin Celebrini and Collin Graf scored for San Jose. Yaroslav Askarov made 23 saves for the win. Linus Karlsson, Drew O’Connor and Marco Rossi scored for the Canucks. Thatcher Demko made 31 saves in the loss.

The win ended a three game losing streak for the Sharks, and also a many-year losing streak in Vancouver. The Sharks had not won a game there since 2019. After the game, Sharks Head Coach Ryan Warsofsky said: “When we’re skating, playing with structure, we’re competing, we’re a hard team to play against and we’ve seen that this year. We’ve just got to do it consistently.”

Ryan Reaves scored the first goal of the game at 6:11. A scramble in front of the net left the puck sitting in the blue paint between the goaltender and the goal line. Reaves pushed through the crowd and tapped it over the line. Assists went to Barclay Goodrow and Vincent Iorio.

John Klingberg made it 2-0 at 7:55. After catching the puck off of an offensive zone faceoff, Klingberg skated to the middle of the blue line for a wrist shot that went right in. Macklin Celebrini got an assist on the goal.

Linus Karlsson trimmed the Sharks lead to 2-1 with a power play goal at 10:04. Karlsson’s wrist shot came from in close, off a pass from Connor Garland. An assist also went to Filip Hronek.

The Sharks outshot the Canucks 11-8 in the first period. Each team took one penalty.

William Eklund got credit for the only second period goal. Eklund sent the puck into the net traffic and it went off of a Canucks defender and in.

The Sharks outshot the Canucks 11-6 in the second period and, again, each team took one penalty.

Just 36 seconds into the third, Marco Rossi made it 3-2. The rebound from a Filip Hronek shot went up in the air and right to Rossi. Assists went to Hronek and Garland.

Igor Chernyshov scored on the power play to make it 4-2 at 4:47. An Adam Gaudette pass found Chernyshov in front of the net for a wrist shot. An assist also went to Dmitry Orlov as well.

Drew O’Connor scored a short-handed goal at 10:43 with a snap shot.

Macklin Celebrini scored to make it 6-3. Chernyshov passed the puck up from near the goal line as Celebrini tapped his stick to call for the puck. Celebrini shot as soon as he go the puck, wasting no time. Assists went to Chernyshov and Eklund.

Collin Graf scored into an empty net at 18:55. Assists went to Alexander Wennberg and Mario Ferrraro.

San Jose held a small lead in shots in the third, 15-13. Vancouver took three penalties and San Jose took two.

The Sharks next play on Monday in Anaheim against the Ducks at 7:00 PM PT.

San Jose Sharks podcast Mary Lisa: Sharks hoping to end 3 game skid against struggling Canucks tonight

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San Jose Sharks Macklin Celebrini (71) and the Sharks take on the Vancouver Canucks at Rogers Centre in Vancouver BC on Sat Dec 27, 2025 (photo from Facebook)

San Jose Sharks podcast Mary Lisa:


#1 San Jose Sharks Macklin Celebrini leads the Sharks in scoring with 19 goals and 36 assists this season — can he find the scoresheet again against the Canucks’ defense?


#2 After a close Nov. 28 meeting where William Eklund scored power-play goals, will they again be key to San Jose’s attack?


#3 With veterans like Dmitry Orlov and John Klingberg anchoring the blueline, how well can they limit Vancouver’s scoring chances?


#4 Sharks goaltender Yaroslav Askarov has seen increased NHL action — how will he respond to Vancouver’s offensive pressure and what kind of save percentage can Sharks fans expect?

#5 Is Adam Gaudette or Collin Graf poised for a big game?
Both forwards have contributed offensively in recent outings — will one of them be the X-factor to help San Jose snap their three-game skid?

Mary Lisa does the San Jose Sharks podcasts each Saturday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

San Jose Sharks podcast Lincoln Juarez: Sharks look to power play and penalty kill in game plan against Canucks

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San Jose Sharks defenseman John Klingberg (3) and Vegas Golden Knights Mitch Marner (93) fight for the puck at the T Mobile Center in Las Vegas Tue Dec 23, 2025 (AP News photo)

San Jose Sharks podcast Lincoln Juarez:

#1 Can Macklin Celebrini continue his recent scoring pace and be the X-factor for the Sharks in Vancouver?

