Category: NHL

Sharks Defeat Panthers 4-1 With 2 Goals From Defense, Goalie Fight Nedeljovic gets best of brawl

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Goaltenders with no love loss (left) the Florida Panthers Sergei Bobrovsky and (right) the San Jose Sharks Alex Nedeljkovic were throwing until Bobrovsky fell to the ice at Sunrise Fl on Mon Jan 19, 2026 (NBC Sports Bay Area still)

By Mary Walsh

The San Jose Sharks (25-20-3) won 4-1 against the Florida Panthers (25-20-3) Monday. Will Smith, Vincent Desharnais, Mario Ferraro and Barcay Goodrow scored for the Sharks. Alex Nedeljkovic made 35 saves for the win. Eetu Luostarinen scored for the Panthers and Sergei Bobrovsky made 24 saves in the loss.

Sharks defenseman Vincent Desharnais was playing his first game after a long recovery from injury. After the game, he said: “It was a lot. After two months, coming back, having a game like that with penalties, goals, and goalie fight, just lots of hits too, it was a physical game. I think there’s no better game to get back into it.”

Desharnais went more into depth about the goalie fight, describing his perspective on the event:

“I tripped a guy, then I got hit from behind, I was on the ice just trying not to get stepped on and I got up and I just see Ned and Bob going at it and I was like ‘did I miss something here?’ It was a great fight. I don’t think [Reaves] needs to teach him anything.”

Before all that excitement, the game was more sedate. The Panthers outshot the Sharks 10-8 in a scoreless first period. Each team had one power play in the period.

Will Smith started a Sharks scoring spree just 50 seconds into the second period. Smith caught a rebound right in front of the net after a Tim Liljegren shot. An assist also went to Alexander Wennberg.

Vincent Desharnais doubled it up at 2:41 with a wrist shot from just outside the blue paint. He also caught a rebound, this one from Igor Chernyshov’s shot. An assist also went to Michael Misa.

Mario Ferraro made it 3-0 at 6:12. Skating in behind the play, Ferraro caught a rebound in the slot after a Chernyshov shot. The second assist went to Misa, again.

The shots for the second period were 11-9 Sharks. Each team again had one power play.

The Panthers hot on the board 43 seconds into the third period. Aaron Ekblad intercepted a Sharks clearing attempt and then passed it up to Luostatrinen on the blue line for the shot.

At 6:00 of the third, the game stalled for several penalties including a goalie fight. Bobrovsky went down and then left the ice briefly. Daniil Tarasov took the net but then left the ice without getting any play time as Bobrovsky was able to return. It was the first fight for either goaltender. The Sharks ended up with a penalty to kill.

The Panthers predictably pushed hard in the third, outshooting the Sharks 17-9, but they did not score again. Instead, Barclay Goodrow scored one into an empty net at 17:21 to make it 4-1.

The Sharks next play on Tuesday in Tampa against the Lightning at 4:00 PM PT.

Utah Mammoth game wrap: Seattle Sleepless In Salt Lake City As Schmidt Scores Four Points In 6-3 Mammoth Victory Over Kraken

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The Seattle Kraken and the Utah Mammoth mix it up in the second period at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Sat Jan 17, 2026 (AP News photo)

By Tom Walker

SALT LAKE CITY– Utah Mammoth veteran defenseman Nate Schmidt scored two goals and two assists in Utah’s Saturday matinee slaughter of the Seattle Kraken 6-3.

The Mammoth (24-20-4) took to the ice at Delta Center for an early Saturday afternoon tilt against the visiting Kraken (21-16-9). The new year has been good to Utah thus far where they have gone 4-0-1 at home and 6-1-1 overall.

The first minute of the first period wasn’t so good to Utah as the Mammoth didn’t seem quite ready to go and Jordan Eberle put the puck past Karel Vejmelka at 1:07 for his 17th goal of the season, assisted by Kaapo Kakko and Matty Beniers, to go up early 1-0.

At 2:36 of the period, Brandon Tanev was whistled for hooking against Ben Myers. Though Seattle won the ensuing faceoff in their offensive zone, Mammoth defenseman Ian Cole recovered the puck and passed to Lawson Crouse who went the length of the ice, passing at the last moment to Kevin Stenlund who easily tipped the puck past Kraken netminder Philipp Grubauer for the shorthander, his fourth goal of the season to even things up 1-1.

It was Utah’s fourth short-handed goal on the season. Almost immediately following the ensuing faceoff, Mammoth forward Jack McBain joined Tanev in the sin bin for cross-checking against Shane Wright, putting Utah in the position of defending a 5-on-3 power play for a minute and 37 seconds, but the Mammoth managed to kill off both penalties to maintain the tie score which carried through the balance of the period. Grubauer and Vejmelka each finished the period stopping 11 of 12 opponent shots.

