Category: NHL

Toffoli, Smith lead Sharks to statement victory over Utah 6-3

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San Jose Sharks forward Tyler Toffoli (73) celebrates his goal with teammate Macklin Celebrini (71) during the first period of their game against the Utah Mammoth on Monday, Dec.1, 2025, in San Jose, Calif. (Aric Crabb/Bay Area News Group)

By Lincoln Juarez and Ryan Hannagan

SAN JOSE, Calif. – Tyler Toffoli and Will Smith both net two goals en route to a dominant Sharks 6-3 win over the Utah Mammoth Monday night. The sleepover line of Smith, Toffoli, and Celebrini combined for 4 goals and 10 points in front of Yaroslav Askarov who turned away 31 of the 34 shots he faced.

The Sharks are coming into December after having their best month of November since 2019. The Sharks and Mammoth came into Monday night’s contest with identical records of 12-11-3. Yaroslav Askarov got the nod for the Sharks between the pipes.

After a rough start to the season he has been completely dominant and turned his numbers around. In November alone, he finished with a 6-1-0 record with a .944 SV% and 1.87 GAA. Coming off a loss in their recent game to Vegas, in a game where they nearly had a comeback, the Sharks looked to get back into the win column.

The Sharks got off to a quick start with tough pressure creating a snipe goal from Tyler Toffoli not even five minutes into regulation. Shortly after, San Jose scored a power play goal by Pavol Regenda in his season debut, his first as a Shark.

Regenda scored seven points in 19 games with the San Jose Barracuda (AHL) before being recalled to the Sharks with defensemen Vincent Desharnais being placed on Injured Reserve with a lower-body injury. Two goals in the first eight minutes for the Sharks was an ideal start to the month of December as the ice was tilted one side early.

A quick response from Utah with Lawson Crouse finding the back of the net made it 2-1 just under the halfway point of period one. The ice got tilted the other way after Crouse’s goal in a first period that saw momentum shift easily. Yaroslav Askarov refused to let Utah tie the game with a few high danger, great saves before the halfway mark of the period.

Despite Utah’s push, Toffoli found the back of the net right off an offensive zone faceoff to push the Sharks lead back to two goals. When asked about what went right in his first four-point night since 2023 Toffoli simply replied, “Couple good bounces early on, (and) Smitty dancing I think”. After allowing three goals on ten shots in thirteen minutes, Karel Vejmelka was pulled and Vitek Vanachek got thrown into the fire that was the Sharks offense.

JJ Petereka got the Mammoth back within one with 16:00 left in the first off a picture-perfect top shelf snipe.

After nonstop, fast-paced action in the first, it was a 3-2 Sharks lead.

Will Smith opened up the scoring in the second with a highlight-reel goal just under seven minutes in to give the Sharks their two goal lead back. Adam Gaudette backhanded a shot past Vanacek off a nice feed from Eklund, extending the lead to three with 8:25 gone in the period. Smith got his second goal of the game and period in his second game in a row with two goals.

The Sharks led 6-2 after a second period in which they dominated Utah. “We’ve talked about it since really day one of second periods in the National Hockey League is a really good opportunity to drive transition, and we’re starting to figure that out there a little bit”, said coach Ryan Warsofsky. He spoke highly of the three goal on 13 shot performance he saw in the second.

In the third period Dmitry Orlov was shaken up by an interference from Michael Carcone sending the Sharks to the powerplay against the 15th ranked Mammoth penalty kill. Team teal was held scoreless while allowing Lawson Crouse’s second goal of the night, short-handed at 7:30. San Jose finished 1-for-4 on the power play but didn’t need the man advantage to bring home a win.

At the end of the night, the Sharks went home with a good feeling in their guts, a difference compared to the sour taste in the mouth the Mammoth had on their plane ride out of the Golden State. The Sharks record now moves to 13-11-3 and they hold the first wild card in the West.

