Category: Utah Hockey Club

Stanley Cup Playoffs: Golden Knights end Mammoth Playoff Run With 5-1 Win

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Utah Mammoth defenseman MacKenzie Weegar (52) controls the puck against the Vegas Golden Knights center Brett Howden in first period action in game 6 of the NHL Stanley Cup Playoff first round on Fri May 1, 2026 (AP News photo)

By Tom Walker

SALT LAKE CITY–Vegas Golden Knights (4-2) dominated all but a few moments of play while clinching their Round Two postseason berth against the Anaheim Ducks. The Knights put away the Utah Mammoth (2-4) on Friday night with a 5-1 win.

It was do or die Friday night at Delta Center for the Mammoth, down three games to two in the best-of-seven Western Conference First-Round Series.

Game 5 in Las Vegas on Wednesday was a microcosm of the series overall, with leads going back and forth until Vegas emerged with the edge.

Both squads learned Thursday night who the winner of this series will face in the next round as the Anaheim Ducks convincingly disposed of Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers 5-2 to win their opening round matchup in six games. Anaheim went 2-1-0 against Utah during the regular season, and a perfect 3-0-0 against Vegas with each game decided by a 4-3 score, two of which were in overtime.

Per Utah’s stat crew, five Mammoth players have previously scored goals in a playoff elimination game: Nate Schmidt, MacKenzie Weegar, Kevin Stenlund, Sean Durzi, and Clayton Keller.

It took until the final five minutes of the opening period for the first goal of the game which came at the hands of Game 5 double-overtime heartbreaker Brett Howden who put the Knights up 1-0 on his fourth goal of the series, assisted by Mitch Marner and Mark Stone.

With 62 seconds remaining in the frame, Alexander Kerfoot was whistled for a dubious goalkeeper interference penalty against Carter Hart. Replays showed the contact between them taking place outside the goal crease, nevertheless Vegas went on the power play.

As the final seconds ticked off the clock, forward Pavel Dorofeyev shot the puck hitting the face of teammate Jeremy Louzon who skated slowly to his team’s bench with the period coming to a close. The Golden Knights outshot the Mammoth 10-6.

The second period’s scoring drought lasted longer than that of the first period, with both netminders holding the line for the first nineteen minutes of the frame. Though Vegas wasn’t on the power play, the final minutes of the period were a constant barrage of offense which felt like it, and with the Mammoth defense completely gassed Mitch Marner found the back of the net with 45 seconds remaining to give Vegas a 2-0 lead heading into the final period of play, which for the Mammoth had the potential to be the final period of play for the season. The Knights outshot Utah 9-8 in the frame, but in terms of puck possession and any sort of momentum it was overwhelming in favor of Vegas.

At 7:41 of the third period, Mammoth forward Kailer Yamamoto breathed life into his squad and the 16,000+ fans in attendance when he ended Carter Hart’s shutout effort with his first goal of the playoffs, assisted by Mikhail Sergachev.

For a moment it seemed as if Utah had some genuine momentum upon which to mount a comeback, but that optimism was squashed at 9:39 when Colton Sissons restored the two-goal Vegas lead with his second goal of the postseason, assisted by Brayden McNabb and Kaedan Korczak, to make it 3-1.

If that didn’t already begin to deflate the home team’s hopes of forcing a Game 7 in Las Vegas on Sunday, things went from bad to worse when Logan Cooley went to the sin bin for high-sticking against Nic Dowd. It took Mitch Marner all of 15 seconds on the man-advantage to make it 4-1, assisted by Shea Theodore and Jack Eichel, to seemingly put the game and the series away with 7:51 remaining.

If it weren’t a playoff game, the seats would have been emptying quickly at that point. Cole Smith added an exclamation point to the Golden Knights victory with an unassisted empty net goal at 16:24 to wrap things up 5-1.

“We were in it, and we battled,” said Assistant Captain Mikhail Sergachev. “We tried, and we failed. Maybe an eye-opener for a lot of us, and it’s going to take us time to digest all of that. And come back with a game plan to get better and come back stronger. … I have no doubt we’ll do some damage next year. I’m proud of this team; we battled, and our fans saw it. We got a lot of support from them, and we tried our best today. Very proud of this team.”

Associate Captain Lawson Crouse talked about the emotions following the series loss. “A lot of emotions, upset that we couldn’t get the job done, and fight for another day. Obviously, the fans have been great all season long. We owed it to them to fight right until the end.” Talking about how failure can help the team grow, Crouse added, “You have to go through the lows to get to the highs. We can be proud as a group of where we got to. Obviously, we have some things to learn, closing out games, but Vegas, they’re a great hockey team. They’re a veteran hockey team. They’ve won previously, and they know what it takes to win. They know how to win games and close them out. That’s something that we can learn from them. We gave it our all, we can all be proud of that. It wasn’t like we rolled over at any moments throughout the series and we just came up short. That’s the way it is. Obviously you got to learn from it and come back with another goal next year and try and replicate it, get a couple wins in the playoffs and advance to the next round.”

Captain Clayton Keller was transparent about his disappointment. “Yeah, it obviously sucks,” Keller began. “Terrible feeling right now for the guys. We fought, gave everything we had never quit, lots of ups and downs. It’s fresh right now, but I’ll have some time to reflect. Like I’ve said all series, we’re super confident in one another and our game plan and everything like that. It sucks, it’s a terrible feeling. When you lose and you go through that pain, that’s when you learn the most, not when you win.” One can’t help but think, we so many young players under contract for years to come, that the experience gained in the first round will benefit the team in the future. The captain continued, “Yeah, I believe so much in this group and the guys that we have, and the character and guys that love coming to the rink and getting better every single day. It’s so fun to come to the rink with these guys. Definitely super excited about the future. We are only gonna get better. Like I said, this sucks, but we’ll learn from it, we’ll break it down and the next time we’re in this situation, next year, we’ll get over the hump.” Of the fans who stuck it out through the end of the game, Keller added, “Like I’ve said all year long, the past two years, they’ve been unbelievable. They took it to a new level in the playoffs here. Their support means so much to all of us in this room, and gives us lots of energy. We love playing at home. We love playing at the Delta Center. It’s the best building to play in. I just love their passion and how much you know they appreciate and care for us.”

Those who have interviewed Head Coach André Tourigny throughout the season didn’t need him to open his mouth at the podium. His face communicated everything you needed to know. “I don’t really know what to tell you tonight,” he began. “It hurt. I didn’t have that on my bingo card. I was really confident we would go to Vegas tomorrow. I assume some will ask me questions about the season, and this and that. My head is not there at all. I’m mad. I’m disappointed. Not mad at the players. I’m mad at the fact we lost. I hate excuses. I hate taking the easy way out. I think I told you all year, your failure makes you stronger. You learn from it, and it makes you better. In order to make sure that happened, it has to hurt. I don’t even want to feel good about it. I want that to hurt, and I want to learn from it. There will be a ton of things we will unpack and learn and grow as a coach, as a player, as an organization. Our crowd was unbelievable for us all season long. In the playoffs, there were at another level. I would’ve loved to win it for them.” Speaking of the team’s no-quit mentality, Bear said, “There’s no doubt. I love our players, I love our team. They’re competitors. They’re proud to play for that team, that state, that ownership. They fight for each other. They love each other. There’s no doubt. An unbelievable group of guys in that room. Having said that, what we’re going through tonight is important for our future. It’s really important. Like I said, you need to let it hurt. You need to let it bleed a little bit. Has to hurt because that will be the fuel of tomorrow to bounce back and find a way to be better and to get to the next. There will be a time in a few days when we will talk together with you guys, and we’ll talk about what’s been achieved. For tonight, for me, personally, it hurts, and that’s the way it should be.” Describing the locker room after leaving the ice, Tourigny said, “After the game, I hugged all of them, and I care for them, and that doesn’t change. That doesn’t mean everybody played well. There’s a difference between the player and the person. Every single guy in that room are really good guys who care for each other, and they give everything they had for our team, our organization, our state, and for Utah. That means a lot to me. I appreciate all of that. I think that said, I don’t want to deepen that, but there will be things we need to learn to be better. We succeed in a few things. Cannot take it for granted. So there will be a time to talk about that. Tonight, it’s time to grieve a little bit.”

If one had to point out key moments where the Mammoth could have turned the tide, the first was in Game 4 at Delta Center when Utah scored four unanswered goals and had a lead in the third period, only to surrender the tying goal and eventually fall in overtime. A victory would have given the Mammoth a commanding 3-games-to-1 lead in the series. Instead they went back to Vegas with the series tied. But the bigger heartbreak came when leading in the third period of Game 5, Utah surrendered the tying goal with 53 seconds left, and then lost the game on a short-handed goal in double-overtime to force Friday’s elimination game. If either of those games turn out differently, Utah would be playing Game 7 in Las Vegas rather than making summer plans.