#2 How will goaltending matchups influence the outcome — can Sharks’ Yaroslav Askarov steal a game on the road?

#3 Will the Sharks’ depth forwards like William Eklund and Collin Graf make a difference against Vancouver’s penalty kill?

#4 Can San Jose slow down Vancouver’s dominant defense and transition game, especially on the power play?

#5 What impact will special teams (power play and penalty kill) have in this matchup between the Sharks and Canucks?

San Jose Sharks podcast with Lincoln Juarez is heard Fridays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

San Jose Sharks podcast Len Shapiro: Sharks looking to bounce back from three game skid ; Faceoff with Vancouver Saturday

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The Vegas Golden Knights right winger Mark Stone (61) and the Knights had San Jose Sharks goaltender Alex Nedelijkovic (33) reaching for pucks all night long at T Mobile Center in Las Vegas on Tue Dec 23, 2025 (AP News photo)

San Jose Sharks podcast Len Shapiro:

#1 The Sharks’ star forward Macklin Celebrini has been a key part of San Jose’s scoring attack this season — how will he match up against the Canucks’ defense and can he find space to generate offense in this road game?

#2 William Eklund has been one of San Jose’s top creators. How effective will he be at setting up scoring chances against a Canucks team that has shown strong defensive performances recently?

#3 How will goaltending by Yaroslav Askarov impact San Jose’s chances? Askarov made a big number of saves in the previous matchup with Vancouver — can he keep the Sharks competitive again in Vancouver and withstand the Canucks’ offensive presence.

#4 With Macklin Celebrini leading San Jose’s scoring this season and showing dynamic playmaking and finishing ability, how will he impact the Sharks’ offense against a Anaheim Ducks team that has given up goals in stretches — and can he set the tone early on offense?

#5 Askarov in goal and William Eklund as a top creator are key to San Jose’s prospects — will Askarov’s saves keep the Sharks close if Anaheim presses the pace, and can Eklund generate sustained scoring chances to support Celebrini?

Join Len Shapiro for the San Jose Sharks podcasts weekly at http://www.sportsradioservice.com


NHL podcast Jessica Kwong: Islanders Pelech gets gamer to defeat New Jersey; Rangers clobber Capitals 7-3; plus more NHL news

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New York Islanders Adam Pelech scores a second period goal against the Washington Islanders at UBS Arena in Elmont NY on Tue Dec 23, 2025 (AP News photo)

NHL podcast Jessica Kwong:

#1 How did Adam Pelech’s late game-winning goal lift the New York Islanders over the New Jersey Devils, and what role did David Rittich play in the victory?

#2 What sparked the New York Rangers’ offensive explosion in the third period against the Capitals, and how did Vincent Trocheck and Artemi Panarin contribute to the win?

#3 In the Panthers’ comeback against the Hurricanes, how did Sam Reinhart’s playmaking and contributions from Anton Lundell and Sergei Bobrovsky fuel the turnaround?

#4 What impact did Steven Stamkos’ overtime goal have for the Nashville Predators in their 3-2 win over the Wild, and how did Roman Josi and Ryan O’Reilly factor into the game?

#5 The Toronto Maple Leafs defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins 6-3, how did William Nylander and Sidney Crosby influence the game for their respective teams?

Join Jessica Kwong for the NHL podcasts everyother Wednesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Golden Knights Rout the Sharks, Win 7-2; Celebrini, Graf Extend Point Streaks, Loss streak hits

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San Jose Sharks defenseman John Klingberg (3) and Vegas Golden Knights Mitch Marner (93) fight for the puck at the T Mobile Center in Las Vegas Tue Dec 23, 2025 (AP News photo)

By Mary Walsh

LAS VEGAS- The San Jose Sharks were defeated 7-2 by the Vegas Golden Knights Tuesday. Bret Howden, Mitch Marner, Colton Sissons, Tomas Hertl, Mark Stone and Reilly Smith scored for the Golden Knights (17-8-10). Carter Hart made 21 saves for the win. Macklin Celebrini and Collin Graf scored for the San Jose Sharks (17-17-3). Yaroslav Askarov started the game for San Jose and made 12 saves on 16 shots. Alex Nedeljkovic made seven saves on ten shots in the 7-2 loss at the T Mobile Center.