Sharks Rally But Fall 4-3 to Golden Knights

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San Jose Sharks center Will Smith (2) scores a goal on Las Vegas goaltender Carl Lindbom (30) in the first period at T Mobile Center in Las Vegas on Sat Nov 29, 2025 (AP News photo)

By Mary Walsh

The San Jose Sharks fell 4-3 to the Vegas Golden Knights on Saturday. Tomas Hertl, Colton Sissons and Mitch Marner scored for the Golden Knights. Carl Lindbom made 18 saves for the win. Will Smith and William Eklund scored for the Sharks. Alex Nedeljkovic made 20 saves in the loss.

The Sharks made it back to a one-goal game, after falling behind 4-1 in the second period. After the game, Sharks defenseman John Klingberg said: “That’s a good team over there. They’ve been good for a lot of years. I think we played with them. There was a few scenarios in the second where we got beat and that’s how we probably lost the game.”

Alex Nedeljkovic described the beginning of the game: “They were on top of us in all three zones. They really didn’t give us much time and space. They didn’t give us a chance to breathe.” In comparison, at the end of the second, he said “Finally, we played fast, we were moving away from the puck and creating our own space.”

Will Smith scored the first goal of the game at 7:04 of the first. He caught a neutral zone pass from Tyler Toffoli then skated into the zone and snapped the puck past Lindbom on the glove side.

Tomas Hertl tied the game at 16:13 with a wrist shot from the slot. Assists went to Pavel Dorofeyev and Ben Hutton.

At the end of the first, the shots were 9-7 Vegas. There were no penalties called in the first.

Vegas jumped out to the lead at 5:36. Colton Sissons poked the puck past Nedeljkovic. Assists went to
Keegan Kolesar and Cole Reinhardt.

Mitch Marner made it 3-1 less than two minutes later. Marner used a wrap-around on Nedeljkovic’s stick side. Assists went to Brett Howden and Mark Stone.

Tomas Hertl added another at 12:38 on the power play, deflecting a shot by Mitch Marner. An assist also went to Jack Eichel.

Will Smith scored his second of the game on thew power play at 14:40. With a neat little move along the boards, Macklin Celebrini knocked the puck free and Smith met it in front of the net.

With 25 seconds left in the period, William Eklund carried the puck in and scored with a backhand. Assists went to Adam Gaudette and Mario Ferraro.

In the second period, the shots were 10-9 Vegas. The Sharks took two penalties in the second and they had one power play.

A scoreless third period saw just five shots per team. A single penalty was called, at 19:25 to Brayden McNabb for cross-checking Macklin Celebrini while the Sharks played with an extra skater. A close finish but no cigar for the Sharks.

The Sharks next play on Monday back in San Jose against the Utah Mammoth at 7:00 PM PT.

San Jose Sharks podcast Mary Lisa: Sharks battle Knights at T Mobile in Vegas Saturday night

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San Jose Sharks defenseman John Klingberg (3) hits the ice as the Vancouver Canucks left wing Kiefer Sherwood (44) chases the puck in the second period at SAP Center in San Jose on Fri Nov 28, 2025 (AP News photo)

San Jose Sharks podcast Mary Lisa:

#1 Can Macklin Celebrini continue to set up scoring opportunities and drive the Sharks’ offense against the Vegas Golden Knights defense Saturday night?

#2 Will William Eklund and Will Smith connect on the power-play and generate enough chances to break through a tight Knights penalty kill?

#3 Can Adam Gaudette deliver a clutch goal or game-changing play to give the Sharks an edge — especially if the game stays close late?

#4 Can goalie Yaroslav Askarov continue to go well with a strong goaltending performance to keep the Knights’ top scorers under control?

#5 On the blue line — how will veterans like Dmitry Orlov or John Klingberg handle the Knights’ speed and puck-movement? Can they limit high-danger chances and protect the net effectively?