Utah came out flying to begin the second period, with defenseman Nate Schmidt delivering a perfect impression of Mikhail Sergachev just 28 seconds in, firing a missile from the offensive corner between the faceoff circle and blue line to beat Grubauer and give the Mammoth their first lead of the game.

The 34-year-old defenseman in his thirteenth season tallied his third goal on the year, assisted by Dylan Guenther and Michael Carcone, with his wife and kids in the stands watching dad play the early afternoon game.

At 4:31, Utah forward Nick Schmaltz made it 3-1, banging in a rebound off a shot by Crouse for his 18th goal of the season, with the additional assist to Schmidt, the 200th helper of his career. Courtesy the Mammoth stat crew, Schmidt joins Torey Krug (STL) and Neal Poink (WPG) as the only undrafted active defensemen to achieve that milestone.

Kraken forward Matty Beniers brought the Kraken back to within a point with his 10th goal of the season at 15:11 of the period, assisted by Vince Dunn and Berkly Catton, and with a little more than two minutes remaining in the period, Chandler Stephenson completed the comeback, putting the pack past Vejmelka’s glove hand for his 13th goal of the season, assisted by Freddy Goudreau and Eeli Tolvanen, sending both teams to their locker rooms tied up at 3-3. Once again, Grubauer and Vejmelka kept pace with one another, each stopping 5 of 7 opponent shots during the frame.

Saturday’s tilt was neck-and-neck until 14:30 of the third period when Schmidt netted his second goal of the game, assisted by Clayton Keller, to go up 4-3. 42 seconds later, Schmidt and Keller assisted on the 12th goal of the season by Crouse to pad Utah’s lead 5-3 with under five minutes to go.

With Grubauer pulled for the extra attacker, Barrett Hayton scored his 5th of the season into an empty net with 51 seconds left, assisted by John Marino and netminder Karel Vejmelka, to put the game away for good at 6-3.

The assist was the second of the year for Veggie, who stopped 18 of 21 shots on the night and now leads all NHL goalies with 23 victories. Seattle managed only two shots on goal in the final frame. With the victory, Utah is now 5-0-1 on the current homestand and 7-1-1 in 2016.

In the Utah locker room, Mammoth forward Lawson Crouse talked about how adversity has shaped the team. “We talked about coming into the third, and we came back to our game, and we did that. There were parts throughout the game that we didn’t love, but (we) came away with (a) big two points.” On defenseman Nate Schmidt’s big night, Crouse praised him as “a wise veteran who brings a lot to our locker room, and a very hard-working, team-first guy.” Crouse continued, “Obviously, very happy to see him get rewarded, and we were all cheering for him to get that empty-net at the end there, but the defenseman made a nice play grabbing it down.”

Schmidt, whose four-point night tied a personal best (he had a four assist game with the Vegas Golden Knights in 2019), talked about the adjustments the team has been making. “I think as the year’s gone on, we’ve gotten into situations where we’re not panicking. We’re a little more poised with pucks late in games. It’s something you have to have. As you grow as a team, that’s got to be something that grows with you. That was a really big part of today’s game. You could look at the first couple periods and we liked some parts of our game, didn’t like some other parts. But in order to get there in the third (period), tie ballgame at home, that’s the way you want to finish it off.” Schmidt has found chemistry with defensive linemate John Marino, of whom he said after quickly checking to make sure he was no longer in the locker room, “He is such a calm, poised, cool, collected guy back there. We really do a lot of chatter and a lot of communication, whether it’s on the ice or off the ice. I feel like he always says he can hear me on the ice, which is always a plus. Sometimes it’s too much, but I tell him it’s never (too much).” Playing his first season in the Beehive State, Schmidt was asked how much he enjoys playing here so far. “It’s been great. … I think the way that this organization has built itself and how it has started and set the standard for how they want to move forward, how the team wants to move forward long after I’m gone…It is quite a testament to not only the fans, but to the Smiths and everybody they’ve brought in here so far.” Schmidt said that he didn’t know if his kids would remember his four-point afternoon, but was happy that they were able to wave to one another during the game, and he will remember it forever.

