Tag: Utah Mammoth

Utah Mammoth game wrap: But Dials Up First NHL Goal In 2-1 Mammoth Loss To Devils

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The New Jersey Devils right wing Stefan Noesen (11) scores a goal past Utah Mammoth goaltender Karel Vejmelka (70) in the third period at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Fri Dec 19, 2025 (AP News photo)

By Tom Walker

SALT LAKE CITY–Daniil But scored his first NHL goal in his tenth career game, but New Jersey comes from behind to defeat Utah 2-1.

Having won two out of three on their recent road trip, the Utah Mammoth (17-16-3) returned to Delta Center on Friday night for the first of two games on a brief homestand, squaring off against the New Jersey Devils (19-14-1) who have lost seven of their last ten contests.

Making his season debut for Utah was forward Alexander Kerfoot, originally a Devils fifth round draft pick in 2012, who returned after missing 36 games following a procedure to repair a core muscle injury. In the Mammoth net was Karel Vejmelka, who entered the game leading the NHL with 15 victories.

At 9:35 of the first period, 6’5″ 20-year old Russian rookie Daniil But, who was recently called up from the Tucson Roadrunners of the AHL, scored his first career NHL goal with a highlight-reel backhand in front of the Devils net, assisted by defenseman Sean Durzi, giving Utah a 1-0 lead.

As But celebrated his first goal, fans erupted into cheers which sounded like boos, because But’s last name is pronounced like “boot.” Among his teammates, however, But is known as “Cheeks,” a nickname bestowed by defenseman Nate Schmidt.

Utah selected But 12th overall in the 2023 NHL Draft. Last season he skated in 54 games with Lokomotiv Yaroslavl in the KHL where he scored 9 goals and 19 assists in 54 games en route to his team winning the league’s Gagarin Cup. The Mammoth took the one-goal lead into the locker room after 20 minutes, with Vejmelka having stopped all 9 New Jersey shots.

The Devils tied things up at 11:21 of the second period when winger Connor Brown put a snap shot past Vejmelka for his ninth goal of the season, assisted by Nico Hischier and Dougie Hamilton. Other than that, both goaltenders held down their respective nets for the balance of the period. Through two periods of play, New Jersey goalie Jacob Markstrom saved 23 of 24 shots, and Vejmelka turned away 14 of 15.

Utah defenseman Mikhail Sergachev gave the Devils a power play at 3:11 of the third period for tripping against Jesper Bratt. A little more than a minute into the penalty, New Jersey forward Stefan Noesen cashed it in for his 3rd goal of the season, assisted by Hischier and Luke Hughes, to give the Devils their first lead of the game, 2-1. That goal would stand up as the game-winner as both goaltenders shut down the opposition the rest of the way.

In the Mammoth locker room, Kerfoot gave his first post-game interview of the season. “Yeah, it’s a tight game. One play kind of makes a difference, and when we score a power play goal, they score a power play goal,” Kerfoot said. “We had some looks there six-on-five to tie it up, but I thought overall, it was a pretty good hockey game, but they just made one more play than we did.” Asked how he felt in his first game back, Kerfoot said, “I’ve never gone through an injury like this. This season, I feel like more than ever, because the schedule is so condensed, we haven’t had practice time really at all. I haven’t gotten into a practice. So, my first couple shifts, it was just feeling, trying to keep it short. But overall, the game felt fast, but I felt good and felt like my touches were good when I was out there, and just got to keep building.” With regard to Daniil But’s first NHL goal, Kerfoot remarked, “Yeah, it’s great to see. Awesome moment for him. He’s a young kid who’s going to score lots of goals in this league. He’s had some looks, so it was nice for him to see one go in, and hopefully the floodgates open for him. I’ve thought that he’s been around the puck around the net, and it was just a matter of time before he got one.”

Daniil But’s excitement over his goal carried over from the ice and into the locker room. “I am not going to lie, it felt good when I scored,” But said, “but the most important thing is winning, and we lost today.” When asked what the team needs to do better moving forward, But’s answer was concise and to the point, “maybe more shots and guys in front of the net.”