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

San Jose Sharks podcast Lincoln Juarez: Canucks-Sharks battle in gritty tight game; Number one star Askarov key to 3-2 San Jose win

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San Jose Sharks forward William Eklund (72) scored his sixth goal of the season in the second period against the Vancouver Canucks at SAP Center in San Jose on Fri Nov 29, 2025 (San Jose Sharks X photo)

San Jose Sharks podcast Lincoln Juarez:

#1 San Jose Sharks goaltender Yaroslav Askarov stopped 32 shots and allowed two goals in the Sharks 3-2 win over the Vancouver Canucks at SAP Arena in San Jose.

#2 The San Jose Sharks and Vancouver Canucks played a tight game on a Black Friday matinee. The game was mostly played in a one goal difference.

#3 Lincoln, let’s talk about that first period with the Canucks Bruce Boeser scoring the game’s first goal for his ninth goal of the season making it 1-0 at 4:28. The Sharks Will Smith scored tied up the game at 1-1 at 9:25.

#4 In the second period the Canucks Elias Patterson scored his eight goal of the season at 3:04 to break the deadlock making 2-1 Vancouver. The Sharks William Eklund scored his sixth goal of the season at 14:03 as the Sharks tied it up 2-2. The Sharks added another goal taking the lead when Adam Gaudette scored at 15:17 making it 3-2.

#5 Lincoln last few seconds of the game the Sharks Macklin Celebrini was hit for a cross checking Celebrini was unhappy about the cross check penalty and said some choice words to the on ice official going to the penalty box and was hit with a unsportsmanship conduct penalty.

#6 Then three Sharks were in the penalty Barclay Goodrow cross checking, Ty Dellandrea roughing joining Celebrini with 1.9 seconds left but the Sharks were able to pull it off coming away with a 3-2 win, improving their record to 12-10-3.

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

Sharks Hold On 3–2 After Massive Last-Second Brawl Erupts at the Tank

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Elias Pettersson #40 of the Vancouver Canucks scores a goal against Yaroslav Askarov #30 of the San Jose Sharks in the second period at SAP Center on November 28, 2025 in San Jose, California. (Mandatory Photo Credit: Kavin Mistry/NHLI via Getty Images)

By Jeremiah Salmonson

DOWNTOWN SAN JOSE — The San Jose Sharks returned home after a brief road stint where they made a stop in Colorado to play the NHL’s number one team, the Avalanche. The Sharks played their worst game of the season, losing to the Avs 6-0 in a game where nothing went right for them in a brutal showing. 

On Friday, the Sharks looked to get back on track as they welcomed the Vancouver Canucks to the SAP Center for a 1 p.m. puck drop. The Sharks won a thriller on Friday as they defeated the Canucks 3-2 in regulation. 

In the first period, it appeared the Sharks were picking up right where they left off in Colorado. The Canucks got out to an early lead as Brock Boeser snuck one past Yaroslav Askarov at the 4:28 mark to start the game. However, the Sharks answered back shortly thereafter as Will Smith buried one in the net at the 9:25 mark of the game to tie the game. Alex Wennberg and Macklin Celebrini assisted on what was Smith’s eighth goal of the season for the Sharks. The Sharks managed to get 12 shots on net in the first period as the Canucks managed only eight, with the game tied at one going into the second period.

In the second period, the Sharks put some pressure on the Canucks after Vancouver scored a quick goal to go back up 2-1 at the 3:04 point in the game. From then on, it was all San Jose in the second. The Sharks tied the game back up at 2-2 when William Eklund scored at the 14:03 mark in the game to get the crowd back into it. Eklund’s sixth goal of the season was assisted by Macklin Celebrini and John Klingberg. The Sharks kept things going as Adam Gaudette scored just over a minute later at the 15:17 mark in the period. Initially, officials ruled it was not a goal, but after review it was determined the puck did cross the line before Vancouver could kick it out. Gaudette’s goal, his sixth of the season, was assisted by Philipp Kurashev and Tyler Toffoli. The Sharks landed seven shots on net in the second period compared to Vancouver’s 13. Through the first two periods, the Canucks had 25 shots on goal, followed by the Sharks with only 19. It had been a nice bounce-back game by Yaroslav Askarov at that point after he allowed five goals to the Avalanche in not even two periods on Wednesday night.