Head Coach André Tourigny opened his post-game comments by saying, “A big win. It’s a team we’re racing with, so it’s an important win. It’s a big two points. I liked the way we were opportunistic, and we found a way to score a big goal in that key moment. We didn’t start the way we wanted. They scored, and then we scored a big goal on the PK. That settled us a little bit because we didn’t have the best start. Early in the second, we scored a big goal to loosen up our game a little bit, and in the third period, obviously, we had a good push.” On the penalty killing unit, which scored a goal and withstood a lengthy 5-on-3 kill, Bear said, “Huge. The moment they scored the goal in the PK, it wasn’t just scoring a goal on the PK. At that moment, we were a little bit on our heels, to say the least. … I think one of the key moments was the five-on-three. There’s no doubt about it. I think that was a huge moment for us. I think that the momentum definitely shifted quickly. When they scored after our power play, we missed our chance. We could have put a nail in the coffin on the power play, and we had good chances, but we didn’t. Right away, they scored on the next shift, so that shifts the momentum. They scored right away after. It made the third period a little bit more interesting.”

Utah (25-20-4) will play its seventh and final game of the current homestand next Wednesday when they face off against the Philadelphia Flyers (22-17-8).

San Jose Sharks podcast Mary Lisa: Red Wings third period rally cooks Sharks in 4-2 loss Friday

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Detroit Red Wings right wing Alex DeBrincat (left), celebrates with center Dylan Larkin, left wing James Van Reimsdyk after scoring against the San Jose Sharks in the third period at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit on Fri Jan 16, 2026 (AP News photo)

San Jose Sharks podcast Mary Lisa:

#1 How did Macklin Celebrini impact the Sharks’ offense against the Red Wings, and how did the Red Wings defend Celebrini to get the win Friday night?

#2 What role did Will Smith play in his return from injury, and how did his performance influence San Jose’s scoring against Detroit?

#3 Did Collin Graf’s goal and overall play help shift momentum for the Sharks at any point, and how effective was he in generating offensive pressure?

#4 How did goaltending by Yaroslav Askarov affect the Sharks’ ability to stay competitive in the game against Detroit’s attack?

#5 Which Sharks defenseman John Klingberg, Dmitry Orlov, Mario Ferraro, and how did their defensive effort play out despite the loss to Detroit.

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

San Jose Sharks podcast Lincoln Juarez: Did Red Wings catch Sharks defense flatfooted on Friday?

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Detroit Red Wings right wing Alex DeBrincat (93) shoots against the San Jose Sharks Dimitry Orlov (9) in the first period at Little Caesars Pizza Arena in Detroit on Fri Jan 16, 2026 (AP News photo)

San Jose Sharks podcast Lincoln Juarez:

#1 How did Macklin Celebrini impact the Sharks’ offense against the Red Wings, and how did the Red Wings defend Celebrini to get the win Friday night?

#2 What role did Will Smith play in his return from injury, and how did his performance influence San Jose’s scoring against Detroit?

#3 Did Collin Graf’s goal and overall play help shift momentum for the Sharks at any point, and how effective was he in generating offensive pressure?

#4 How did goaltending by Yaroslav Askarov affect the Sharks’ ability to stay competitive in the game against Detroit’s attack?

#5 Which Sharks defenseman John Klingberg, Dmitry Orlov, Mario Ferraro, and how did their defensive effort play out despite the loss to Detroit.

Lincoln Juarez does the San Jose Sharks podcasts each Friday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Sharks Fall 4-2 to Red Wings, Smith Scores in Return

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San Jose Sharks left winger William Eklund (72) skates off the ice after the Detroit Red Wings defeat San Jose at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit on Fri Jan 16, 2026 (AP News photo)

By Mary Walsh

The San Jose Sharks fell 4-2 to the Detroit Red Wings on Friday. Alex DeBrincat, J.T. Compher, Dylan Larkin and Marco Kasper scored for the Red Wings. John Gibson made 20 saves for the win. Will Smith and Collin Graf scored for the Sharks. Yaroslav Askarov made 21 saves in the loss.

It was Smith’s first game back after being injured December 13. Talking about his return to the lineup, Will Smith said: “I felt good. I think you try to get your legs into it in the first period. So it’s been quite a bit so I was trying to get going a bit and felt pretty good.”

Sharks Head Coach Ryan Warsofsky said, of Friday’s game: “We couldn’t make a play for the life of us. It just snow-balled from there.” As for the challenge of back-to-back games, he said: “I mean, everyone’s dealing with the schedule, back-to- backs, everyone has it. It is what it is, we gotta find ways to be better in back-to-back nights. I think we’ve done a pretty good job of that but tonight, our legs wouldn’t follow our brains. You know, so, hopefully, it’s a learning moment.”

Alex DeBrincat scored the first goal of the game on a power play at 6:18 of the first period. DeBrincat caught a cross ice pass from Lucas Raymond and snapped the puck into the net from the faceoff dot. Assists went to Raymond and James van Riemsdyk.