The loss was the third in a row for the Sharks, and the lopsided score was more reminiscent of last season than this one. “When you’re chasing a game down five nothing, after the first against a team like that, it’s tough sledding,” said Ryan Reaves after the game. He described the Sharks’ game as “Doing everything the exact opposite of what we talked about before the game.”

Bret Howden started the scoring at 1:49. Skating into the zone, Howden passed the puck to Braeden Bowman, who passed it right back for Howden’s snap shot. An assist also went to Reilly Smith.

Next up was Mitch Marner with a power play goal at 9:07. From the hash marks, Marner sent the puck to the net and it went off of SJ21’s skate. Assists went to Noah Hanifin and Pavel Dorofeyev.

At 11:37, Colton Sissons made it 3-0. Skating into the zone two-on-one with Keegan Kolesar, trading passes, Sissons scored with a wrist shot from close in. An assist also went to Brandon Saad.

Tomas Hertl scored with a snap shot at 14:57 from the edge of the faceoff circle. An assist went to Dorofeyev.

The Sharks pulled Askarov out after that goal and sent in Nedeljkovic. On the first shot Nedeljkovic faced, Mark Stone scored with a backhand. Assists went to Ivan Barbashev and Kaeden Korczak.

At the end of the first period, The Sharks had just five shots on goal to Vegas’s 17. The Sharks toook two penalties and Vegas took one.

Macklin Celebrini trimmed the Vegas lead by one at 6:49 of the second period. Celebrini caught a pass in the slot and took his shot. That pass came from Tyler Toffoli.

Reilly Smith restored the five-goal lead at 18:50 with a slap shot off a pass from Korczak. An assist also went to Bowman.

In the second period, the Sharks had even fewer shots on goal, only four. Vegas had just five. The Sharks took the only penalty in the second.

Mitch Marner scored his second of the game at 5:22 of the third. Marner skated into the zone with Stone and Barbashev three-on-two. Marner, in the middle, caught a pass from Stone and scored with a wrist shot.

Collin Graf scored his tenth of the season at 8:04. Graf scored on a rebound from Toffoli’s shot. An assist also went to Alexander Wennberg.

The shots in the third were 14-4 San Jose.

The Sharks next play on Saturday in Vancouver at 7:00 PM PT against the Canucks.

Utah Mammoth game wrap:Utah Activates Afterburners, Shooting Down Jets 4-3 In Overtime 

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Winnipeg Jets center Cole Pefetti (91) battles for the puck against the Utah Mammoth defenseman John Marino (6) in the second period at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Sun Dec 21, 2025 (AP News photo)

By Tom Walker

SALT LAKE CITY–Utah Mammoth Alexander Kerfoot scores in second appearance following return, and Clayton Keller gets the OT game-winner in final home game before Christmas in 4-3 win over the Winnipeg Jets.

The Mammoth (17-17-3) wrapped up their brief two-game homestand on Sunday evening, their final home game before Christmas, against division rival Jets (15-17-2).

At 5:17 of the first period, Mammoth forward Dylan Guenther lined a bullet just wide right of the Winnipeg net which ricocheted off the rear dasher boards and past the left side of the net to linemate Lawson Crouse who put the puck past Connor Hellebuyck for his 9th goal of the season, with the additional assist going to Barrett Hayton. 

Crouse is now just three goals shy of his 2024-2025 scoring mark.  A little more than four minutes later, Utah captain Clayton Keller found JJ Peterka in front of the net and wired a perfect lateral pass from behind the goal line and onto Peterka’s stick who knocked the puck in for his 14th goal of the season, with Nick Schmaltz picking up the additional assist, increasing the Mammoth lead to 2-0.

Peterka now trails only Dylan Guenther for the team in goals. In an opening period with very few shots on goal, Hellebuyck turned away 5 of 7 while Utah netminder Karel Vejmelka stopped all four shots by the Jets.