In the third period, the Sharks did a good job neutralizing the Canucks offense. However, the Sharks committed some undisciplined penalties, two of which were by Dmitry Orlov. Orlov’s second penalty came with 4:23 to go in the game as San Jose desperately needed a penalty kill. The Sharks killed that penalty, but the drama wasn’t over yet. Macklin Celebrini, with 1:24 left in the game, was charged with a double minor for cross-checking and unsportsmanlike conduct. From my vantage point, neither of the penalties was warranted, and the crowd broke into “refs you suck” chants that filled the SAP Center. The Sharks managed to weather that until 1.9 seconds left in the game when a massive fight broke out on the boards just behind the San Jose goal. Initially, it seemed the game was over, but the referees put 1.9 seconds back on the clock and issued a series of penalties. San Jose was issued two minor penalties, and the Canucks were charged one, as the Sharks had Macklin Celebrini, Barclay Goodrow, and Ty Dellandrea all in the penalty box to end the game. Yet, the Sharks won the face-off and killed the last 1.9 seconds to win the game 3-2. The Sharks finished the game with 24 shots on goal as Yaroslav Askarov saved 32 of the Canucks’ 34 total shots.

Up Next: The Sharks will travel to Las Vegas to take on the Golden Knights at 7 p.m. PST on the second night of a back-to-back.

Utah Mammoth game wrap: Canadiens Stage Third Period Comeback In 4-3 Victory Over Mammoth

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Utah Mammoth left wing Brandon Tanev (13) fights with Montreal Canadiens defenseman Jayden Strubble (47), center Jared Davidson (49), center Joseph Veleno (90)in the second period at the Delta Center on Wed Nov 26, 2025 (Canadian Press photo via AP)

By Tom Walker

SALT LAKE CITY–Utah scored three goals in the second period for the first time this season, but Montreal came from behind in the third to defeat the Mammoth 4-3.

The Utah Mammoth (12-8-3) wrapped up their four-game homestand on Wednesday night against the Montreal Canadiens (11-7-3). The game marked the return of Mammoth defenseman Sean Durzi to the lineup following a 21-game absence due to an upper body injury.

Montreal struck first just past the halfway mark of the first period as Zachary Bolduc scored his 5th goal of the season on a slap shot which got past Utah netminder Karel Vejmelka, assisted by Lane Hutson and Nick Suzuki. At 16:37, Suzuki would make it 2-0 Canadiens with his 6th goal of the season, assisted by Cole Caufield and Bolduc.

The second period has generally been tough for the Mammoth, but on Wednesday they scored a season high 3 goals in the period to take the lead. At 9:43 Barrett Hayton netted his 3rd goal of the season, assisted by Clayton Keller and Mikhail Sergachev. A couple of minutes later it would be Kailer Yamamoto tying the score with his 3rd on the year, assisted by Dylan Guenther and Logan Cooley. Less than two minutes after that it would be Michael Carcone scoring his 4th of the year on a wrist shot, assisted by Kevin Stenlund and John Marino.

It seemed as if Utah had all the momentum going into the third, but Montreal quickly reclaimed it beginning with a holding penalty against Yamamoto which put Montreal on the power play. The Canadiens thought they had scored the tying goal just 19 minutes into the penalty, but Mammoth head coach André Tourigny took a timeout and then challenged the goal for being off side. The replay officials in Toronto agreed and Montreal went back on the power play still down a goal. They didn’t have to wait long, however, as Suzuki would get the equalizer on the power play with his 2nd goal of the night and 7th of the season, assisted by Bolduc and Brendan Gallagher. Barely a minute later, Ivan Demidov silenced the Utah crowd as he found the back of the net on a snap shot, assisted by Oliver Kapanen and Noah Dobson to take a 4-3 lead. The Mammoth came close on several occasions to send the game to overtime, but ultimately Canadiens netminder Jakub Dobes kept Utah off the score sheet in the 3rd period, stopping 31 of 34 shots overall in the game, to give Montreal the victory.