Mammoth players will return to Delta Center in the coming days to clean out their lockers, participate in exit interviews with the coaching staff, and meet with the local media. It is inevitable that some of them could be traded or otherwise not return.

Little did we know at the same time a year ago that Michael Carcone would be back after saying that he would be parting ways, or that Josh Doan and Michael Kesselring, having been traded to the Buffalo Sabres in the offseason for JJ Peterka, would be going to Round 2 of the playoffs after eliminating the Boston Bruins.

Under the tutelage of Tourigny, the then-Coyotes and current Mammoth have improved their performance in each of the past 5 years. The expectation is that 2026-27 will make it six as General Manager Bill Armstrong continues to improve the squad through free agent signings, trades, further development of Utah’s deep prospect pool, as well as the upcoming 2026 NHL entry draft which will be held in Buffalo on June 26–27.

Tom Walker covered the 2025-26 Utah Mammoth season for http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Utah Mammoth game wrap: Utah Fights Back From 3-0 Deficit To Take Lead In Game 4, But Fall To Vegas In Overtime 5-4

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Utah Mammoth goaltender Karel Vejmelka (70) lays on the ice looking at the puck after giving up the game winning goal to the Vegas Golden Knights in overtime in game 4 of the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs first round at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Mon Apr 27, 2026 (AP News photo)

By Tom Walker

The Utah Mammoth started out looking dead in the water only to come back with a fury before surrendering to the Vegas Golden Knights in overtime 5-4 to even the best-of-seven series at 2-2 Monday night at the Delta Center.

The Mammoth hosted the Knights at Delta Center on Monday night for Game 4 of the Western Conference First-Round Series in which Utah led 2-1 in the best-of-seven contest following last Friday’s 4-2 home victory.

Vegas came out swinging from the drop of the puck, desperate to avoid falling into elimination game status if they failed to prevail in the match. The early desperation paid off as Pavel Dorofeyev connected on a pass from Ivan Barbashev just 72 seconds into the game to put the Golden Knights up 1-0.

At 16:44 the Mammoth had an opportunity to tie things up when Cole Smith went to the penalty box for tripping against JJ Peterka. With six seconds remaining in the man-advantage, it was the Golden Knights who came up with a shorthanded goal by Brett Howden, assisted by Mitch Marner, to take a 2-0 lead heading into the locker room. Utah, who managed just 12 shots on goal on Friday, finished the opening frame with just 3 against Carter Hart. Vegas converted two goals on eight shots against Vejmelka.

The Golden Knights picked up where they left off at the beginning of the second period when Smith scored his first goal of the series at 3:26, assisted by Noah Hanifin and Colton Sissons, to make it 3-0 as Vegas continued to dominate both ends of the ice.

Just past the eight minute mark the Mammoth broke onto the scoreboard as Nick Schmaltz picked up the loose change of a shot by Lawson Crouse to score his first post-season goal, assisted by Crouse and Mikhail Sergachev. 29 seconds later Utah defenseman Ian Cole trimmed the deficit to 3-2 with his first goal, blasting a one-timer from above the faceoff circle on a feed by Sean Durzi to bring the Delta Center crowd to life and suddenly make a game of what had been a lackluster effort by the Mammoth to that point.

Michael Carcone completed the Mammoth comeback at 1:45 of the third period with his first goal of the postseason as he one-timed a pass from Dylan Guenther into the back of the net to make it 3-3. With the momentum overwhelmingly shifted to Utah, Clayton Keller gave the Mammoth a 4-3 lead at 5:10 when he gloved down a pass from Nick Schmaltz and shot it at the Vegas goal where it bounced off the body of Vegas defenseman Shea Theodore and into the net. The Golden Knights were down but not out, and at 10:25 Brett Howden tied the game at 4-4 with his second goal of the night, assisted by Hanifin and Eichel, which is how the period ended.

The Mammoth were the only team in the NHL not to participate in a shootout during the regular season, and in the post-season shootouts aren’t a thing, so Utah and Vegas began a sudden death overtime period in which either the Mammoth would come away with a dominant 3-1 lead in the series, or the Golden Knights would even the series at 2-2.

With 9:38 remaining in the overtime period, Vegas thought they had won the game when Pavel Dorofeyev tipped in a loose puck, but upon video review it was determined that the Golden Knights were offside and play continued. With 52 seconds remaining in the bonus period, Shea Theodore took advantage of Karel Vejmelka having lost his stick and drilled the game-winner into the back of the net, sending the series back to Las Vegas on Thursday tied at 2-2.

Mikhail Sergachev, who assisted on the goals by Carcone and Keller, talked about Utah’s ability to fight back from the 3-0 deficit. “It was a determination. We came back from three-nothing. We were up in the game, and it was a good playoff hockey game.” Sergachev continued, “We had a slow start to the game and didn’t play our best. But in the second period, we came back, our fans were rallying and brought us back into the game, and we came back. We just got to fix the start, and I think we’ll be fine.” Asked about what will need to change in Game 5, the Assistant Captain said, “We need a better start; we need more pace in the neutral zone. And when we have an opportunity to score a goal, we’ve got to put it in. We had some opportunities (tonight) where we maybe passed on the shots (and) didn’t create enough traffic. Next game, we gotta focus on that.”

“I loved our fight,” Keller told the media. “We’re still playing confident. We got down in the game, but kept going. Everyone was contributing. Got some momentum there from the fans as well. All in all, we fought well until the end. We’ll learn from this game and still be really confident, for sure.” Talking about the second period turnaround, Keller said, “Just splitting the puck all over the ice, no hesitation, guys were making plays with the puck. Just being around the net and hungry. Guys want to make a difference, so that’s a good thing and we have a group of guys that are confident and want the puck on their stick.”

“Obviously, we haven’t been happy with our starts the past two games,” said defenseman Ian Cole. “We’re going to have to rectify that going forward. As the game went on, I thought we played better. You get into overtime and anything can happen. Unfortunately, we’re not happy with the outcome. But we’re going to move on to Game 5.”

Utah Mammoth Head Coach André Tourigny began his post-game remarks saying, “Obviously, (Vegas) had a great start. I liked the way we responded after their third goal. Even then, we got in the box; right away after that’s where we started rolling and got back in the game a little bit. So I’m proud of the way our guys responded to adversity. That was a hard-fought game. We know how good they can be and I think we responded well (in) the second half of the game.”

No matter the outcome of Game 5 on Wednesday in Las Vegas, there will be a Game 6 on Friday at Delta Center. The only question is whether the Mammoth will enter that game with a chance to clinch the series, or if they will face a must-win situation to stay alive and force a Game 7 back in Nevada.

Utah Mammoth game wrap: Mammoth Stomp Golden Knights 4-2 In Historic First NHL Playoff Game In Utah

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Utah Mammoth goaltender Karel Vejmelka (70) blocks a shot by the Vegas Golden Knights (center) Brett Howden (21) in the second period of game 3 of the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Thu Apr 24, 2026 (AP News photo)

Mammoth Stomp Golden Knights 4-2 In Historic First NHL Playoff Game In Utah

By Tom Walker

SALT LAKE CITY–Lawson Crouse scored twice as Utah built up a 4-0 lead halfway through the game and then held on to complete the 4-2 win and take a 2-1 series lead in the Western Conference First-Round series.

The Stanley Cup Playoffs made their official Utah debut on Friday night before a noisy, sold-out crowd at Delta Center in Salt Lake City where the Mammoth hosted the Vegas Golden Knights for Game 3 of the Western Conference First-Round Series.  The two squads split the first two games in Las Vegas, with the Mammoth evening up the series on Tuesday with their 3-2 victory.

The festivities began outside Delta Center at noon when as many as a thousand fans turned out to take advantage of an offer to switch allegiances and exchange a licensed Golden Knights jersey for a new Mammoth jersey.  Prior to the arrival of the Utah Hockey Club two years ago, the Golden Knights and the Colorado Avalanche had been the closest thing Utahns had to a home NHL team, with Vegas games being broadcast on local television, and the Smith Entertainment Group has actively sought to win fans over with much success.  Then at 3:00pm the community was invited for a giant outdoor playoff party with a live band, face painting, food, games, and even an opportunity to take pictures on the Zammoth.

Prior to puck drop, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman and Utah Mammoth Governor Ryan Smith held a press conference where Bettman announced that next season’s Winter Classic between the Mammoth and Colorado Avalanche will be held New Year’s Eve at Rice-Eccles Stadium. Smith elaborated that Utah is planning a series of events over the weekend including a New Year’s Eve concert at Delta Center.

It was two years ago today that members of the former Arizona Coyotes landed in Salt Lake City, having just been acquired at the conclusion of their season by Smith Entertainment Group. They were overwhelmed to be greeted at the airport by legions of kids wearing their own hockey gear and holding up signs welcoming them to their new home, and later that night being introduced to thousands of screaming fans at the Delta Center.  As loud as the arena was on that night, or on the night of their first ever home game on October 8, 2024, against the Chicago Blackhawks, nothing compared with the volume on Friday night at Delta Center where the decibel level reached such peaks that players couldn’t hear Head Coach André Tourigny shouting out line changes.