Will Smith tied the game at 9:54 by following a Macklin Celebrini shot to the net. The puck trickled past the goaltender and Smith dove to give it an extra nudge over the line. Assists went to Celebrini and John Klingberg.

The shots were 9-7 Detroit in the first, and the Sharks took the only penalty of the period.

Collin Graf gave the Sharks a lead at 1:58 of the second period. Skating to the net, he tipped Nick Leddy’s centering pass. Assists went to Leddy and Sam Dickinson.

J.T. Compher tied it back up with a snap shot at 6:55. The Red Wings got behind the Sharks defense and wound up skating in three-on-one. An assist went to Marco Kasper.

The Red Wings again outshot the Sharks, 9-4, with the only penalty of the period going against the Sharks.

Dylan Larkin gave Detroit at lead at 4:41 with a backhand. Assists went to Raymond and van Riemsdyk.

The Red Wings scored one more goal, an empty netter from Marco Kasper at 18:38. An assist went to Raymond.

The Sharks finally outshot Detroit in the third, 10-7, and they got their first power play of the game as well.

The Sharks next play on Monday in Sunrise, Florida against the Panthers at 3:00 PM PT.

San Jose Sharks podcast Len Shapiro: Sharks open road trip against Capitals in amazing fashion; First of 4 game trip for SJ

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San Jose Sharks goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic (33) puts a stop on the Washington Capitals shot in the first period at the Capital Center in Washington DC on Thu Jan 15, 2026 (AP News photo)

San Jose podcast with Len Shapiro:

#1 Collin Graf had a goal and an assist in that big second-period push — what clicked for Graf and the line in that 2:46 stretch to energize the team?

#2 Pavol Regenda’s goal proved to be the eventual game-winner — can you talk about how Regenda and Macklin Celebrini connected on that play and what that means for Regenda’s confidence going forward?

#3 Alex Nedeljkovic (goaltender): Nedeljkovic made 21 saves in a tight road game — how did Nedeljkovic stay mentally sharp during Washington’s late third-period push?

#4 Zack Ostapchuk tied the game and ignited the Sharks’ comeback — what was going through Ostapchuk’s mind as he headed to the net on that play?

#5 Macklin Celebrini played a key role in setting up the go-ahead goal — how did Celebrini see his role evolving when his teammates are finding the back of the net in big moments?

Len Shapiro does the San Jose Sharks podcasts each Thursday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Utah Mammoth game wrap: Mammoth Outshoot Stars 2-1 In Defensive Domination

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Dallas Stars left winger Jason Robertson (21) fights for the puck against the Utah Mammoth defenseman John Marino (6) in the second period at the Delta Center on Thu Jan 15, 2026 (AP News photo)

By Tom Walker

SALT LAKE CITY–Utah Mammoth and Dallas Stars were scoreless for nearly two full periods, but Marino’s third period goal put the Mammoth over the top 2-1 as Utah goes 4-0-1 at home in the new year defeating Dallas Stars.

Utah defenseman Mikhail Sergachev took to the ice for his 600th career game on Thursday night as the Mammoth (23-20-4) squared off for the fifth game of seven on the current homestand against the visiting Dallas Stars (27-11-9). Courtesy of the Mammoth stat crew, Sergachev joins teammates Lawson Crouse, Nick Schmaltz, Alexander Kerfoot, and Clayton Keller in reaching the 600 game milestone in a Utah jersey.

The opening frame was a scoreless affair, as Dallas netminder Jake Oettinger stopped all ten Utah shots, and NHL wins leader Karel Vejmelka turned away the five shot attempts by the Stars.

The second period was well on its way to also being another scoreless frame, but with 7 ticks left on the clock Nick Schmaltz tipped in a perfect feed from John Marino for his 17th goal of the season, with the additional assist to Clayton Keller, for a 1-0 Mammoth lead as time expired.

With the assist by Keller, he and Schmaltz have combined on 200 goals in their careers, the first U.S.-born teammates to accomplish the feat. Oettinger stopped nine of ten shots in the period while Vejmelka remained perfect in shutting down 12 shots by the Stars.

At 1:39 of the third period, Utah forward Barrett Hayton went to the sin bin for hooking against Roope Hintz, giving Dallas an opportunity on the power play to even things up 25 seconds later on Mikko Rantanen’s 19th goal of the season, assisted by Wyatt Johnston and Jason Robertson.

Two minutes later, putting the puck on the net from along the dasher boards between the top of the faceoff circle and the blue line, Mammoth defenseman John Marino combined again with Nick Schmaltz to score his 4th goal of the season as his shot deflected off the body of Oettinger, high up and over his head, landing just behind the Stars netminder in the crease and trickling over the line to give Utah a 2-1 lead.