Utah Mammoth Head Coach André Tourigny opened his postgame comments by saying, “We did a lot of good stuff. Dominated scoring, chances, shots, things like that. But, at the same time, they scored a big goal on their power play, then made a mistake, and on the rebound, we had an opportunity to put the game away when we had the lead and could not score the big goal or take advantage of our opportunity. In the third, they did a good job. Give them credit. At the same time, we need to find a way to put pucks in the net, to find seams, and to create more chaos, but we could not find a way to find seams and put pucks in the net.” Talking about the goal by Cheeks, Tourigny added, “It was a matter of time. He is playing good hockey, and there was no doubt it was coming. I am happy for him; it was an important goal for us.”

Utah (17-17-3) will play the Winnipeg Jets (15-17-2) at the Delta Center on Sunday afternoon before traveling to Colorado for their last game prior to the Christmas break on Tuesday.

Mammoth Slays The Kraken 5-3

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Utah Mammoth center Nick Schmaltz takes a shot on goal before their game against the Montreal Canadiens at the Delta Center on Fri Dec 12, 2025 (AP News photo)

By Tom Walker

SALT LAKE CITY–Nick Schmaltz had a goal and two assists as the Utah Mammoth goes back on the win column to close out homestand with a win over the Seattle Kraken 5-3.

Fresh off the news that team-leading goal scorer Logan Cooley is expected to miss the next 8 weeks with a lower body injury, the Utah Mammoth (14-15-3) took to the ice on Friday night against the visiting Seattle Kraken (12-10-6) hoping to overcome a stretch in which they have lost seven of nine.

Seattle hasn’t fared much better of late, having lost seven of their last seven. Returning to the ice for Utah was defenseman Olli Määttä who had sat out the previous eight games with an upper-body injury.

Neither team was able to get on the scoreboard in the opening period, with each side failing to score on the power play. Kraken netminder Philipp Grubauer stopped all 11 Mammoth shots, and Utah goaltender Karel Vejmelka turned away all nine shots by Seattle.

Kraken forward Mason Marchment got Seattle going at 3:35 of the second period with his third goal of the season, assisted by Freddy Gaudreau and Chandler Stephenson. At 8:09 of the frame Mammoth forward Nick Schmaltz snagged a loose puck in the Utah defensive zone and went the distance on a breakaway to even things up with his 12th goal of the season, unassisted.

At 13:24, a shot by Mammoth forward Kailer Yamamoto which got past Grubauer was waived off for goaltender interference by Liam O’Brien. Fans in the arena were vocal as the in-house replay showed O’Brien outside the crease and not engaging in any particular physical contact with Grubauer.

Utah head coach André Tourigny challenged the call, and the replay officials agreed with him to overturn the referee on the ice to the roaring approval of the Mammoth faithful. Yamamoto’s goal was his 4th of the season, assisted by O’Brien and Kevin Stenlund.

Utah has won five of six coach’s challenges so far this season, most in the NHL. Utah took the 2-1 lead to the locker room, with Vejmelka having stopped 14 of 15 Seattle shots while Grubauer turned away 11 of 13.

The Mammoth put themselves in a tight spot at 5:13 of the third period when defenseman John Marino took a slashing penalty against Jordan Eberle followed 18 seconds later with a delay of game penalty by defenseman Ian Cole who shot the puck over the glass from the defensive zone.

Utah’s penalty killing unit fought off the minute and 42 seconds 5-on-3, with Vejmelka making four great saves in addition to the defensive efforts of his teammates. A couple of minutes later, however, Mason Marchment struck again for the Kraken to double his season goal total at four, assisted by Ryan Lindgren and Brandon Montour, evening the score again at two apiece.

Lindgren gave the Mammoth a man-advantage opportunity at 12:34 when he took a trip to the sin bin for cross-checking against John Marino. The struggling Utah power play unit capitalized on the penalty with Dylan Guenther drilling a slap shot past Grubauer for his 14th goal of the season, tying him for the team lead, assisted by Schmaltz and Mikhail Sergachev putting the Mammoth ahead 3-2.

With Grubauer pulled for an extra attacker with a little more than two minutes to play, Utah forward JJ Peterka took a short pass from deep in the Mammoth defensive zone and flew down the ice, dodging four different Seattle skaters as he drove coast-to-coast and backhanded a shot while diving to the ice into the empty net to ice the game 4-2.