MacKenzie Weegar got things going for the Mammoth at 12:59 of the first period, collecting a loose puck and scoring his second playoff goal of the series and his first ever at Delta Center, assisted by Liam O’Brien and Kailer Yamamoto.  On the assist, O’Brien, who has played parts of 9 seasons in the NHL, notched his first career playoff point.  With three and a half minutes remaining in the frame, Brayden McNabb was whistled for high-sticking against Logan Cooley to give Utah its first power play opportunity of the game. With 45 seconds remaining in the man-advantage, Cooley sent the puck across the ice to Dylan Guenther’s office at the top of the faceoff circle where he one-timed a bullet into the net to give the Mammoth a 2-0 lead heading into the locker room.  The goal was Guenther’s second of the playoffs, with the additional assist going to Captain Clayton Keller.  Courtesy the Mammoth stat crew, Guenther is one of just four players in the expansion era (since 1967-68) to light the lamp in any franchise’s first home regular-season and playoff game, joining Ray Cullen (Minnesota North Stars), Larry Keenan (St. Louis Blues), and Mark Messier (Edmonton Oilers). Golden Knights Head Coach John Tortorella defended his netminder after the game, saying, “No one is stopping Guenther’s shot, and that’s just a bomb.”  Vegas outshot Utah 13-6 in the period, but Karel Vejmelka successfully kept them off the scoreboard.

Four minutes into the second period, the Mammoth kept the momentum going as Associate Captain Lawson Crouse attacked the net and tipped in a pass from Nick Schmaltz to take a 3-0 lead with Weegar picking up the additional assist.  Schmaltz’s assist was his first career playoff point.  Halfway through the period Crouse struck again with a blast from the top of the faceoff circle to give Utah a commanding 4-0 lead. Crouse’s second goal of the game and the series was assisted by Keller who picked up his second assist of the night for his first multi-point playoff game of his career.  Thus far in the playoffs, Crouse’s two goals at 5:42 apart are the fastest two goals by the same player.  At 13:20 of the second period, Jack Eichel spoiled the shutout, knocking in a rebound in front of the net for his first post-season goal, assisted by Ivan Barbashev and Mark Stone. Once again Vegas doubled up Utah in shots on goal, 10-5, but the Mammoth doubled up the Golden Knights in goals to head to the locker room with a 4-1 lead.

Throughout the third period Vegas continued to attack, ultimately outshooting Utah 9-1, but could only muster a late goal by Nic Dowd with three minutes remaining to cut their deficit in half. The Golden Knights pulled Carter Hart from the net for an extra attacker the rest of the way, but Vejmelka and the Mammoth closed the door on Vegas despite having been outshot 32-12 in the match. Utah’s penalty kill was a perfect 4-0 against the Vegas power play.

“Right when we came out, it was electric in the building,” said Weegar in the locker room after the game. “It was loud, and I saw the towels going, introducing the starting lineups, and felt it after that. The first five minutes give you goosebumps. That’s sort of what it’s about. You know, feeling it with the fans and the players. Both sides appreciate each other so much. But we really felt that.” On the mental test of holding onto the lead in the third period against a club like Vegas, Weegar said, “I think that’s a big topic with our group, you know, that’s the maturity. Learning from the end of the season, closing out those games when it matters. I thought we did a great job. Veggie, obviously, the start of his game was really why we were in that game the whole time. So he closed it out for us. A lot of character, and it was similar to that game two, closing out and finishing the job. So we have to continue that.”

Guenther talked about the difficulty hearing Tourigny calling out line changes. “It’s tough, especially when it’s loud in there, and a couple times, you know, he’s barking off the lines. I think it always just comes back down to just work and speed. So I think if we’re kind of getting off our game a little bit, I think just simple, simple speed.”

In the media room, Keller and Crouse stepped up to the microphone to field questions from local and national media.  On his team’s effort, Keller began, “Yeah, I think we used our speed a lot tonight. I think we stuck with it. They’re a great team, and they make you work for everything. I think just having a simple game getting pucks to the net, I know we didn’t have a ton of shots, but we had some attempts, and some looks where we may have missed the net. Veggie was unreal, PK was unreal tonight, so I think we’ll make adjustments and go forward into the next one.” On the energy in the arena, Lawson said, “Yeah, the fans have been incredible ever since day one, when we’ve shown up here, and it seemed like they took it to a whole new level tonight. We can start to use that to our advantage. They really energize us. I was looking up in the stands after the first goal, and just seeing all the rally towels going and just feeling the energy and the passion from them really gives us that boost.” Talking about the team’s emotions taking the ice for the franchise’s first playoff home game, Keller said, “It was amazing. We were so jacked up to play tonight. I think even just in warm ups there was an amazing feel. You could tell that they (the fans) were invested, and they were super excited as well. It’s great to get a huge win here at home, the first playoff game in franchise history. It’s pretty cool, and I’m sure the crowd will be even better the next one.”

“I think we did a good job of weathering the storm,” said Head Coach André Tourigny at the beginning of his press conference. “We scored a big goal on our power play, then we scored a big goal five-on-five, and then our power play took the lead from there. I think until we took the 4-0 lead, it was a hard-fought game, and it was really good. Obviously, in the third, they had a big push, and they played well. They’re a good team. They played really well. Proud of the way we defended and the way we weathered the storm in the first period.” On the team’s successful penalty kill, Bear added, “It starts with your most important player on the PK, your goalie. I think Vej was rock solid. Made key saves at key moments. Our PK was tuned in. A few good block shots, and a few good clearings. I think they were solid. Our power play as well. Like I said before, a big goal. We had a great performance from our special teams.” Tourigny also commented about the noise level, “That will be an adjustment. Seriously, we had some confusion on the bench. Guys did not know who was up, and for the people who know me, I can be pretty loud. The crowd beat me, no doubt about it. There are a few things we did as a staff to get better during the game to make sure there was less confusion. Because, if you look at the tape, there are two situations in the second period where there was a little bit of confusion.”

If you’re going to have any confusion, an arena full of screaming fans is the way you want it to be.

The Mammoth take a 2-1 series lead into Game 4 this coming Monday night at Delta Center.

Mammoth Master Golden Knights 3-2 To Even Western Conference First-Round Series 1-1

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Utah Mammoth defenseman Mikhail Sergachev (99) and center Logan Center (92) celebrate after Cooley’s goal against the Vegas Golden Knights in third period in game two of the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at T Mobile Center in Las Vegas on Wed Apr 22, 2026 (AP News photo)

By Tom Walker

Logan Cooley became the youngest American-born player to score goals in each of his first two playoff appearances in Utah win over Vegas 3-2.

The Utah Mammoth squared off against the Vegas Golden Knights on Tuesday for the second game of the Western Conference First-Round Series hoping to tie up the series following Sunday night’s Game 1 loss.

Vegas received a golden opportunity eleven minutes into the first period when Utah forward Logan Cooley was whistled for interference against Mitch Marner. On the ensuing power play, Mark Stone scored his 2nd goal of the playoffs on a shot which deflected off the skate of Mammoth defenseman Mikhail Sergachev to give the Golden Knights a 1-0 lead.

Jack Eichel and Marner assisted on the play. With 3:01 remaining in the frame, Vegas defenseman Rasmus Andersson reciprocated by kicking the puck into his own net, with the tying goal being credited to MacKenzie Weegar who was the last Mammoth to touch the puck.

At 14:56 of the second period, Dylan Guenther one-timed a slap shot from the top of the faceoff circle for his first goal of the post-season, assisted by Kailer Yamamoto who had gloved down a clearing attempt by Vegas and sent a cross-ice pass to the waiting stick of Guenther to give Utah its first lead of the night. That lead was short-lived, as Ivan Barbashev split two Mammoth defenders 62 seconds later and put the puck past Karel Vejmelka for his second goal of the playoffs, assisted by Eichel.

Exactly 14 minutes into the third period, Logan Cooley banged in a rebound off a shot by Guenther for his second goal of the playoffs to give Utah a 3-2 lead with six minutes remaining, with Yamamoto picking up the second assist. With the goal, Cooley made NHL history as the youngest American-born player to score goals in each of his first two career playoff games, edging out his captain Clayton Keller who had previously held that record at the age of 22 while with the Arizona Coyotes.

Earlier in the playoffs, 19-year-old Philadelphia Flyers forward Porter Martone, born in Peterborough, ON, became the youngest player overall to achieve the feat while also becoming the third rookie in NHL history to score game-winning goals in consecutive games to start a postseason, joining Brett Hull (1988) and Cooney Weiland (1929). Vejmelka shut the door on the Golden Knights the rest of the way as the Mammoth split the two games in Vegas and return to Delta Center on Friday where they currently enjoy home ice advantage in the series.