Three minutes into the second period, a series of crisp tic-tac-toe passes from the Mammoth offense concluded with Kerfoot, playing in just his second game of the season since returning from injury, blasting a slap shot past Hellebuyck, who was screened by Liam O’Brien, for his first goal of the year, assisted by Sean Durzi and Mikhail Sergachev to make it 3-0 Utah. 

It was Kerfoot’s first goal since last March 30 at Chicago. Shortly past the halfway mark of the period, O’Brien went to the sin bin for interference against Neal Pionk, and Winnipeg forward Kyle Connor cashed in the power play goal for his 16th of the season, assisted by Mark Scheifele and Gabriel Vilardi, narrowing the gap to 3-1.  Shots on goal remained on the low side in the second period, with each netminder turning away 7 of 8.

With less than 5 minutes remaining in the 3rd period, the Jets scored 2 goals in 25 seconds to suddenly even the score at 3-3 with 4:12 to play.  First, Kyle Connor scored his second of the game with a slap shot for his 17th on the season, assisted by Josh Morrissey and Mark Scheifele. Then Morgan Barron netted his 7th of the season on a snap shot, assisted by Tanner Pearson.  The remainder of the period, both teams played not to lose rather than making any aggressive moves which might backfire.

The Mammoth wasted no time in the overtime period, with Keller scoring the game-winner just 13 seconds into the frame, the fastest overtime goal in franchise history, assisted by Dylan Guenther and Mikhail Sergachev. 

Keller’s 12 goal of the season, and third game-winner, improved Utah’s home record to 9-6-1, and 18-17-3 overall.  He leads the Mammoth with ten multi-point games this season.  Vejmelka is tied for the NHL lead with 15 wins.

During his postgame remarks, Lawson Crouse talked about the final five minutes of the game.  “Yeah, we made it interesting for ourselves,” Crouse began. “Obviously I feel like Gunner has been clutching in OT all season long. Incredible pass, incredible shot by Kells. Definitely not the way we wanted the third period to go. But credit to our group. That’s not easy. They scored two right away and then right into OT pretty much so credit to the group for having the right mindset and being able to get the win.” Crouse described the team’s biggest asset as “the way that we play in unison with each other. I think when we’re playing at our best, we’re getting pucks in deep and we’re taking away time and space of the opponent. We just have to get to that and stick to that for 60 minutes.” He was particularly happy for Kerfoot to get his first goal of the season.  “We’re so happy and proud to have him back in our lineup. He fills a big hole for our group as a leader. Just super proud and happy for him.”

Captain Clayton Keller said that the third period was “obviously not great.” He continued, “We still have to make plays, even if we’re winning. Whatever the score is, they’re gonna make a push. That’s something that we’ve talked about and tried to get better at. I think just learning from it. You’d rather mess up and try to do the right thing than just be safe and see what happens. I think that’s something that we have to learn from and do moving forward.” He was also happy to have Kerfoot back in the lineup.  “He’s such a great player. He can play anywhere in the lineup. He’s a great leader, someone that we missed when he was out. Just all the little things that he does on the bench, during the game, in the locker room. I can’t say enough great things about Kerf and how good of a person he is and player as well. It’s awesome getting him back. We definitely have had more juice since he’s been back.”

Utah Mammoth Head Coach André Tourigny’s opened his postgame comments by saying, “There is quite a bit to unpack from that game. That was a huge and important game against a division rival. They found a way to win and get the two points. We had a two-goal lead in the third. I would’ve loved to close that game right there. I think they got a little bit nervous and lost their composure with the puck. Like I often say, there are two important things when you’re protecting a lead: it is having poise with the puck… Having poise with the puck doesn’t mean being slow; it means being fast, keeping your feet moving, moving the puck, and having a lot of pace defensively, which is our strength. They had one scoring chance in the first 13 minutes of the third because we had pace, because we’re on them. Then, we became a little too conservative, and they were able to come back. Without spending too much time on that, we need to retain them when they tie the game. How we responded was taking the momentum back. We went, we forechecked, we had good opportunities and possession in their zone, and from there, they had nothing. That was a good response. There are many teaching moments in that game, and many things we can do better. But there are things we can build on. We played 53 minutes of really good hockey, and we deserve to have the lead by two goals. We stumbled for a little while, and we need to learn from it, get better, and take that seriously. At the same time, we can also be proud of when adversity was there, we responded right away, and we were really strong in our finish and found a way to get the two points. We had a little bit of everything today.”