Utah Mammoth forward Barrett Hayton spoke with the media after the game regarding the team’s momentum. “I thought we did a really good job in that second period, just managing the game better. Obviously, something we reviewed was something we had to be better at. And we did a really good job during the second period. Game wise I need a second to kind of reflect on exactly what it is. It’s frustrating right now not coming out with two points.”

Defenseman Sean Durzi talked about returning to the lineup after his 21-game absence. “Watching the guys all year, you kind of see how they go through the ups and downs. You try to be in all the meetings you can be, but when I’m rehabbing, they’re on the road and can’t see it all. You try to see the guy’s ways in warm-ups, things like that. Routines change so much throughout the year. Just wanted to contribute, whether it’s on the ice or off the ice, bring some energy. Do something.” Talking about the team’s adversity during the game, Durzi said, “I don’t think we lost focus. We, as a group, are mature enough to kind of control what we have to control. I thought we did a lot of good things. It was an emotional game; we all care so much that sometimes it’s tough. I think again, the maturity in here never wavered, and confidence never wavered. I thought we did a good job of keeping our focus and moving on to the next.” Durzi felt there were several positives in the game. “I thought we battled hard. A few missed cues led to a few goals, but at the end of the day, our primary focus was in the right place: tracking hard on their top guys, in a lot of situations, five-on-five, playing a team game. Direct and how we want to play. You see flashes of it. We’ve got to bring it, and can’t let those miscues cost us.”

Head Coach André Tourigny began his post-game comments by saying, “I think we played a good game, but unfortunately we got beat on our strength. Our (penalty kill) has been our strength since the start of the season. Tonight we were not as sharp on our PK. [To have a] power play score and a big goal was important for us. (Montreal) is a good team defensively and we generated a volume of shot quality and inside game. We had a lot of traffic there. I think (Montreal) scored two goals off of their rush; that’s unfortunate.” With regard to Durzi’s return, Tourigny added, “He played good; he made good plays with the puck, he was focused, he was urgent. He did a good job. But the toughest game when you come back is always the second one. The first one, you have all the energy and everything. He passed the test, no doubt about it. We’re happy to have him and he did a really good job. No doubt.” Comparing the second period with the rest of the game, Tourigny said, “That we managed the puck (in the second). I think we allowed ourselves to have five guys with energy all the time by managing the puck in the neutral zone. (We) allowed everybody to get the right changes so that we had guys with energy and with pace…I think we played a good game, period. That’s a good team on the other side…If two teams play a good game, what will happen? One team will pull the goalie with one minute to go–and hopefully we’ll be on the right side. Unfortunately, we were on the wrong side of it. We cleaned up our second period, we made some adjustments in our defensive zone. We’re satisfied about that. That was pretty good. The guys were really tuned in. We were at the net, we generated speed, we moved the puck good on the breakout. We need to clean up our PK. I’m not blaming our PK; they’ve been the best part of our game. That unit has been our rock since the season started. So I’m not blaming them; it’s just a matter of fact (tonight). We’ll clean that up and we’ll be ready for our next game…I think we can be a little bit better.”

Utah (12-9-3) split the four games of the homestand and will play the next six post-Thanksgiving matchups on the road against Dallas, St. Louis, San Jose, Anaheim, Vancouver, and Calgary before returning to Delta Center on December 8 to open a three-game homestand against the Los Angeles Kings.