Yamamoto, who assisted on the goals by Guenther and Cooley, said of those teammates in the locker room after the game, “Those two are unbelievable. Everything they do, very easy to play with, they just use their speed. They’re so quick, and heavy on pucks. They may not be the biggest guys, but very heavy on their sticks and win a lot of battles.”

Cooley said of Yamamoto, “He’s such a smart player. He reads off of me and Gunner really good. It seems like he’s always in the right position, really poised with the puck. Positive guy too. Keeps us loose and I feel, like Gunner, we just have a lot of speed, we read off each other really well, and it’s clicking right now.” On Utah’s performance in the game, Cooley added, “There’s a lot of emotions in these playoff games. A lot of ups and downs. I think you have to just find a way to stay level-headed. Different things happen. Good calls, bad calls, different momentum swings. We did a good job of staying level-headed, and that’s what we need to do moving forward.” Guenther, who was seated next to Cooley for the interview, said, “I think it’s contagious too. When everyone’s lifting each other up, it’s a good feeling. I think it feels like we ‘re always in it no matter what.” Cooley continued, “It’s nice to get the win, and to have a big goal in a big moment, and it’s nice that we could get the series tied up heading back home. … It’s so exciting playing in these games. You’re playing for the Cup. It’s what you dream of since you’re a little kid, and you just want to leave everything out there. The games are so intense, physical, fast, and I think that kind of fits my game. Just trying to add those attributes into these games and it’s clicking right now. Just gotta keep moving.”

“That was a hard game,” said Head Coach André Tourigny to begin his post-game remarks. “Not a lot of space out there. I like the way our guys responded. … You need to have the right balance, need to have poise, you need to be patient, you need to be aggressive, and you need to be intense. … You need to be 10 out of 10 in your drive, but at the same time you need to be calm. You need to be urgent, but you need to be patient. You need to be disciplined.” Asked about how impressive Cooley’s play has been, Bear responded, “I don’t know if it’s impressive when you see him every day. We know how competitive, how good he is, for us it’s just stay in the moment I think Cools has been really good for us since he’s with us – 3 years now – and right now his head is at the right place, he’s in the moment, and I think everybody in our room right now is focused and in the right place and we need to keep it there.”

On Friday night the State of Utah will host its first-ever NHL playoff match as the Mammoth and Golden Knights square off for Game 3 of the best-of-seven series.

Stanley Cup Playoffs/Utah Mammoth:Mammoth Blow Third Period Lead, Falling 4-2 To Golden Knights In Game 1 Of Western Conference First-Round Series

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Vegas Golden Knights center Colton Sissons (10) scores against the Utah Mammoth goaltender Karel Vejmelka (70) during game 1 of first round of the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at the T Mobile Center in Las Vegas (AP News photo)

Stanley Cup Playoffs/Utah Mammoth:

By Tom Walker

SALT LAKE CITY–Utah was positioned to steal home ice advantage in Game 1 of the opening playoff series, but Vegas launched third period comeback for the win 4-2.

The Utah Mammoth played Game 83 for the first time in franchise history on Sunday night, squaring off against the Golden Knights in Las Vegas for Game 1 of the Western Conference First-Round Series. The last time Mammoth predecessors, the Arizona Coyotes, played in the postseason was August 19, 2020 during the strange COVID-shortened season, losing 7-1 in Game 5 of the first round to the Colorado Avalanche.

The lone Coyotes goal-scorer in that game was current Mammoth captain Clayton Keller, assisted by Jason Demers and Derek Stepan. The only other remaining Coyotes player in that game’s box score who also participated in Utah’s Sunday night post-season debut was forward Lawson Crouse. Barrett Hayton, who has been out of the lineup since March 24 with an upper-body injury, also played that final 2020 playoff game for Arizona.

The first period seemed destined to be a scoreless affair, but with 11 ticks left on the clock, Logan Cooley found the back of the net to put Utah up 1-0 on his first career playoff goal. Cooley had initially taken the puck into the offensive zone, and after some keep-away with Vegas defenders passed the puck to Crouse, who sent it to inaugural season Golden Knights defenseman Nate Schmidt, who zipped it back to Cooley who one-timed a slap shot into the net.

At 3:44 of the second period, Colton Sissons knocked in a loose puck at the crease to tie the game, assisted by Cole Smith and Brayden McNabb. The Mammoth regained the lead 83 seconds later on a fluke goal where Kevin Stenlund shot the puck from the dasher boards near the top of the faceoff circle, the puck being slapped away by Vegas netminder Carter Hart but off the body of defenseman Kaedan Korczak and into the net, with Sean Durzi and Ian Cole picking up the assists.

Utah took their 2-1 lead into the third period, but could not hold on. At 3:45 of the frame, Alexander Kerfoot went to the penalty box for hooking against Ivan Barbashev. With 12 seconds remaining in the penalty kill, Mark Stone knocked in a rebound from Karel Vejmelka to even the score at 2-2, assisted by Tomas Hertl and Mitch Marner.

Less than two minutes later, Mammoth defenseman MacKenzie Weegar turned over the puck in Utah’s defensive zone, and Noah Hanifin sent it across to Nic Dowd who deflected it perfectly into the net to give the Golden Knights their first lead of the game 3-2. At 18:21, with Vejmelka pulled for an extra attacker, Barbashev put the game away with an empty net goal to give Vegas the victory and a 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven series.

Interviewed in the locker room after the game, Cooley said, “Right from the start I knew it was going to be physical. A super fast game. Not a lot of room out there. I think early on we did a good job of playing our game, playing our style. We let off a little bit towards the third and it cost us, but it’s a long series and we just gotta regroup and clean up a few things.” Asked about his goal and getting into the pace of his first playoff game, Cooley responded, “It’s always nice to get on the board early, but I think after the first shift you get into it, maybe get a few bumps, and now it’s just another game.” On his own physicality, he commented, “It’s the playoffs, you’re playing for the Cup, you’re doing whatever you can to help your team win – whether that is physical, or scoring, playing good defensively – whatever the team needs, and I think that’s our mindset in this locker room too. It’s all about the team focus and trying to win games.” Wrapping up the interview, Cooley said, “A lot of us, it’s our first playoff game – to get that nerve out, get settled in … obviously we’d like to get the win, but just to get your feet wet a little bit and know how it is and what we need to do to beat them in Game 2.”

Lawson Crouse, one of two Mammoth players on the ice to have participated in the final Arizona Coyotes playoff game in 2020, said, “They played a heck of a game. It was a physical affair. There wasn’t much open ice out there, that’s kind of what we expected, but you know they played a great game. We feel we got a little bit better, but you know we get a day now to learn and make some adjustments. … It’s a different style of hockey in the playoffs, we knew that. I feel like we can be better. We’re competitive guys, we want to do whatever we can to help this team win, just like everyone in our locker room. We’re going to try to step up.” Of teammate Logan Cooley, Crouse said, “Cools is one of the biggest competitors I know. He’s done that all season long, ever since I’ve known him and played with him. He’s a battler and definitely a guy that you want to follow.” Brogan Houston of the Deseret News asked Crouse, “This is the first playoff game for yourself and a lot of the guys with fans in the stands, how does it compare to the COVID bubble?” He responded, “Obviously an incredible atmosphere out there. Their fans do a great job cheering, and to be honest I like that energy. I think we’re able to harness it and use it to our advantage as well. Obviously they’re very into the game. They’re loud. It’s a fun environment to play in.”

Former Golden Knight Nate Schmidt told the media, “This is a long series. That’s what we planned on at the beginning. There’s a lot of lessons to be had tonight. Our effort was there. There were some momentum swings. That’s the playoffs. They score a power play goal to get it even there early in the third and I think it tilted the ice a little bit for ’em, and I liked our response to that in the last little part of the game. There are things to build on for Game 2. I think some of our guys tonight got a taste for what it’s like, and all the emotional parts of it, the [excitement] that is playoff hockey. I’m excited for it to be a long series and for Game 2.” Asked about Cooley, Schmidt added, “I think he is a player that’s ready to take that step on the center stage here in the playoffs and be a guy that commands a lot of space out there and he really makes a lot of plays for guys and creates space for people. I love his game, I love that he’s nasty around the puck. He’s not a someone that’s going to shy away from it, and that’s what I love about him. I think as we go on here, he’s gonna show more and more, and there’s some young legs that are willing to do that dirty work which is something that is really important at this time of year, guys are willing to stand over the puck and be willing to take the abuse and I think he will.”