With 3:22 remaining in the game, Dallas pulled Oettinger for an extra attacker as the Stars continuously peppered Vejmelka for the rest of the game, but Veggie’s wall stood up to the onslaught to earn his league-leading 22nd win of the season. Vejmelka has allowed two or fewer goals in six of his first seven games in 2026. Improving to 4-0-1 at home in the new year, Utah’s 5-game home point streak is now the longest in franchise history.

In the locker room after the game, Schmaltz talked about this being a statement win for his squad. “That was awesome. We talked about stringing together wins, especially on home ice, and I thought those last two games on home ice were some of our best of the year. I think the way we competed no matter what the score is, if they get one, whatever, we come back and respond and (we) played hard right ‘til the end, so huge win.” The Mammoth have struggled at times to hold leads late in the 3rd period, and Schmaltz was asked about holding the lead int he final five minutes. “I think just try to limit their time and space. They’ve got a lot of good players over there, so just pressure them, try to make them make plays under pressure. Obviously Veggie made some big saves for us down the stretch, and Stenny and those guys were stuck out there for a while, but they did a great job. We won some big draws, and it was a heck of a team effort.” Indeed, Utah won 67% of their faceoffs on the night against one of the top faceoff teams in the league.

“They’re stingy, they don’t give up much,” Marino told the assembled media. “Got to play a patient game out there. Obviously, they’re a great hockey team, and they have been the last couple of years. So to be able to get that win, kind of have that confidence as a team going forward.” Commenting on the Stars push in the final minutes, Marino said, “I think everyone didn’t panic too much, whether the guys were out there, tired, everyone on the bench, no one was screaming, shouting, everyone was pretty comfortable with the situation. So we learn from that and go forward. … Veggie has been unbelievable for us here down the stretch, so you got to give him credit when credit is due. Besides that, it’s a whole team effort out there, guys blocking shots, sacrificing themselves, backchecking, just playing the right way. You get rewarded for it.”

Head Coach André Tourigny couldn’t have been more pleased with the performance of his players. “I think, first, prep second, intensity and focus from our players, help from the trench guys and Mads (John Madden) did a really good job to prep the guys on faceoffs. We knew Dallas was a top team in the league, top five on faceoffs, and they run a lot of plays through it, and they generate a lot of possessions. I think the guys were tuned in and did a really good job.” Speaking of the importance of beating a division rival ahead of Utah in the standings, Tourigny said, “We needed two points, we need to keep winning. Obviously, against our division, it’s always bigger, but I don’t think we’re at the point yet where Dallas is. So for us, we need to keep focusing on what we have to do, keep performing. We played a good game on both sides of the puck, offensively and defensively. That team was tough to play against. The process was good. The performance is good. Let’s bottle that up and keep going.” Offering his own take on shutting Dallas down in the closing minutes, Bear said, “I think we were poised, but had intensity. It’s always that you want to be calm, but you want to be intense. You want to be patient, but you want to be aggressive. It’s the same as wanting to be poised, but you want to be urgent. So I think we achieved that. The boys were in control, but really intense. They were urgent, but in control with some good poise.”

Utah (24-20-4) returns to home ice Saturday afternoon for a matinee tilt against the visiting Seattle Kraken (21-16-9) who lost Thursday night on the road in Boston.

Sharks Beat Capitals 3-2 With 3 Goals in 2:46

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San Jose Sharks right wing Colling Graf (51) celebrates his goal with teammates left wing Pavol Regenda (84) and others in the second period at the Capital One Center in Washington DC on Thu Jan 15, 2026 (AP News photo)

By Mary Walsh

The San Jose Sharks defeated the Washington Capitals 3-2 on Thursday. Zack Ostapchuk, Collin Graf and Pavol Regenda scored for the Sharks. Alex Nedeljkovic made 21 saves for the win. Dylan Strome and Ryan Leonard scored for the Capitals. Logan Thompson made 23 saves in the loss.

After the game, Sharks defenseman Dmitry Orlov referred to San Jose’s 7-2 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights on Sunday, saying:

“Much better game than the last game against Vegas. We managed the puck the right way. I would say in the third we kind of gave up a little bit, some pucks around the defensive zone, kind of some soft plays. So there’s always room to learn, to get better. But it’s a tough road trip and it’s good to get the first win today.”

The first period was scoreless, with the Sharks outshooting the Capitals 11-5 and a single penalty called against the Capitals.

Dylan Strome scored the first goal of the game on a power play at 10:58. Alexander Ovechkin passed the puck off the boards behind the net to Strome, who was right at the post to score with a backhand. An assist also went to Jakob Chychrun.