San Jose Sharks podcast Len Shapiro: Sharks no match for NHL’s best Aves in 6-0 shutout

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San Jose Sharks rookie star Macklin Celebrini (71) waits for linesman Shandor Alphonso to drop the puck as the Sharks were pummeled by the Colorado Avalanche at Ball Arena in downtown Denver Wed Nov 26, 2025 (AP News photo)

San Jose Sharks podcast Len Shapiro:

#1 The San Jose Sharks (11-10-3) ran into a buzz saw at Ball Arena in Denver on Wednesday night getting blown out 6-0 by the NHL’s best the Colorado Avalanche (17-1-5) for their tenth win in a row.

#2 One of the keys to shutting down the Sharks offense was former Shark and current Avalanche goaltender MacKenzie Blackwood who stopped all 26 San Jose shots.

#3 The Avalanche didn’t waste any time scoring early twice in the first period and later three times in the second period.

#4 In watching the Avalanche they completely dominated in this game the Sharks couldn’t even get in the back end of the net and the Sharks looked like that old struggling team again.

#5 Len, the Vancouver Canucks come into San Jose on Friday talk about how you see this match up coming off this tough loss on Wednesday night.

Join Len Shapiro for the NHL podcast at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Sharks Buried by Avalanche, Shut Out 6-0

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Remember this guy in net that’s former San Jose Shark now Colorado Avalanche goaltender MacKenzie Blackwood whose doing just fine between the pipes for Colorado delivering a shutout against his former team the Sharks at the Ball Center in Denver on Wed Nov 26, 2025 (AP new photo)

By Mary Walsh

The San Jose Sharks were shut out 6-0 by the Colorado Avalanche on Wednesday. The win was the tenth in a row for the Avalanche. It was also the 12th loss in a row for the Sharks in Denver. Ross Colton, Nathan MacKinnon, Sam Malinski, Josh Manson, Joel Kiviranta and Artturi Lehkonen scored for the Avalanche. Mackenzie Blackwood made 26 saves for the shut-out win. San Jose’s Alex Nedeljkovic made 21 saves on 23 shots in relief. Yaroslav Askarov made 15 saves on 19 shots before being relieved.

“We were chasing it, right from the drop of the puck. Fast, physical team. They put us on our heels early,” said Sharks Head Coach, Ryan Warsofsky. “We got waxed, they’re a great hockey team,” said Macklin Celebrini. “That’s the best team in the League and that’s where we want to be. So it just kind of shows how much work we’ve got to do and put in to get to that level,” said Sam Dickinson.

Ross Colton gave the Avallanche an early lead, just 3:39 into the game. Colton came out of a neutral-zone scramble with the puck, skated in and snapped the puck past Askarov.

Nathan MacKinnon doubled the lead with a power play goal in the final minute of the period. Cale Makar set up MacKinnon’s slap shot after Gabriel Landeskog won an offensive zone faceoff.

The Sharks took two penalties in the first, and were outshot 15-5 by the Avalanche.

San Jose seemed to push back to start the second period but were quickly overwhelmed by three goals in quick succession. The first came at 3:44, a shot from the blue line by Sam Malinski. That shot was made possible when Artturi Lehkonen and Martin Necas won the puck along the boards.

The next goal came from Josh Manson at 4:51. Manson’s shot came from the blue line and went through traffic in front of Askarov. Assists went to Victor Olofsson and Parker Kelly.

Alex Nedeljkovic replaced Askarov after that goal, only to give up one himself just nine seconds later. Zack Ostapchuk went to the left, pushing Zakhar Bardakov off the puck, but leaving Timothy Liljegren to face a two on one. Joel Kiviranta went around him and scored. Assists went to Ivan Ivan and Bardakov.

The Sharks opted to use their time out after that goal. That pause did not produce any goals but it did stem the bleeding. The Sharks took one penalty and drew three to finish the period. San Jose also outshot Colorado 15-11.

In the third period, Colorado pushed back. They outshot the Sharks 16-4. Each team took one penalty. Still, it was not until 16:15 of the period before the Avalanche scored again. Nathan MacKinnon carried the puck into the zone and then passed it to Artturi Lehkonen in the slot. An assist also went to Martin Necas.