Head Coach André Tourigny opened his post-game comments, saying, “That was a great game, I think we know Vegas is a really good team. It was a hard fought game – was physical, was intense. Every inch was contested, so I’m proud of our prep – like the way we came out and I think the guys were pretty composed, they were in control – like I said it was a hard fought game. We know when we exploit our speed, that was a good factor for us, we need to keep focusing on that. … I really like the way the guys stayed in control. You just want to get better. From now on it’s a race of improvement. I think we have stuff we can be better, and we’ll make some adjustments and stuff, but I’m really proud of the way we performed.” Of Cooley’s performance, Bear was effusive with praise, “He was on a mission. He was really good. I think him and his line played a solid game. You guys know Cools – how competitive he is – and I think he just put it on display.” Of the team overall, Tourigny added, “I’m proud of the way where our guys were mentally. I think at this point as a coach what you need to do is make sure your team is in the right mindset, the right approach, they’re in control, and they control their performance, and I’m proud of the way they played in that sense. … I think as a first game, would have loved to win the game, no doubt about it, but I think we pushed back after they took the lead, we stayed in control, the guys were calm on the bench, were even-keeled, we didn’t act like we were a young team or a team with a lack of experience – the reverse I felt we were in control.”

The Mammoth look to even the best-of-seven series on Tuesday night, 7:30pm MDT.

Utah Mammoth game wrap: Utah Wraps Regular Season On Blue Note, Losing 5-3 To St Louis

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Utah Mammoth John Marino takes in the warm up before their game against the St Louis Blues Thu Apr 3, at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City (Utah Mammoth X photo)

By Tom Walker

SALT LAKE CITY–The Utah Mammoth (43-32-6) suited up early Thursday afternoon for their nationally televised regular season finale against the St. Louis Blues (36-33-12). Regardless of the outcome, head coach André Tourigny entered the contest riding a streak of five consecutive seasons of continuous improvement beginning with a 25-50-7 record in his Arizona Coyotes debut in 2021-22. The Mammoth dropped a 5-3 decision to the Blues.on Thursday.

St. Louis took an early lead in the first period when Pavel Buchnevich picked up a loose puck to the side of the Utah net and knocked it in for his 20th of the season at 3:45 assisted by Jordan Kyrou and Pius Suter. With just over three minutes remaining in the frame, Michael Carcone evened things up with a snap shot into the top shelf corner over the right shoulder of netminder Joel Hofer for his 16th of the season, assisted by JJ Peterka and John Marino.

Carcone is enjoying a bounce back season in Utah after having initially anticipated to be playing elsewhere following a disappointing seven-goal campaign last year. He won’t be looking for a new home this coming offseason, having signed a two-year, $3.5 million contract extension last month. The two squads headed to the locker room knotted up at one apiece, with Hofer having stopped 8 of 9 shots and Karel Vejmelka turning away 10 of 11.

Lawson Crouse gave Utah their first lead of the game at the drop of the puck in the second period, banging in a rebound off a shot by MacKenzie Weegar 45 seconds into the frame. Clayton Keller picked up the second assist on Crouse’s 24th goal of the season. The goal matched Crouse’s previous career high of 24 from the 2022-23 season in Arizona, and Keller’s assist extends his franchise assist and point streak record to 10 games. Keller joins Quinn Hughes (MIN) and Artemi Panarin (NYR) as the only players in the NHL to register 10-game assist streaks this season.

At 8:14, Robert Thomas tied it up again with his 23rd goal of the season, one-timing a nifty backwards pass from Dylan Holloway who was battling two defenders at the side of the net. Three minutes later Thomas struck again, putting the Blues up 3-2 with his 24th goal, assisted by Cam Fowler and Holloway. With 68 seconds remaining in the frame, Kailer Yamamoto came through with his 13th of the season to even the score once again, assisted by Weegar and Keller.

There may have been a buzzer to mark the end of the period, but it might as well have been a trip gong of a boxing match as fists began to fly between the players on the ice. When the scrum concluded, Logan Cooley and Philip Broberg were each assessed two-minute roughing penalties to carry over into the third period. Hofer stopped 9 of 11 Mammoth shots in the period, while Vejmelka turned away 5 of 7.

With the score still tied 3-3 and less than three minutes remaining in the third, the possibility of an overtime match and even the first shootout of the season for the Mammoth seemed in play, but when Utah defenseman Nate Schmidt attempted to clear the puck from behind the net, St. Louis defenseman Logan Mailloux snagged it off the dasher boards and wristed a backhand shot past Vítek Vaněček who had entered the game in the third to spell Vejmelka.

Mailloux’s unassisted goal was his fifth of the season, giving the Blues a 4-3 lead. With Vaněček pulled for an extra attacker, Robert Thomas completed his hat trick into an empty net with 38 seconds remaining to put the game away 5-3. Utah completes the regular season with new franchise records in wins (43), points (92), and points percentage (.561).

Following the game, the Mammoth remained on the ice for the team’s regular season awards as follows: All-In Award: Lawson Crouse Community Obsessed Award: Michael Carcone Three-Stars Award: Dylan Guenther Leading Scorer: Clayton Keller (26g, 62a, 88pts) Team MVP: Clayton Keller

Mammoth Governor Ryan Smith concluded the award presentations telling the home fans, “This is your team. Tusks up! Let’s Go!”

In the locker room, Crouse commented on receiving the “All In” team award, “I think I just try and do my best each and every night out there. Obviously, a lot of guys on our team do so too. I think if you look around the room, there’s a lot of guys that come out for that award, and I am obviously very grateful to get that recognition.” On bringing the playoffs to Utah for the first time and what he’s expecting from the home crowd, Crouse added, “Feeling that energy and that atmosphere out there each and every night, I find it hard to believe that there is another level. Considering how loud they have been, they’ve continued to blow us away. So I’m sure they have something in the bag for us for the playoffs.”

On winning the MVP award, captain Clayton Keller said, “It means a lot, for sure. There’s lots of other guys in this room that could have received it. It’s very special, and it means a lot for sure.” As the Mammoth prepare to travel to Las Vegas for Game 83, Keller continued, “It’s super exciting. We’re so excited to be in the playoffs. This is where we wanted to go, and now the real fun starts. Regular season’s over. It doesn’t matter at all, really. It’s focus on Vegas.” Asked what makes Utah dangerous in the first round of the playoffs, Keller said, “I think we’re a very confident team right now. I think it’s going to be a lot of fun, lots of excitement, and great for our group to get into the playoffs and feel that. So I think we’re, like I said, super confident and can’t wait.”

Forward Michael Carcone, asked about receiving the Community Obsessed Award, said, “It’s exciting. Like I said from day one, this community has been special and done so much for my family and myself, so obviously getting recognized for this award is special to me.” With regard to the playoffs, Carcone added, “We did our job getting there, and now it’s on to the next milestone here – getting some wins, getting some experience, and doing what we came here to do.” When the Mammoth return to Delta Center, Carcone is expecting the volume to increase even further. “I mean, you’ve seen it the last few games, right? It’s been pretty electric in here. I think the fans are excited, just as excited as us, so it’s going to be special.”

Utah Mammoth Head Coach André Tourigny has frequently spoken of his team’s resilience in post-game interviews, and Thursday was no different. “The resilience of the guys, the way they fought during the season, through certain moments of adversity, showed a lot of growth in our ability to have urgency when it was important. We stayed away from long periods of adversity. We were capable of having good consistency and strung a few winning streaks together that pushed us over the edge. Happy about the maturity our team had and how much they gel. Even if we have always been the team who is really tight to each other, you can’t take that for granted. Same thing with your family, my family, and all of our families. You don’t take relationships for granted. So, as much as we were tight, we’re even tighter now. So proud of the guys for that. I think they earned everything. They earned the right to play game 83. We talked about it all season long. Proud of the guys for that and excited to get going.” When asked if “brotherhood” is a superpower of the team, Tourigny said, “Yep, it is. I think there’s the excitement for wanting each other, the love they have for each other, and how much they care. I think that goes a long way. We said that we had so many examples this year when we were in adversity. Some guy had the opportunity to sign a long-term deal, and so on and so forth. I think all of that showed how much our team likes each other.”

The first ever playoff hunt for the Mammoth begins Sunday in Las Vegas against the Golden Knights.

André Tourigny’s career coaching record, seasons 1-3 in Arizona and 4-5 in Utah: 2021-22: 25-50-7 (57pts) 2022-23: 28-40-14 (70pts) 2023-24: 36-41-5 (77pts) 2024-25: 38-31-13 (89pts) 2025-26: 43-33-6 (94pts)

Mammoth Sweep Season Series Against Jets In 5-3 Victory

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Utah Mammoth teammates celebrate a third period goal by center Nick Schmaltz (8) against the Winnipeg Jets at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Tue Apr 14, 2026 (AP News photo)

By Tom Walker

April 14, 2026

SALT LAKE CITY–Winnipeg Jets fought back from 4-1 in the third to within striking distance, but Kerfoot’s empty netter sealed Utah Mammoth’s 5-3 win, securing the top Western Conference Wild Card berth. The Mammoth (42-32-6) began the final homestand of the 2025-2026 regular season Tuesday night against the visiting Jets (35-33-12).