Talking about the first two periods, Bear said, “Well, I will say four lines contributed. The line that did not score was absolutely elite at shutting down one of the best lines in the league, and they played a hell of a game. They scored a goal as well, but I am really proud of the way Hays, Gunner, and Crosser handled it. Sometimes, the way I match lines, I am not a hard match line guy, which causes them a little bit of ice time. It is a big pill to swallow for them, but they do it for the benefit of the team. I always want to make sure the line is playing against the top line, and the other side is fresh. I don’t want a tired line. Sometimes, as I said, it causes them a little bit of ice time. But they manage it like pros, and they did a really good job. I am really proud of them, no doubt about it. We talked about a little bit of adjustment we wanted in the O-zone and it paid off. The boys did a good job. We scored a goal under those kinds of restrictions; we still score in the blue paint. We won a lot of battles, so there were a lot of positives against the team to defend really well.”

Tourigny acknowledged that the game had its flaws. “Well, I can’t say that today was a Picasso, to be honest. We were nervous with the puck in our zone, but we were at the offensive blue line, turning the puck over. That is a teaching moment. The intention was right, but we still have to grow, understand it, and buy in 100%. They opened the door, they came in, and that could have hurt us big time. Every point is important. We have one more game before Christmas, and it will be a good test. It is the best team in the league, and we need to manage the game the right way.”

The Mammoth will play the Avalanche on Tuesday in Colorado, and then return to Delta Center for a single game against the Nashville Predators following the Christmas break before ringing in the new year in the greater New York area with a January 1st game against the Islanders followed by contests against the Devils and Rangers before returning home for a season-long 7-game homestand beginning January 7 against the Ottawa Senators.

Kraken spoil Sharks’ homestand effort 4-2 with late surge

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Sharks players celebrate after scoring the 1-0 at SAP Center on Dec 20 (AP Photo)

By: Fernando Abarca and Madison Montez

SAN JOSE, Calif. — The San Jose Sharks (17-16-3) entered the matchup as the stronger team on paper, but the Seattle Kraken (13-14-6) exceeded expectations, closing out the Sharks’ three-game homestand with a victory over their division rival.

1ST PERIOD

The opening period was tightly contested, with both teams trading chances and keeping play balanced through the neutral zone. Each side generated opportunities, but strong defensive structure and steady goaltending kept the game scoreless after 20 minutes. Shots were even, and neither team was able to establish sustained momentum.

2ND PERIOD

The Sharks started off the period with more aggressiveness, more puck battles in the Kraken’s defensive zone. Macklin Celebrini showed sparks of good playmaking, creating chances to score. Seattle’s defense showed what it can do. Kraken struck first, it needed a little coverage and wide open space as Eeli Tolvannen with a wrist shot made it 1-0 with 13.09 remanining in the period.

As expected after the first, the Sharks maintained their rhythm and momentum. At 08:38 in the second, the relief came momentarily for the Teal as Adam Gaudette tied things up, making it 1-1.

Both teams remained very close in shots on goal, and both teams were strong in the goal-tending, but the Sharks intended to push more.

3RD PERIOD

The Teal came out with energy to set the tone again, a mistake by Vince Dunn behind the net in the Kraken side, and a deflected puck, Collin Graf made it 2-1 near the Kraken net. This was going to add fuel for the visitors to find strength and try to make a comeback, as the Kraken scored a minute later. Ryan Evans with a wrist shot tied the game up

Then, another chance for the Kraken to be up in the scoresheet, Ryan Lindgren scores on a wrist shot with 15:35 remaining in the 3rd period to put the visitors up by one.

With a minute left remaining, an empty-netter for the Seattle Kraken by Chandler Stephenson made the the score 4-2 to seal the game.

With this result, the Sharks concluded their homestand with one win over Calgary on Tuesday and back-to-back losses.

Sharks’ action continues on Dec 23 vs. Vegas Golden Knights.