Have you ever watched an Olympic ping-pong match?
They’re incredible displays of elite talent often decided by the loser’s mistakes, rather than the winner’s excellence. That’s how the Utah Mammoth’s season opener on Thursday against the Colorado Avalanche was.
Time after time after time, the likes of Nathan MacKinnon and Dylan Guenther put their best-on-the-planet skill on display, only to be thwarted by equally elite defensemen and hot goalies.
The Mammoth made one more mistake than the Avalanche, and that was the difference between the two teams in Colorado’s 2-1 victory.
Here are a few storylines from Denver.
Getting goalied
The goaltenders on both sides were phenomenal — as is the case in most 2-1 games. Scott Wedgewood, whom the local fans affectionately call “Wedgie,” heard his nickname chanted throughout Ball Arena numerous times on Thursday, especially in the final period while the Avalanche were protecting their lead.
“Their goalie came up good,” said Utah head coach André Tourigny. “We had good chances, but Wedgie, the other side, did a good job.”
When 18,000 people shout that nickname, it sounds quite similar to “Veggie,” the nickname Mammoth fans have dubbed upon goalie Karel Vejmelka. Perhaps he thought the same, because he was almost as good as the goalie at the other end of the ice.
Vejmelka struggled throughout the preseason to the tune of a .787 save percentage over three games. Getting back into his groove was imperative to the Mammoth’s success, and it seems like that’s already happening.
Getting Guentherd
For the second season in a row, Dylan Guenther scored Utah’s first goal. According to the NHL’s stats department (retrieved via the Mammoth PR team), he’s the 11th player in league history to score the first goal of the season in each of a franchise’s first two seasons.
It’s also coincidental that Michael Carcone scored the first preseason goal both years.
Guenther said in his media day interview that he wants to start scoring from all areas of the ice, but that doesn’t mean he’s going to stop doing the thing he’s best at: bombing one-timers.
That’s exactly what his goal against the Avalanche was — and it only took him three seconds of power play time to get it done.
“I would like to tell you it’s (about) practice, but it’s God-gifted. That’s what it is,” Tourigny said when asked how Guenther does it.
A first for Dmitri Simashev
Millions of hockey players dream of the moment Dmitri Simashev just had: Playing your first NHL game.
“It’s unbelievable,” he said. “I’ll remember this my whole life. This was my first game in the NHL. It’s unbelievable.”
The young Russian defenseman was unnoticeable — in the best way possible. In this type of situation, he’s not necessarily looking to be a driving force, but rather to play a sound game whenever his number is called.
That’s exactly what he did.
The Mammoth sheltered him by using an 11-7 format, but it became even more convenient when Olli Määttä got injured in his first shift of the game.
“I’ll keep my game simple,” Simashev said. “I want to be effective on this team. Of course I want to score, I want to (get) an assist, but I want to win.”
He said the level of play was a step above what he experienced in the NHL preseason, and due to the smaller ice surface, it’s completely different than playing in the KHL, where he spent the last two and a half seasons.
Speaking of firsts, it was Andrew Agozzino’s first NHL game since March 28, 2023. He didn’t see much ice time, but for a 34-year-old journeyman, it’s got to feel good to get that opportunity once again.
What’s next?
The Mammoth continue their opening road trip with two more stops in the cities of divisional opponents.
First up are the Nashville Predators on Friday. The Predators handled the Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday by a 2-1 score. They’re looking to get the train back on the rails after an uncharacteristically bad 2024-25 season.
One thing to watch: Brady Martin, who was drafted in June, is centering the Predators’ first line. Of course, he’s got some of the best support anyone could ask for, with Filip Forsberg and Ryan O’Reilly on his wings, but that’s a big role for an 18-year-old to play.