Peterka’s goal was his 13th on the season, assisted by Kevin Stenlund. With Grubauer still sitting on the bench for an extra attacker, Lawson Crouse made it 5-2 with 62 seconds left, launching his 8th goal of the season into the empty net, assisted by Schmaltz and Kevin Stenlund.

With 43 seconds remaining in the game, Kraken forward Ben Meyers flung a wrist shot past Vejmelka to make the score 5-3, but that would be the end of the Seattle threat as Utah finished the homestand on a winning note, sporting a 8-5-1 home record so far this season.

After the game, Nick Schmaltz talked about the “it” factor for the team in playing a complete game. “When we’re moving our feet, making plays, using our transition game against teams…We knew they weren’t as good off the rush and so we wanted to exploit that. I thought we did a good job tonight. Whether they scored or we scored, I thought we managed our emotions pretty well and kept fighting. It was a big two points.” Commenting on the mindset of playing with a lead in the third period, Schmaltz remarked, “I feel like we’ve been on the wrong side of a lot of one-goal games lately. It’s huge for our confidence to be able to (win one). Even though they tied it up, we get one on the power play and the power play wins it for us. That’s huge for our team and for the power play…We’ve got to be better, myself included. That was huge.” Schmaltz invoked the word “huge” again when talking about the 5-on-3 penalty kill. “That’s huge. 5-on-3 for a minute and 40 seconds is no joke. It’s usually your goalie that’s your best penalty killer in those situations, and (Karel Vejmelka) was great. He made some crazy saves with guys ringing one-timers off his head and whatnot. He was great.”

“(Everyone) was really good. It’s tough when you’re out there for a minute and 30 seconds. You get tired,” said forward Dylan Guenther. “They hung in there and they blocked shots. (The PK) was a big part of that win.” When asked about his power play goal, Guenther explained, “We’ve talked about loose puck recoveries. We did a really good job getting (the puck) back. When (Nick Schmaltz) got in the middle there, it was a tough play for them. He made a really nice pass.” With Logan Cooley out of commission through the Olympic break, Guenther said, “I think everyone has to step up. It’s not like one player is going to fill that space. That’s a huge role to fill. We just need a little bit better from everybody.”

Head Coach André Tourigny began his post-game remarks by saying, “I liked the result, that’s an easy one. I liked the way we went at the net, and we generated offense against a super stingy team. They are a little bit like Florida and LA. I think we keep improving offensively. I liked that part. There are things to clean up for us defensively, but I think we’re progressing offensively. We play with a lot of energy around the net, and now we break down teams with more shot volume and net presence. I like the fact that we have more weapons for us.” Special teams came up big for the Mammoth when it mattered most. Bear commented, “It’s not just producing, it’s producing when you need a goal. It’s when it’s a key opportunity. That they did on the power play. On the flip side, the PK was unreal. Five-on-three like that, when you lead by one, lose the lead after, but we’re leading by one at the moment. That was huge. Veg (Karel Vjemelka) was rock solid, but the entire PK unit was rock solid. There were block shots, good reads, good sticks, and good clearings. There was a lot of good stuff.” When asked about Schmaltz who recorded 3 points on the night, Tourigny said, “He works so hard. Sometimes it goes under the radar. He’s always at the net offensively. He drives that line, no doubt about it, in the sense that he is at the net all the time. He does all the dirty work, and he’s elite defensively. He’s always the first guy back, and he’s playing down low. He will sleep well tonight, and I guarantee that. He works really hard.” Tourigny also credited the video team for recommending the challenge to Yamamoto’s goal. “I think Hunter Cherni and Alec Rippetoe (video coaches) did very well. What you have to understand is the follow-up of daily calls in the NHL, and to stay on top of the rules and how every call goes. When I saw that, I’m not studying as much as them. When I saw the play, I said we need to make sure. He was really adamant about it. There was no doubt in his head. Really good job, and it was a key call at a key time, and that turned the game around a little bit.”

Utah (15-15-3) now hits the road for a trio of games against Pittsburgh, Boston, and Detroit before returning to Delta Center next Friday to face the New Jersey Devils.