Zack Ostaphchuk tied the game at 13:27 with a snap shot. Dmitry Orlov crried the puck out of the Sharks zone and through the neutral zone, passed it to William Eklund and then chased it down beh8nd the net. He centered it just as Ostspchuk arrived for the shot.

Collin Graf gave the Sharks a lead at 14:53, tipping Pavol Regenda’s shot from the left boards.

Regenda scored the Sharks’ third goal at 16:13. Macklin Celebrini and Collin Graf won the puck battle behind the net and Celebrini passed it up to Regenda for the shot.

The Sharks outshot the Capitals 12-4 in the second period, despite taking two penalties and only having one power play.

Ryan Leonard made it a one-goal game with a snap shot high in the slot at 9:11 of the third period. Assists went to John Carlson and Martin Fehérváry.

The Capitals outshot the Sharks 14-3 in the third period, and took the only penalty.

The Sharks next play on Friday at 4:00 PM PT in Detroit against the Red Wings.

Utah Mammoth game wrap: Mammoth Unleash Six Goal Stampede, Bomb Maple Leafs To The Stone Age 6-1

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Utah Mammoth center Barrett Hayton (27) takes a shot against Toronto Maple Leafs goalie Dennis Hildeby (35) in the third period at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Tue Jan 13, 2026 (AP News photo)

By Tom Walker

SALT LAKE CITY–Utah Mammoth scored early and often in rout of Toronto Maple Leafs 6-1 to improve to 5-1-1 in January.

The Mammoth (22-20-4) squared off against the Maple Leafs (23-15-7) on Tuesday night for the fourth game of seven in the current homestand.  Making his Delta Center debut in a Maple Leafs sweater was former Utah forward Matias Maccelli who has seven goals and ten assists in 34 games so far this season for Toronto, one goal and point shy of his 2024-2025 season totals in 55 games.

The Mammoth took an early lead at 3:22 of the first period when forward Michael Carcone, who wasn’t expecting to return to Utah this season but ultimately re-signed with the team in July, put the puck past Maple Leafs netminder

Dennis Hildeby for his ninth of the season, assisted by Nate Schmidt and John Marino. Carcone, who grew up about 30 miles outside of Toronto, has scored the opening goal both times Utah has faced the Maple Leafs this season as well as their most recent matchup last season. 

The Ajax, Ontario forward is enjoying a bounce-back season after scoring just seven goals in 53 games last year.  The remainder of the opening period was scoreless, with Hildeby stopping 11 of 12 shots and Mammoth goalie Karel Vejmelka turning away all 6 shots on goal from Toronto.

Utah forward Dylan Guenther doubled the Mammoth lead at 5:26 of the second period with his team-leading 22nd of the year, assisted by Jack McBain and Ian Cole.  Barely a minute later, Guenther lit the lamp again with a laser beam over the shoulder of Hildeby for his 23rd of the season, assisted again by McBain.

Guenther’s two goals in a 78-second span are now the fastest two goals by the same player in franchise history, surpassing the previous record of 110 seconds by Logan Cooley last October against St. Louis.  At 15:25 of the frame, German Olympian and Utah forward JJ Peterka got in on the action scoring his 16th of the season, assisted by Daniil But and Cole, much to the delight of a large group of German tourists who are attending NHL games in Salt Lake City, Las Vegas, and Los Angeles over the coming days.  The Mammoth took their 4-0 lead to the locker room, with Vejmelka stopping all 9 shots he faced in the period.

Toronto forward Calle Järnkrok spoiled Vejmelka’s shutout bid with his 6th goal of the season at 3:30 of the third, assisted by Oliver Ekman-Larsson, narrowing Utah’s lead to 4-1, but that would be the lone goal for the Maple Leafs as Utah continued to step on the gas.

At 13:29 of the final frame, Mammoth forward Jack McBain tipped in his 6th goal of the season, assisted by Guenther and Carcone, to restore Utah’s four-goal cushion.  McBain, a Toronto native, earned three points on the night against his hometown team, and now has seven points (4g, 3a) in eight career games against them.

  With three minutes remaining in the game, Daniil But put an exclamation mark on the Mammoth victory with his third goal of his rookie season, assisted by Barrett Hayton and Peterka, as Utah won its third game of the homestand 6-1 and improve to 5-1-1 in the new year.

Vejmelka stopped 19 of 20 shots in his winning effort, and leads the NHL with 21 victories this season.  Guenther’s first goal in the second period turned out to be the game-winner, his sixth on the season, just one game-winning goal shy of NHL leader Steven Stamkos who has seven. 