The Sharks next play back in San Jose on Friday at 1:00 PM PT against the Vancouver Canucks.

NHL podcast Jessica Kwong: Stars turn up the offense on Oilers; Will Matthews and Roy return to Leafs to help end their losing streak?; plus more NHL news

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Dallas Stars goaltender Jake Oettinger (29) can’t stop the Edmonton Oilers Connor Clattenburg’s (64) shot in the second period for a goal at Rogers Place in Edmonton on Tue Nov 25, 2025 (Canadian Press photo via AP)

NHL podcast Jessica Kwong:

  1. Was Tuesday night’s showdown between Dallas Stars and Edmonton Oilers a preview of a Western Conference power-race?
  2. Can Auston Matthews, Matthew Knies, and Nicolas Roy return in time to help the Toronto Maple Leafs end their skid?
  3. Will the sudden surge of the Utah Hockey Club’s Logan Cooley — coming off a four-goal, five-point night — make him the breakout star of the season?
  4. Are surprise teams like Anaheim Ducks and Buffalo Sabres reshaping the early-season standings more than expected?
  5. Could lineup shakeups and injuries across the league change the playoff-race narrative before December ends?

Join Jessica Kwong does the NHL podcasts every other Wednesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

LaTerraza Mexican Restaurant 1027 2nd Street in Old Sacramento give them a call at 916-440-0874

From the second you step in the front door, the sounds of Latin America will gently seduce your ears and continue as you relax outdoors with your favorite cocktail enjoying the view. The wonderful flavors and aromas of our cuisine will not disappoint.

We use only the finest, freshest, local ingredients in every dish and every dish is prepared to order. Enjoy live mariachi music weekly and on special occasions, catch balet folklorico dance performances among other live entertainment. Come visit us and have a great time! Enjoy fast, friendly service, fantastic food & cocktails, music and allow us to share our beautiful Mexican heritage with you.

LaTerraza Mexican Restaurant at 1027 2nd Street in Old Sacramento give them a call at 916-440-0874.

Utah Mammoth game wrap: Logan Cools Vegas in 5-1 Mammoth Stomping

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Utah Mammoth center Logan Cooley takes control of the puck during the first period of an NHL hockey game against the Vegas Golden Knights, Monday, Nov. 24, 2025, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Anna Fuder)

By Tom Walker

SALT LAKE CITY–Utah forward Logan Cooley scored four goals and assisted on another to exact revenge on the Golden Knights 5-1 from last week’s loss.

The Utah Mammoth (11-8-3) welcomed the Vegas Golden Knights (10-4-7) back to Delta Center on Monday night, just four days after Vegas defeated Utah 4-1 in Salt Lake City.

Dylan Guenther broke open the scoring at 14:54 of the first period with a top shelf blast for his ninth goal of the season, assisted by Logan Cooley and Nate Schmidt. Barely a minute later, Guenther returned the favor to Cooley, setting him up for his tenth goal of the season with the additional assist to Nate Schmidt to give the Mammoth a 2-0 lead heading into the locker room. Karel Vejmelka turned away all 8 Golden Knights shots in the frame.

At 5:24 of the second period, Vegas forward Ivan Barbashev cut the Utah lead in half with his eighth of the season, assisted by Jack Eichel, and Braeden Bowman. It would be the only goal allowed by Vejmelka on 15 shots in the period, while the Mammoth were unsuccessful in all three of their shot attempts.

Whereas Vegas seemed unstoppable last Thursday, Utah turned the tables completely on Monday, particularly in their dominant third period. Logan Cooley deflected a puck for an unassisted goal at 4:19 for his 11th of the season to put the Mammoth up 3-1.

Down by two goals with less than five minutes remaining, Vegas rolled the dice and pulled netminder Carl Lindbom early. The house won on the Golden Knights gamble as Cooley recorded the natural hat trick with goal #12 into the empty net as hats rained down on the Delta Center ice to give Utah a 4-1 lead. With a little more than three minutes to go in the third, Mammoth forward Kevin Stenlund went to the sin bin for holding against Cole Reinhardt.