Utah Mammoth game wrap: Florida Foils Utah 4-3 In Final Minute

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Utah Mammoth lost a close on to the visiting Florida Panthers at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Wed Dec 10, 2025 (Utah Mammoth X photo)

By Tom Walker

SALT LAKE CITY–The Mammoth surrendered goals in the final minute of both the first and third period in loss to the Panthers 4-3.

The Utah Mammoth (14-14-3) took to the ice Wednesday night at Delta Center against the defending Stanley Cup Champion Florida Panthers (14-12-2) for the second game of a three game homestand. Utah fell to the Los Angeles Kings on Monday and are desperate to put some wins together after dropping 15 of their last 21.

The Mammoth caught a break at 11:17 of the opening period when a shot by Florida forward A. J. Greer banked off the goal post to Utah defenseman John Marino who rifled the puck to a wide open Dylan Guenther who beat netminder Sergei Bobrovsky on the breakaway for his 12th goal of the season to give the Mammoth a 1-0 lead. With just under a minute left in the frame, however, Panthers forward Carter Verhaeghe beat Karel Vejmelka on the other end to tie things up with his 9th of the year, assisted by Aaron Ekblad and Sam Bennett. Barrett Hayton set a Utah franchise record with 6 shots on goal in the first period, but went to the locker room with nothing to show for it.

Florida took its first lead of the game at just a minute and forty seconds into the second period when Sam Bennett put a snap shot into the back of the net for his 8th of the season, assisted by Evan Rodrigues and Niko Mikkola. Less than two minutes later Bennett would strike again with a wrist shot to put the Panthers up 3-1, assisted by Verhaeghe.

Florida’s two-goal lead would last just 13 seconds as Guenther matched Bennett with his own second goal of the game, a backhand that beat Bobrovsky for his 13th of the season assisted by Lawson Crouse and John Marino, to bring Utah back within one.

Only Logan Cooley, who is currently sidelined with a lower-body injury, has more goals for the Mammoth with 14. At 14:37 of the second, Utah forward Jack McBain went down on his knees while knocking in a backhand for his third of the season to tie things up at three apiece, with Sean Durzi and Ian Cole picking up the assists.

Though the two teams were scoreless through 19 minutes of the third period, there was nothing even handed about the final frame. The Panthers, bolstered by two power play opportunities, spent most of the period in their offensive zone, outshooting Utah 19-4 as Vejmelka repeatedly bailed out the defense from the onslaught.

With 57 seconds remaining in the game, Florida’s Anton Lundell won a faceoff against Barrett Hayton, and then five seconds later put the Panthers ahead for good on a wrist shot assisted by Eetu Luostarinen and Sam Reinhart.

“I think we did a pretty good job getting to the net,” said Utah forward Jack McBain in the locker room after the game. “I think not only bodies, but we also had pucks there. I think we were pretty stingy for most of the game. I think obviously we need to learn from it, move on and try to be better.” When asked about how the Mammoth can get on the winning side of one-goal games, McBain responded, “Yeah, you have to find ways to win. I think, when you look around the league, good teams find ways to win hockey games, even when they don’t have their best or they’re close games. That’s something as a group, we got to figure out. Obviously, it’s been a challenging stretch. We know we have it in this group and in the locker room, so we are just trying to figure it out.”

“I thought we played pretty well, and even in the third, I thought we managed it well,” said Mammoth forward Dylan Guenther. “They played really well, and we were on our heels too much, probably just a few more pucks in deep, and a few more offensive zone drives.” Guenther lamented the team’s inability to get Vejmelka the win in the hard fought contest. “He played really well. I feel for him; we want to get that win for him. He kept us in it, especially in the end. I think they had like 19 shots in the third, that comes with power plays, but still too many.” When asked the same question about coming out ahead in one-goal games, Guenther remarked, “I think (we need to) shoot a few more pucks. Be comfortable in those situations. When the game is tied, I don’t think we have to get on our heels. Just keep pressing, keep attacking them. It’s unfortunate, but we play again in two nights, so make sure we get one to close it out.”