Defenseman Ian Cole, who recorded two assists in the game, spoke of the team’s killer attitude in his locker room interview.  “It’s more of a mindset for us, and sticking with that mindset regardless of what happens, whether we go up, whether we go down, whether it’s tied. Regardless of what the situation is, sticking with that and keeping that mindset. I think we’re getting better as we go here, but we have to keep building. That’s a good team to beat, but it’s not going to matter two days from now, so we have to do it again.” Talking about Utah’s defensive effort, which limited Toronto to 20 shots on the night, Cole said, “That’s a highly skilled team, so we want to take away time and space. You want to make sure that those skill guys have a tough time getting shots off and making plays. I think we did a pretty good job of that. It’s the right mindset, and it wasn’t just our D, It was our forwards too. We can keep good gaps, but if they don’t track back, it’s gonna be odd-man rushes all night. So they did a great job.” On the Mammoth having earned points in five straight games, Cole added, “It’s great. Accruing points is kind of the name of the game. We’re disappointed in how we let some points slip away early in the year, but as of right now, it’s kind of do or die. If we wait to find our game or we wait to turn this corner, we’re going to run out of time. There’s only eighty-two games in the season. We need to play well and play well right now. I think we’re making some great strides there.” 

Dylan Guenther added praise for the play of Michael Carcone in the game. “Yeah, he’s a really good player. I think he’s had success at every level, and he’s produced at every level. He’s worked for everything. So he’s a great guy to play with, and super fast. He’s a really big part of our team.” As for the hot start in the new year, Guenther said, “Yeah, it’s been a good stretch. I think we’ve talked about this stretch for a little bit, and have been looking forward to getting a little bit of time at home. So it’s nice to be getting points, and we play a really good team next game, so just make sure that we’re ready to go after a win like tonight.” For Utah, which fell just short of a playoff spot last season, continuing to press at this stage of the year is critical. “Yeah, I think that’s the big picture,” said Guenther. “I think we’re fighting, and every game’s a fight. So I think if we play like that every game, then, there’s a really good chance.”

A happy head coach, André Tourigny, opened his postgame remarks by saying, “Obviously, a really good game. We liked the pace of our game; the speed we had offensively and defensively. I think we attacked every shift with a lot of speed through the neutral zone and a lot of pace, a lot of pressure on their D. We knew (Toronto) was on the back-to-back; they played a big game yesterday. After the game against Columbus, I talked to you about the mindset. I said it’s not about focus, it’s not about execution. It’s the mindset we had in that game and the way we tried to play the game tonight. Obviously, we’ll take the result, but it’s more than that.” Bear talked about some of the line changes, including how McBain’s line performed as a unit. “I think they played hard and fast. They were really fast in everything they did. They never slowed down. They were coming really fast. That’s three good skaters. I think it clicked. Sometimes, it’s tough to explain why; it just happens. I think (Dylan Guenther) and (Michael Carcone) had success last year when they played together. Same thing with (Guenther) and (Jack McBain)–they had success when they played together last year. That was the rationale behind it. We were hoping (Daniil But) and JJ (Peterka) and (Barrett Hayton) would click as well. It is what it is.”  The “killer instinct” comment came up again in the interview with Tourigny, who responded, “We gave up five shots in the third. I think we kept the pace defensively. I feel, in a sense, (Toronto was) trying more plays and stuff like that. So they had a little bit more possession. Still, we played the right way. We put pucks behind; we were on them. They had no easy possessions. We were on them a lot.”

Next up for Utah (23-20-4) on Thursday are the Dallas Stars (27-11-9), who lost 3-1 to the Ducks in Anaheim on Tuesday night.

Utah Mammoth game wrap:Keller Has McBain’s Back, But Mammoth Fall To Blue Jackets 3-2 In Overtime

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Klayton Keller (9) of the Utah Mammoth had two assists against the Columbus Blue Jackets at the Delta Center on Sun Jan 11, 2026 (Fox 2 News Salt Lake City file photo)

By Tom Walker

SALT LAKE CITY–Clayton Keller’s first period shot went wide of the net, but bounced off McBain’s back and into the goal in first period of the Utah Mammoth’s first home ice loss of 2026 to the Columbus Blue Jackets 3-2 in overtime.

The Mammoth (22-20-3) welcomed the Blue Jackets (19-18-7) to Delta Center on Sunday afternoon for the third of seven games on the current homestand. Struggling backup goaltender Vítek Vaněček, entering the game at 2-9-1 on the season, got the start in place of Czechia Olympian Karel Vejmelka.

Not quite three minutes into the game, Columbus hit the scoreboard first on Mikael Pyythia’s first goal of the season, a wicked shot that was in and out of the net so fast that one could barely tell it was a goal at all, assisted by Danton Heinen and Ivan Provorov.