Ironically, despite the legal technicality of being designated a new franchise when the Arizona Coyotes were sold to Smith Entertainment Group following the 2023-2024 season, the Mammoth DNA nevertheless traces to Winnipeg, whereas the Jets which currently play in the city began their existence in 1999 as the Atlanta Thrashers before becoming the Jets 2.0 beginning with the 2011-2012 season.

Logan Cooley kicked off the Mammoth scoring at 8:05 of the first period with his 24th goal of the campaign on a backhand, assisted by Nate Schmidt. Schmidt was at the top of his defensive faceoff circle when he launched a stretch pass up the middle of the ice where Cooley was positioned at the offensive blue line and drove straight to the net uncontested where he slipped the puck through the five-hole of Jets netminder Eric Comrie to give Utah a 1-0 lead.

16 of Cooley’s goals have come in the first period, fourth-most in the NHL despite having missed 28 games with a lower body injury. Courtesy of the Mammoth stat crew, he is also one of only four active American players to score 20 or more goals in each of his first three NHL seasons, joining an elite club consisting of Patrick Kane, Auston Matthews, and Jack Eichel, and he ranks third with Adam Fantili for most goals of any NHL player 21 or younger. The Mammoth more than doubled up the Jets in shots on goal in the frame, outshooting Winnipeg 14-6.

At 4:13 of the second period, Jets defenseman Dylan DeMelo was whistled for high-sticking against JJ Peterka, giving the hot Utah power play an opportunity to double up on their lead. Prior to the 4-1 road loss to Calgary on Sunday, the Mammoth set a new franchise record with power play goals in eight consecutive games.

31 seconds into Tuesday’s man-advantage, Nick Schmaltz gave Utah a 2-0 lead with his 32nd goal of the season, knocking in a rebound off the pads of Comrie who had stopped a blast by Mikhail Sergachev, with the additional assist by Dylan Guenther.

With under four minutes remaining in the period, Lawson Crouse went to the sin bin for holding against Josh Morrissey, enabling Kyle Connor on the power play to bring the Jets back to within one with his 39th goal, assisted by Gabriel Vilardi and Mark Scheifele. The period ended with the Mammoth leading 2-1. Shots on goal in the period were nearly identical to the first, with Utah putting up 15 and Winnipeg adding another six.

Six minutes into the third, the Mammoth power play was given another shot at extending Utah’s lead when Jonathan Toews was whistled for slashing against Brandon Tanev. Schmaltz, who already tallied a goal on the man advantage in the second period, came through again for his 33rd goal of the season, assisted by Cooley and Clayton Keller.

Keller’s assist gives him points in nine consecutive games, a new franchise record. 40 seconds later JJ Peterka picked up a loose puck near the Winnipeg net and put a wrist shot past Comrie, unassisted, for his 25th goal of the season, padding the Utah lead at 4-1.

In the final eight minutes the Jets made a push to get back in the game, with Scheifele halving the deficit with his 36th of the year, assisted by Kyle Connor and Vilardi. 13 seconds later Winnipeg went on the power play when Michael Carcone went to the box for high-sticking against DeMelo, which Isak Rosen was able to cash in for his sixth of the season, unassisted, suddenly narrowing the gap to 4-3 with 5:37 to play.

The previous two contests between these clubs were each decided by a goal, and this one seemed to trend the same direction, but with Comrie pulled for an extra attacker Alexander Kerfoot scored his seventh of the season into an empty net with 24 seconds remaining to seal the Mammoth season sweep of the Jets. Karel Vejmelka stopped 21 of 24 in the effort while notching his 38th win of the season, second most in the NHL. With one game remaining in the regular season, Utah is still contending to complete the schedule without a single shootout.

In the winning locker room, Nick Schmaltz reflected on the third period. “We had a little adversity there. They made a push, but we stuck with it. A big goal by JJ kind of gave us that extra cushion we needed. We hung on, and we fought to the end. Guys made some big blocks, and Veggie made some big saves at the end.” Of Vejmelka’s performance, Schmaltz added, “Yeah, it’s huge. He’s been good for us all year. You’re gonna need those saves this time of year, and it’s a big momentum shifter for either team. And he did a great job for us.”

JJ Peterka, whose goal was the difference maker in the game, talked about Utah’s pace. “I think you (saw) it today; the way we can play. We all play with speed. I think it’s like day and night, compared to other games we’ve played before. … We’re just trying to play North every time. I think seeing another goal from Cools, that’s the best example. We don’t hold it back there, we just move it up. I think no team can handle us if we play with that pace.”

Head Coach André Tourigny opened his post-game remarks, saying, “I’m really happy about the way we played. When we talk about our identity, we talk about how we want to play, and we talked about that this morning. We talked about the speed we played at, the battle we have, the net-front presence there, and the tempo we have, and I am really happy about that. Obviously, in the third period, we made it tougher than we should have, but it will be good learning for us. All of our guys are pros. We know that. So it is not like we learned something tonight. We knew that, so it just happened. I am glad it happened, though.” Bear continued, “we made it tougher than we should have. But when push came to shove and when it was tight, we played solid. No, we didn’t give much; we were stingy. Even when they had a shift around four minutes, they had the puck in our zone a lot, but nothing other than that. The guys were rock solid.”

The Mammoth (43-32-6) wrap up the 2025-2026 regular season on Thursday at home against the St. Louis Blues. Their opening round playoff schedule remains unknown, but they will open on the road against either the Edmonton Oilers or Vegas Golden Knights.

Utah Mammoth game wrap: Hurricanes Blow Through Utah In 4-1 Win

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Mammoth forward Dylan Guenther lit the lamp for the 40th time this season, but the wind was at Carolina’s back in final contest against an Eastern Conference foe. (AP News photo)

by Tom Walker April 11, 2026

SALT LAKE CITY–The playoff bound Utah Mammoth (42-30-6) and Eastern Conference leading Carolina Hurricanes (51-22-6) squared off Saturday afternoon for a matinee matchup which gave Utah an opportunity to test their post-season readiness against an elite opponent. Unfortunately the Mammoth didn’t past the test with the Hurricane bowing to them in a three goal deficit 4-1 at the Delta Center.

Carolina enjoyed an early scoring opportunity when Mikhail Sergachev was whistled for holding against Seth Jarvis just 3:27 into the contest. Hurricane forward Andrei Svechnikov cashed it in a minute later on a backhand past Karel Vejmelka for his 31st goal of the season, assisted by Nikolaj Ehlers and Shayne Gostisbehere.

At 13:23, Jordan Staal made it 2-0 on a wrist shot for his 20th of the season, assisted by Ehlers and Jordan Martinook. Utah Captain Clayton Keller appeared to get one back for the Mammoth late in the frame, but the goal was nullified due to off sides. Frederik Andersen stopped all seven shot attempts in the period by Utah, while Vejmelka turned away 11 of 13.

The second period was extremely uneventful, unless defense is one’s favorite facet of the game, with neither squad able to muster much on offense. The respective netminders each shut out the other side, with Andersen blanking the Mammoth in seven attempts and Vejmelka stopping five.

Sebastian Aho opened the door for a Utah comeback early in the third, going to the sin bin two minutes into the frame for high sticking against Nate Schmidt. Dylan Guenther didn’t disappoint, netting his 40th goal of the season on a slap shot, assisted by Keller and Sergachev, to bring the Mammoth to within one.

Guenther is the first Mammoth player to reach the 40 goal mark, the 12th NHL player to do so this season, and it is the first time in his career that he has done so. On the power play goal, Utah established a new franchise record with power play goals in eight straight games.

Perhaps the loudest fan reaction of the evening came at 14:48 of the third, when rookie 6’4″ defenseman Dmitri Simashev dropped the gloves for the first time in his NHL career, tangling with Charles Alexis Legault. The Mammoth kept the game remarkably close despite the seeming mismatch on the ice for most of the game, but at 15:31 Aho tipped in the puck for his 27th of the year, assisted by Shayne Gostisbehere and Jaccob Slavin, to put the game virtually out of reach.

With Vejmelka pulled for the extra attacker, Utah continued to keep pressure on the Canes in the offensive zone but couldn’t solve Anderson in the Carolina net. With 23 seconds remaining in regulation, Sean Walker scored his ninth of the season into an empty net to send fans to the exits.

With the regulation loss, the Mammoth maintain their streak of being the only team in the NHL which has not participated in a shootout this season.