Head Coach André Tourigny was disappointed in the outcome, but not necessarily his team’s effort. “Obviously, a tough pill to swallow with the way that happened,” he began. “(Karel Vejmelka) was really good. I think we showed a lot of character being down by two goals; (to) come back in the game and give ourselves a chance. Like I said, it’s really frustrating to lose in that fashion. I think in the third period, we got in trouble. We got in the box; that’s how (Florida) got their momentum. I think that 5-on-5, we played good. A little too much on our heels, but mostly from our penalties. I thought we defended well until the last minute.” Looking at positives, Tourigny spoke of the team’s strong start in the opening period. “I was happy about that. We were focused, we were urgent. Obviously, (Florida) is a good team. I think we did a lot of good stuff…We didn’t play bad; we made two mistakes and they capitalized on those two mistakes. It’s not what you want, but at some point I’m (also) not expecting to play a perfect game. The second (goal) was unforced–that, I didn’t like. But other than that, it wasn’t like we were not playing well. We were playing well and made individual mistakes. Then, we showed a lot of character to come back in the game and tie the game. We had good momentum, we applied a lot of pressure; we did a lot of good stuff. Like I said about the third period, that’s unfortunate.” Bear’s frustration was evident, feeling his team deserved a better outcome. “Nobody will convince me that our guys are not resilient…You saw how they react during the game, the prep for the game, the way we start the game, et cetera, et cetera. I think that our guys are digging deep. I think last week was a really demanding schedule, and I felt the guys did everything they could to manage the rest the right way. Today, we had energy. We were not a tired team. We learned that as a young team. (We) will have a lot of teaching moments in (tonight’s) game. It is one thing to be a good NHL player; there’s another thing to play a brand of hockey like Florida plays; the physicality and everything. There will be a lot of good teaching opportunities for us.”

The Mammoth (14-15-3) hope to salvage the final game of the homestand on Friday against the Seattle Kraken (12-10-6) before embarking on a 3-game swing through Pittsburgh, Boston, and Detroit.

Kings Double Up Mammoth 4-2 To Open Homestand

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Utah Mammoth Daniil (19) battles with the Los Angeles Kings Cody Ceci (5) at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Mon Dec 8, 2025 (Utah Mammoth photo)

By Tom Walker

SALT LAKE CITY–Los Angeles struck twice in the first period and never looked back while defeating deflated Utah.

The Utah Mammoth (14-13-3) returned to Delta Center on Monday night to face the Los Angeles Kings (13-8-7)  following a six game road trip in which the team went 2-4-0. The road trip began on a tragic note when the father of Mammoth captain Clayton Keller passed away unexpectedly Thanksgiving night. Keller played the following day in a tough 4-3 loss at Dallas, and then again the following night in his hometown of St. Louis where the Mammoth fell 1-0 to the Blues.

Utah would go on to lose their fourth consecutive game in San Jose, 6-3, before breaking out with a 7-0 shellacking of the Pacific Division leading Anaheim Ducks.  Following a 4-1 victory against the Canucks in Vancouver, the road trip concluded in Calgary where the Flames shut out the Mammoth 2-0. 

Adding injury to insult, Utah forward Logan Cooley, who leads the Mammoth with 14 goals and is 3rd in points with 23, sustained a lower-body injury in Vancouver which will keep him out of the lineup indefinitely.

When the puck dropped in the first period, Utah radio play-by-play announcer Matt McConnell officially registered his 2000th NHL game behind the microphone.  His 29-season broadcasting career began in 1993 with the expansion Mighty Ducks of Anaheim and then continued with the Pittsburgh Penguins, Atlanta Thrashers, Minnesota Wild, and in 2011 he landed with the Phoenix Coyotes which were renamed the Arizona Coyotes before the 2014-2015 season.

When the assets of the Coyotes were sold and the team relocated to Salt Lake City, McConnell remained behind the mic for the new franchise.

Kings forward Adrian Kempe gave Los Angeles the first lead of the game with a backhand shot at 7:50 of the first period for his 10th goal of the season, assisted by Kevin Fiala.  Just over two minutes later, Fiala assisted on a breakaway goal by Joel Armia, his 6th on the year, to put the Kings up 2-0. 