With just a few minutes remaining in the first period, Utah tied things up on a fluke goal when Clayton Keller sent the puck wide of the net and off the back of linemate Jack McBain into the Blue Jackets net. Keller has now registered assists in five consecutive home games which ties his own franchise record.

Whether it was an errant shot attempt or a mysterious pass, it resulted in McBain’s 5th goal of the season with the additional assist going to Nick DeSimone. This one is worth finding a replay on the internet to watch. Columbus netminder Jet Greaves finished the period stopping six of seven shots, while Vaněček turned away eleven of twelve for the Mammoth.

Utah started off the second period quickly at 1:02 when defenseman Mikhail Sergachev fired a bullet from the center of the blue line past everyone between him and the net for his 7th goal of the season, assisted by Keller and Nick Schmaltz, to give the Mammoth its first lead of the game.

With two and a half minutes left in the frame, McBain went to the sin bin for holding against Blue Jackets defenseman Zach Werenski, and Columbus made Utah pay for it a minute later when Charlie Coyle shot the puck off the near goalpost and then passed the rebound to Adam Fantilli in front of the net.

Vaněček stopped Fantilli, but Coyle finished the job for his seventh of the season, with the additional assist credited to Kirill Marchenko. The two squads completed the period knotted up at two apiece, with Greaves stopping seven of eight and Vaněček turning away twelve of thirteen.

The Mammoth and Blue Jackets were scoreless in the third period, but Daniil But put Utah at a disadvantage in overtime when he tripped Fantilli with 24 seconds left in regulation. Benefitting from the 4-on-3 overtime power play, Columbus dominated the 61 seconds necessary for Dmitri Voronkov to record his 16th goal of the season to put Utah away, assisted by Zach Werenski and Marchenko.

Despite saving 33 of 36 shots in the game, Vaněček’s losing streak increased to ten games, his last victory coming against the Winnipeg Jets on October 26. In the locker room after the game, Mikhail Sergachev expressed support for Vaněček “He was amazing. He held the ground for us. We gave up a little too much. He was big for us tonight. We just couldn’t get it done for him.” When asked about defending defending 4-on-3 in overtime, Sergachev said, “It is hard, but it’s easier than 5-on-3. … Pucks were flying around; high sticks everywhere; we just didn’t get to set up in our formation and didn’t get to defend that well. (Columbus) attacked right away–good on them.”

Jack McBain, who initiated the scoring with perhaps the most unusual goal of his career, said, “It wasn’t our best game, for sure. Everybody knows that. We gave up too many chances. I think we tried to overcomplicate the game. We got a little away from our identity there.” Asked about staying strong late in the third period, McBain added, “Every point matters. The kill did a good job to get it into overtime. It was unfortunate that (Columbus) was on the 4-on-3, that’s tough. But every point matters all the way through the rest of the season. … We got a point out of (tonight). It wasn’t our best game, but we’ll learn from it and move on. We have to learn…to win, how to close out games. Not our best, but we’re on to the next one.”

Utah Mammoth Head Coach André Tourigny began his postgame remarks by saying, “I think I’m disappointed about the way we process that game, the way our thought process, mindset, our play with the puck, our play without the puck. I think V gave us an opportunity to get a point, which is a big point, which is important. I thought against St Louis, Vej bailed us out. So I was expecting definitely better from today.” When asked how the team can improve, Bear responded, “First of all, you need to sting a little bit. It’s not just about moving on. It’s about learning from it. I think there’s a lesson to learn from that game. Like I said, it’s not a matter of execution or effort. It was a matter of mindset, be ready to play the game the way it should have been played, and our decision with the puck. There’s many things that were not on par.” Tourigny was visually disappointed for Vaněček, and said of his performance, “Really good, I think. Tough situation, he didn’t play for a little bit, and came in and the guys did not play their A game in front of him, and he kept us there. I think he did a great job.”

Utah (22-20-4) returns to the ice on Tuesday for their fourth game of the homestand against the Toronto Maple Leafs (22-15-7).

NHL Note: Ten years ago today (January 11, 2016), Washington Capitals forward and future unanimous first ballot Hall of Famer Alex Ovechkin passed the 500 career goals mark. Now at the age of 40, Ovi has 19 goals in the current season, and 916 for his record breaking career, 24 more than the previous record holder, Wayne Gretzky, who retired with 894 career goals.

Ovechkin also has 77 career playoff goals for good measure, which means he is 7 away from 1000 combined career regular season and playoff goals, still behind Gretzky whose combined regular season and playoff goal mark is 1016, still very much in reach for Ovechkin who continues to be productive while most of his contemporaries have been long retired.