Defenseman Sean Durzi, who skated in his 300th career contest on Saturday, spoke to the media in the locker room about his team’s slow start. “I mean, that’s the Carolina Hurricanes. That’s what you’re getting with that team. We know that you have to be patient. Not much, not many plays there to be made, and I thought that’s what you saw. I think they always come out pretty hard, and we knew that, we knew what to expect. I thought we found our game in the second and then, yeah, that hockey game. It’s a couple bounces the other way, and pucks go in the net. But listen, that’s the Hurricanes. We’ve got to stay patient, and that’s the way the hockey game went.” Many of the post-game questions centered around being a test for the playoffs, and the importance of patience. “We say it all the time. Patience is so important in these games,” said Durzi. “Especially a team like us, a young, skilled, fast team. We want to make plays, and there are plays to be made, but at the same time, we can’t force it. Not to say that we did, and that we were trying to force plays. But again, that’s hockey where we stay patient, we stay on them, we put pucks in, and then let our skill take over from there. And you know what? That’s a good test for us today. And again, that’s a lot of what’s to come.” On Guenther’s 40th goal, Durzi added, “First off, as a guy, he’s unbelievable. I mean, we can talk about him forever, just you know how much he means to this team, as a person, and the energy he brings, the competitiveness, the fire, all that stuff. But as a hockey player, he’s special. I remember the first time that I met him, you see his release. And then if you compare it to now, it gets better every day. So he’s an awesome guy, awesome player. Couldn’t be more happy for him. I think a lot of the guys wanted him to hit that milestone, even though they wouldn’t say it. But we’re all rooting for him, trying to find him out there, and for him to get 40, it’s only a little bit of a teaser of what’s to come. He’s a great hockey player and a great person, couldn’t be happier.”

“Yeah, I mean, it feels good, definitely something that I was eyeing down the stretch, said Guenther of his milestone. “So really great play by those guys again [Keller & Sergachev], and it’s definitely nice to have.” Asked about what Utah learned in the game, Guenther said, “Yeah, I think just being ready, and I think we didn’t necessarily do all the right things right tonight. But when we do the right things, we’re one of the best teams in the league. And I thought that we outplayed them for bits and parts of the second. If we do that, I think we’ll be in a good spot.”

Utah Mammoth Head Coach André Tourigny was asked if having a 40-goal scorer gives his teammates more confidence. “I don’t know if the number is something that effects our confidence,” Bear said, “but having Gunner in our lineup, knowing how he can play, how he can shoot, his release, his shooting ability, all of that, that for sure helps our confidence, because you know what he can do. I think he’s a great weapon for us. The growth in his game, it’s clear. I think this year, like I said many times, we wanted him to become the player he is right now. Being able to contribute in different ways, score goals in different ways, contribute in a whole lot of different ways, from checking, to producing offensively, so on and so forth.” On his key takeaways from the game, Tourigny said, “There’s a few things like I said, the start, the intent you need to be able to match the intensity or take the momentum early on is one. There were some moments of frustration at some points where we needed to stay even keeled. I think the guys reacted really well after that was pretty good. They are a pretty tight checking team. I liked the way that we progressed in the game of playing against that style. If there’s space, we have the skill and we can make plays, but when there’s no space, you have to be able to generate different ways. Creating space behind the D and stuff like that. I like the way we generated in the second half of the game. Generate that way, and that was positive. So there’s a few takeaways.”

Utah (43-30-6) hits the road for one final away game on Sunday against the Calgary Flames before finishing out the season at home on Tuesday and Thursday against the Winnipeg Jets and St. Louis Blues.

Utah Mammoth game wrap: Mammoth Defeat Predators 4-1 In Ice Age Season Finale; Clinch Western Conference Wild Card Berth As Ducks Defeat Sharks

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Utah Mammoth head coach Andre Tourigny watches the action behind the bench against the Nashville Predators at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Thu Apr 9, 2026 (AP News photo)

Utah punched its ticket to the playoffs for the first time in franchise history in a convincing win over Nashville, with a little help from Anaheim.

by Tom Walker

April 9, 2026

SALT LAKE CITY–It became official at 10:27pm Mountain Daylight Time.  Following a solid 4-1 victory over the Nashville Predators on Thursday night at Delta Center, the Utah Mammoth stuck around a few extra minutes to celebrate the franchise’s first trip to the post-season as the Ducks eviscerated Macklin Celebrini and the San Jose Sharks 6-1 in Anaheim.  With the victory, the Mammoth take the so-called Ice Age series over the Predators winning 3 of 4 on the season. Utah becomes the third franchise in the past 45 years to make the playoffs in their second season, joining the Vegas Golden Knights and Seattle Kraken.

Logan Cooley sparked Utah’s opening score late in the first period, stealing the puck in the defensive zone and then passing up the ice where Dylan Guenther and Kailer Yamamoto were crossing the offensive blue line. Guenther laid down a perfect pass to Yamamoto who was charging the net, and then rammed the puck underneath the pads of Nashville netminder Juuse Saros for his 12th goal of the season.  Saros finished the period stopping 8 of 9 Mammoth shots while Utah’s Karel Vejmelka was perfect in stopping all 7 Predators shot attempts.

At 5:16 of the second period, Nashville defenseman Justin Barron was whistled for tripping against Michael Carcone. Nineteen seconds later on the ensuing power play, Mammoth captain Clayton Keller fired the puck across the goal crease to the waiting stick of Nick Schmaltz who knocked it in for his 31st goal of the season, with Cooley picking up his second helper of the night. Utah has scored on the power play in seven consecutive games, matching their franchise record.  The period would end with Utah leading Nashville 2-0.  Saros turned away 5 of 6 in the frame while Vejmelka remained perfect in stopping all 12 attempts by the Predators. Scoreboard watchers paying attention to the game in Anaheim noted that the Ducks finished the first period leading the Sharks 2-0.

Lawson Crouse made it 3-0 three minutes into the third period, one-timing a pass from Clayton Keller from below the faceoff circle dot, for his 22nd goal of the season, with Mikhael Sergachev picking up the additional assist.  The Mammoth, which had scored 25 goals in their previous four games, continued to step on the gas with Dylan Guenther netting his 39th goal at 6:05. Keller picked up his third assist on the night and Schmaltz collected the other for his second point. Sergachev gave Nashville their one real scoring chance at 8:29, going to the sin bin for hooking against Matthew Wood. With just seven seconds remaining in the man-advantage, the Predators ended Vejmelka’s shutout when Erik Haula scored his 4th on the season, assisted by Zachary L’Heureux and Brady Skjei. But that would be all for Nashville as Utah won their fifth game in a row 4-1. The Mammoth have scored at least four goals in a franchise-record six consecutive games, with 33 goals during that span. With his goal and assist, Guenther joins Nick Schmaltz in passing the 70 point mark on the season for the first time in his career with 39 goals and 32 assists. Vejmelka finished the game stopping 29 of 30 shots by the Predators for his 37th win, tying him with Andrei Vasilevskiy of the Tampa Bay Lightning for the NHL lead in victories.

In the locker room after the game, Lawson Crouse was asked about how fun it is to play in these meaningful late-season games. “I think we’ve been playing meaningful hockey for a while now,” the Associate Captain said. “So, these are the games we want to be in. These are the games that we want to get up for. So it’s been a lot of fun.” Talking about tonight’s game, Crouse continued, “We started the game pretty well, and then obviously, let it kind of get away from us a little bit in the second period. A huge answer back in the third, and we got rewarded for doing so. Veggie played an incredible game. He made some very timely saves, some big saves. Obviously, a pretty crappy bounce on that power-play goal coming back through his legs. He gave us a true chance to win right from the drop of the puck.” Asked about linemate Keller’s three primary assists in the game, Crouse said, “Are you surprised? No, he’s an incredible playmaker. He’s got incredible vision, incredible skill, and most importantly, passion for the game. Put all three of those together, and that’s our captain.”

Keller responded to a question about how proud he is of his teammates, saying, “I think it’s a step in the right direction. We’ve been playing some good hockey lately, very confident. A couple of lapses there in the second, but we fought back. Had a great third. Veg was unreal all game. Made some timely saves and kept us in the fight there in the second. So, just a great effort by everyone.” Asked about the pride he takes in being a playmaker and setting his teammates up, Keller said, “Yeah. I think I’ve always tried to be a very unselfish player. I like setting my teammates up, and I like to score also, but I think it just goes back to how I was coached when I was young. We were always the most unselfish team. We were always told by Jeff Brown and Keith Tkachuk, we want to be on SportsCenter. We always kind of made that extra pass. Sometimes it can bite you a little bit. I think you have to have that shot-first mentality. Yeah, it’s part of my game. I want to get my teammates involved and give them good looks.” On his teammates stepping things up during the playoff run, Keller added, “I think everyone’s been great. Everyone’s chipped in. We’re playing for one another. It’s the most fun time of the year. It’s fun to come to the rink when you’re winning, especially. Every guy that steps in when guys have gone down, Desi and Tuna, and everyone who’s chipped in has made a huge impact. I think that’s how deep of a team we are. We trust one another and believe in one another.”