Vegas head coach Bruce Cassidy rolled the dice one more time with nothing left to lose, pulling Lindbom again to go for broke with a 6-4 advantage in the offensive end. The strategy failed as Cooley netted his 4th of the night and 13th of the season into the empty net at 17:43 to seal the 5-1 victory with the shorthanded goal.

Logan’s run of goals resulted in the first four-goal game in Utah franchise history, and the first in the NHL this season. The last player aged 21 or younger to record four goals in a game was Patrik Laine who scored 5 for Winnipeg against St. Louis exactly seven years ago to the day.

Cooley joins Macklin Celebrini (San Jose) and Connor Bedard (Chicago) as the only players with two hat tricks so far this season, and the Mammoth join the Blackhawks as the only teams with three hat tricks so far on the year.

Cooley talked about his feat in the locker room after the game. “It’s awesome. Any time you do that, it’s special. Just to see how excited the guys were for me too, you get a cool feeling when you get the support of your teammates. I just think in general, we have such a tight group. Guys really care about each other and want everyone on the team to have success. So it’s awesome.” Talking about his mental process going into the game, Cooley said, “Yeah, I think it’s a long season. I think the big thing is consistency, and that’s something that for me, personally, I’m always trying to work on. … It wasn’t the easiest path to tonight, but I think just finding a way to stay with it. It’s a grind of a season, mentally, physically, but I think just leaning on guys that have experience, family, little things like that, get you out of it. And, I was fortunate to have kind of a big game tonight.” On the team’s improvement, he added, “I think just the way we kind of handled the lead too. I think that’s a big thing. I feel like in the past, we’ve been up and kind of get comfortable and teams start to bury us. I think the game against the Rangers and tonight, that’s how we know how to play. When we’re doing that, you see the results we get. For us, it’s about staying consistent with this process and not changing anything. There’s still stuff to clean up, but overall I was really happy about our performance the past two nights.”

Winning goaltender Goaltender Karel Vejmelka, who stopped 33 of 34 shots on the night, said, “Yeah, obviously, this one feels really good. It’s a big two points against a really good team, one of the best so far this season. So it feels really good.” Talking about how the team handles adversity, Vejmelka remarked, “Yeah, I think we are a really good team, and if we want to be successful, we need to find a way every night, and that’s part of being one of the best teams in the NHL. So we need to find a way every single night, no matter what, and we did it tonight. We showed up, and it feels really good.”

Utah Mammoth Head Coach André Tourigny said of Cooley, “He didn’t complicate his game. He didn’t try to get the play of the week. He will be on the play of the week because he scored four, but it was speed and space behind, and when he does that it’s special.” The second period has often been challenging for Utah this season, so it was particularly important to defend the lead. Tourigny commented, “Obviously in the second, they had a hell of a push. Like I said, they’re a good team. They’re a Stanley Cup contender for a reason. So we knew they would have a say in what will happen out there, but the intensity and the urgency we have in those situations and the way we protected that front, even if we’re not perfect and even if there’s a number of things we would like to get better at, I think the mindset is always the most important thing. I think the guys were really good with it. We were composed, we were intense, and we were even-keeled.” Last Thursday, Tourigny said that the team’s emotions got the best of them. Tonight was much different. “There was emotion and there was stress, you don’t want to lose the game, you don’t want to lose the lead, etc, etc. I think we did a pretty good job at staying composed. We did not do a perfect job. You could see the nerve, we didn’t make plays at the same pace, and we didn’t connect as much on our passes. So there’s stuff we can be better at, but that’s why there’s 82 games. We still have a lot of things to get better at, but the mindset of the guys was really good.”

Utah (12-8-3) wraps up the four-game homestand on Wednesday night against the Montreal Canadiens after which they will hit the road after Thanksgiving for six games away.