At 11:05 of the frame, Mammoth forward Brandon Tanev had a breakaway of his own which he put into the back of the net, however the replay showed he was unquestioningly offside and L.A. held onto its two-goal lead heading into the locker room. Kings netminder Darcy Kuemper turned away all 7 Utah shots in the period, and Mammoth goalie Karel Vejmelka stopped 10 of 12.

Utah began the 2nd period on the power play, courtesy of an interference penalty by Andrei Kuzmenko against Dylan Guenther which carried over from the first period.  Just 34 seconds into the period, as fans were still settling into their seats, Clayton Keller fed Guenther a perfect pass which he one-timed into the Kings net for his 11th goal of the season to bring the Mammoth to within one, with defenseman Mikhail Sergachev picking up the second assist.

The goal is the fastest to begin a period so far this season for Utah.  Guenther’s 3rd power play goal of the season ties him for the team lead with Nick Schmaltz and Logan Cooley.  His 7th one-timer goal of the season also ranks third-most in the NHL.  The period would end with Kuemper stopping 5 of 6 shots, and Vejmelka turning away all 7 attempts by L.A.

In the 3rd, Kings captain Anze Kopitar put a backhand shot past Vejmelka for his 6th goal of the season at 3:27, assisted by Kempe and Joel Edmundson, to restore L.A.’s two-goal advantage.  At 12:15 of the third, Clayton Keller brought Utah back to within a goal with a beautiful backhand top shelf shot which Kuemper had absolutely no chance to save.

Keller’s 10th of the season was assisted by Nick Schmaltz and JJ Peterka who joined the top line in place of the injured Cooley. With Vejmelka pulled for the extra attacker, Kings forward Joel Armia scored his second goal of the game into an empty net, unassisted, to put the game away 4-2.

Utah Mammoth forward Brandon Tanev addressed the media after the game.  “Disappointed we didn’t get the two points. That’s a team that likes to play stingy through the neutral zone, and to generate offense, you’ve got to be simple with the puck. Get pucks to the net and ultimately create traffic. I think we did a little bit of that, but we didn’t do enough at the end of the day.” Talking about what the team needs to do moving forward, Tanev said, “I think we understood that wasn’t our best tonight, even though we fought and clawed at the end there. That’s a good hockey team. At the end of the day, we need to understand what makes us successful. Work on that in practice, and then we’ve got to get back here for the next one.”

Captain Clayton Keller commented, “Not a great first from us. They’re an experienced team. They’re structured. They defend really hard, and they made it tough on us in the first. We were able to kind of bounce back in the second. That’s one of our best second periods of the year in terms of everything. Game management and trying to outchange them and use our speed. It sucks to have that little push there and not be able to get it done.” Weighing in on what needs to be better, Keller stated bluntly, “Starting on time is obviously a big one. We’re a tough team to play against, and I think that’s the main thing from us. We know what we have to do each night. The coaches do a great job telling us how we have to play and how we can break them down and have success. Our execution was a little sloppy tonight, but as the game went on, it got a little bit better.” Talking about the third period he added, “There’s never any quit in this room. Guys play for one another. It sucks to not get the win. We did kind of push there. There are moments where we have a chance to score on the six-on-five, and we have to find a way to do it. Teams have done it to us, and that’s something over the last two years that we haven’t been able to do. That’s something that we can take away from it. Really dial that in. Practice it. Watch video. Our coaches do a great job, and it’s on us to execute and go out there and do it.”

Head Coach André Tourigny began his post-game remarks by saying, “We obviously didn’t have the start we were hoping for, and we needed to. Against that kind of team, it is tough to create offense. I like the way we played in the second and third. I thought we competed really hard, and our effort was there; the focus was there. Unfortunately, when you have that kind of a start, I often repeat in front of you, it’s a one-goal game all the time, so you cannot give any free opportunities to your opponent. I didn’t like our start, and, like I said, a really good second and third.”  Bear continued, “I think what LA does really well is counterattack. If you mismanage the puck or if you force play, they counterattack. In the first period, we definitely gave them too much space. We let them take the middle on the rush, so they had too many entries. I think after the guys adjusted well and did a really good job at it. But they’re number one in the league at certain things, for a reason, and I think by giving them the lead, it made them play in their strength even more so that was the unfortunate part of the night, because I think the effort, as I said, was good in the second and the third.”  During morning practice one of the players commented that the team was playing too much on the perimeter. Tourigny agreed.  “I think tonight we did. But I think tonight you could see in the third and the second we went in there, in the dirty area, and we got a few tips and a few rebounds. And I think the effort from the guys was definitely there.”