Head Coach André Tourigny began his post-game media availability, “Our first period was a little bit slow but played well against their forecheck. Obviously in the second period, we didn’t move our feet as much, so we allowed them to forecheck a little bit better. We were a bit too careful and a bit too passive, but we got back in the third with way more aggression, moving our feet, better breakouts, and building more speed and scoring big goals at key moments. So very happy and very proud of the boys and the way they reacted in the third.” Speaking of Keller’s performance, Bear said, “I will say this about Clayton, he’s really tuned in and playing rock solid. He’s making the right decisions with the puck and his ability has always been there to make those plays. But the way he led in the third and moving his feet on the breakout, having great track, putting pucks behind defense, getting on the forecheck. That’s what you want from your leader.” On the team’s improvement in their second season in Utah, Tourigny added, “Well, I think we have a very good team. The guys are getting older, more mature, and they learn from what happens. The GM does a great job to improve the team every year. It’s easy now to look back and see we started from scratch. It’s a privilege when you start the process where you start. It’s not every time you have that much runway, so I feel fortunate and try to keep improving every year for the next.”

Utah (42-30-6) wraps up the three-game homestand with a Saturday matinee against the Metropolitan Division leading Carolina Hurricanes (51-22-6), and will then head out for their final road game of the season in Calgary before wrapping the the regular season home schedule against Winnipeg and St. Louis.

Utah Mammoth game wrap: Utah Strikes Oil In Franchise First 6-5 Win Over Edmonton

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Utah Mammoth center Clayton Keller (9) shoots the winning goal 33 second into the overtime stanza to help defeat the visiting Edmonton Oilers at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Tue Apr 7, 2026 (AP News photo)

Utah Mammoth Game Wrap: The Mammoth have scored 25 goals over the past four games in their playoff push.

By Tom Walker

SALT LAKE CITY–The Utah Mammoth (40-30-6) returned to Delta Center Tuesday night following a successful three-game sweep of games against Pacific Division teams in Los Angeles, Seattle, and Vancouver, scoring a minimum of six goals in each of the victories. The Mammoth came away with a 6-5 win over the Pacific Division’s best the Edmonton Oilers Tuesday night.

In their win against the Canucks, Utah became the third team in NHL history to win 40 games in their second NHL season, joining the Vegas Golden Knights and Seattle Kraken.The offensive surge couldn’t have come at a more opportune moment heading into the home stretch of the regular season. 

Though the Mammoth have been holding down the top Wild Card slot in the Western Conference for some time, a number of conference rivals remain in the hunt for the postseason, and Utah is not yet mathematically guaranteed to punch their card to make a Mammoth playoff debut. Utah went 1-3-0 on the previous homestand, and will now play five of their remaining six regular season games at home.

Squaring off against the Mammoth on Tuesday night were the Edmonton Oilers (39-29-9) who currently share the Pacific Division lead with the Anaheim Ducks, and who entered the contest a perfect 5-0-0 against Utah since the former Arizona Coyotes were rechristened as a new franchise in Salt Lake City.

Mammoth forward JJ Peterka got things going for Utah less than two minutes into the contest with his 24th goal of the season, a slap shot, assisted by Ian Cole and Michael Carcone. Before the goal announcement could even be completed, the Oilers tied things up 11 seconds later on a backhand by Edmonton forward Curtis Lazar, his fourth of the year, assisted by Adam Henrique and Matthias Ekholm.

It would only get worse for the Mammoth from there. With Clayton Keller in the penalty box for high-sticking against Curtis Lazar, Connor McDavid showed why he remains one of the game’s elite forwards, blowing effortlessly through the Utah defense and putting the puck past Karel Vejmelka for his 44th goal of the season, assisted by Evan Bouchard and netminder Tristan Jarry. 

At 14:43 the Oilers made it 3-1 on the 19th of the year by Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, assisted by Kasperi Kapanen, which is where things concluded as the two squads headed to their respective locker rooms. Jarry turned away 10 of 11 Utah shots while Vejmelka surrendered three goals on seven shots by the Oilers.

Utah settled down a bit in the second period, keeping Edmonton at bay for the first half of the frame, and then at 10:28 forward Nick Schmaltz got the Mammoth to within one with his 29th goal of the season, assisted by Clayton Keller and Lawson Crouse.

With a little more than four minutes remaining, Logan Cooley brought Utah back the rest of the way, scoring his 23rd goal of the season on a slap shot, assisted by Dylan Guenther and Sean Durzi. Unfortunately for Utah, for the second time in the game, the goal announcement could not be completed before the Oilers immediately went ahead 4-3 on Vasily Podkolzin’s 18th goal of the season, assisted by Darnell Nurse and McDavid.

Making matters worse, with less than two minutes left in the period, MacKenzie Weegar went to the sin bin for hooking against McDavid.  But rather than surrendering another goal on the power play, Schmaltz came through shorthanded for his second goal of the night and 30th on the season to even the score at 4-4, with John Marino and Alexander Kerfoot picking up the assists. 30 goals and 40 assists for 70 points are a new career high for Schmaltz, who signed an 8-year $64 million contract extension in March. The Mammoth flipped the script from the opening frame, this time outscoring Edmonton 3-1, with Vejmelka stopping 11 of 12 Oilers shots and Jarry turning away 7 of 10 by Utah.

Edmonton regained the lead 5-4 at 2:09 of the third period when Colton Dach registered his fifth goal of the season, assisted by Trent Frederic and Jason Dickinson, but Utah wasn’t done yet.  At 12:56, the Mammoth came back to tie the score for the third time in the game when Alexander Kerfoot, who was camped out in front of the Oilers net, tipped in a shot from Sean Durzi for his sixth goal of the season, with the additional helper to Michael Carcone, to make the score 5-5 and send the game to overtime.

Just 25 seconds into bonus hockey, Matt Savoie was whistled for tripping against Logan Cooley to give Utah a 4-on-3 power play.  The Mammoth wasted no time taking advantage of the opportunity, with captain Clayton Keller netting the game winner eight seconds later to give Utah its first franchise victory over Edmonton, a possible first round playoff opponent. Keller’s 26th goal of the season was assisted by Mikhail Sergachev and Dylan Guenther.

In the locker room, Schmaltz commented on the intensity level of the game, “It was pretty high. We kind of know where we stand and where they stand. These points are so valuable. We want to get that X by our name, as fast as we can. So we’re doing everything we can, and we’re battling every night, and two points is huge, especially against that team.”

Keller added, “I think we stuck with it all game, obviously being down 3-1, and I still feel like we were playing good hockey. A couple of bounces here and there, but just part of the way that we stuck with it. We had a big push in the third. We were playing our style of hockey. We get the goal there, and then we keep pressing. We don’t sit back and back up. It’s a good step in the right direction, and still got some games left, so it’s a huge win.” Of his linemate’s 30 goals, Keller said, “You guys know, I think the world of him. Him as a player and person and just so gifted, fast, skilled, thinks the game at such a high level, and has such a good stick. There’s so many things about his game that people don’t recognize or truly appreciate as much as all of us do in this room, and just how good he is. That’s huge for him, for sure. He’s got that sneaky little wrister, and he’s good in tight. He’s got good hands. That’s great to see him get that, and I don’t think that’s the ceiling for him honestly.”  On coming back from behind three separate times, the captain said, “I think just pressing when we were down. It still felt like we had lots of confidence all game. We never had that span of being down on ourselves, or whatever it may be. We just kept rolling it over and trusting that it would turn and I think that’s something that we’ve gotten better at as the year has gone on, so good on us.”

Head Coach André Tourigny was all smiles beginning his post-game session with the media, repeating a refrain from earlier in the season, “are we entertained?”  Talking about the lines of Schmaltz and Cooley containing McDavid, Bear commented, “those two lines shared McDavid all night long. I think they did a really good job … they played really well against 97, so I think they played a complete game.” Explaining why he started the overtime period with Cooley on the ice, Tourigny added, “I didn’t want somebody who couldn’t skate with McDavid. And he had the fire in his eyes; I got this, I got this. I said, ‘Hey, don’t take chase, don’t worry.’ He didn’t really even want to hear me. He was kind of just, just put me out there and don’t worry. He drew the penalty, and we scored on that. So, proud of the young guy.” On the team’s resiliency, Bear added, “People talk about going over the hump, and this and that; those guys want to win. They want to perform, and sometimes that gets in our way, because wanting to get a result sometimes makes you focus on the wrong thing. You need to focus on the process, but those guys have always been driven to achieve great things. They want to be a championship team. They know there’s growth to get there, but I never doubt their resiliency as a team, and they believe in each other. I like the fact that they believe in each other. They know we’re a good team and we can achieve good things together, so there’s a strong belief.”

Next up for Utah (41-30-6) on Thursday are the Nashville Predators (37-31-10), who shut out the Anaheim Ducks 5-0 on the road Tuesday night to leapfrog the Los Angeles Kings into the second Wild Card spot in the Western Conference.