Tag: Nashville Predators

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.

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

By Tom Walker

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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