When a reporter for KSL.com noted that fans at Monday night’s game gathered to write letters to Keller after the unexpected passing of his father, Tourigny responded, “The community has a heart in the right place, there is no doubt about it.  We saw it last year when Ingram was going through a tough time, and again now they rally [for] Kells. I think when we often talk about home, how important are our fans, and how much we care and how much they care for us. I think I often talk about a relationship, I think always in tough moments you see who you can rely on.”  

The Mammoth (14-14-3) return to the ice Wednesday for the second game of three on this homestand against the Florida Panthers (14-12-2), followed by the Seattle Kraken on Friday.

San Jose Sharks podcast Len Shapiro: Sharks playing .500 hockey getting solid offense from Toffoli

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Left to right the San Jose Sharks John Klingberg (3), Will Smith (2), Macklin Celebrini (71) and Tyler Toffoli (73) celebrate a goal against the visiting Utah Mammoth at SAP Center on Mon Dec 2, 2025 (San Jose Sharks photo)

San Jose Sharks podcast Len Shapiro:

#1 On Macklin Celebrini and what he’s done and what the latest report on performance.

#2 What impact did Tyler Toffoli have on the outcome of the game against the Mammoth on Monday night, given his two goals and two assists?

#3 How did Will Smith’s performance — scoring two goals and adding an assist — reflect his recent hot streak and affect the Sharks’ momentum?

#4 What role did Macklin Celebrini play in setting up scoring chances, and how significant were his three primary assists for this win?

#5 How did Yaroslav Askarov’s (8-2-0), goaltending (31 saves) 2.96 GAP, save percentage 910, contribute to the Sharks’ ability to secure a 6–3 win over the Mammoth?

#6 With the Sharks scoring three goals in the second period (including one by Adam Gaudette), how did that burst affect the flow of the game and what did it say about San Jose’s ability to capitalize on momentum?

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

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

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

By Lincoln Juarez and Ryan Hannagan

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Sacramento Kings podcast Tony Harvey: Kings drop second straight game this time to Utah

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Sacramento Kings guard Zach Levine (8) goes for the dunk against the Utah Jazz at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Fri Nov 29, 2025 (AP News photo)

Sacramento Kings podcast Tony Harvey:

#1 With Zach LaVine coming off a recent slump, bounced back and lead the Kings in scoring vs. the Jazz with 34 points.

#2 How did Russell Westbrook’s playmaking — assists and ball-movement — impact the Kings’ offensive flow against Utah’s defense Friday night?

#3 In the absence of Domantas Sabonis (out injured), Keegan Murray stepped up in the frontcourt and help the Kings battle on the boards and finished second in scoring with 23 points.

#4 Was DeMar DeRozan’s experience and mid-range scoring was enough to stretch the Jazz’s defense and open driving lanes for teammates? DeRozan finished with 16 points.

#5 Given the Kings’ recent defensive issues, how much did the supporting cast struggle against the Jazz’s pace on Friday night?

Tony Harvey does the Sacramento Kings podcasts each Saturday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Whether you’re pre-gaming with the Kings or celebrating an A’s win, Cyprus Grille at the Holiday Inn Sacramento Downtown – Arena is your downtown go-to.

⚡Craft cocktails? Check.
🔥Game-day bites? Oh yeah.
🏟️Steps from Golden 1 Center? You bet.

Open daily, Cyprus Grille is serving up local flavor with a front-row seat to the action. Stop by before or after the game—or make it your new downtown hangout.

Cyprus Grille—where fans fuel up.

📍Located inside the Holiday Inn Sacramento Downtown – Arena @ 300 J Street

Happy Hour – 4pm-6pm

Show your ticket for additional discounts when dining in. 

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

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

By Tom Walker

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

NHL podcast Jessica Kwong:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

By Tom Walker

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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