Everyone knows that Disneyland is where dreams come true, but now you can add the Honda Center, located 10 minutes down the road, to the list.
Daniil But realized his dream of making it to the NHL, while the Utah Mammoth woke up from the nightmare that was the month of November, with the best outcome they could have hoped for.
Here’s the story.
Quick catchup
Utah Mammoth: 7
Anaheim Ducks: 0
Where do we even start?
This game was all Utah, all night long. They scored twice in the first period, twice in the second and three times in the third. All but four of their forwards recorded points, as did three of their six defensemen.
It was an equally big night for Karel Vejmelka, who registered his first shutout of the season after being pulled 13 minutes into Monday’s game.
Liam O’Brien was among Utah’s goal scorers. In 28 games last season, “Spicy Tuna” didn’t register a single goal. Through nine games this year, he already has two.
Utah’s win puts them back into a playoff spot — the first wild card position in the Western Conference. If they can stack a few wins on top of each other, they’ll find themselves in a great position going forward.
Tidbits and takeaways
A deep breath
Questions regarding this Mammoth team have swirled around NHL circles for weeks. The team’s 6-3 loss to the San Jose Sharks on Monday seemed to be the final straw for much of the fan base. The team was falling in the standings and confidence was at an all-time low.
Needless to say the Mammoth needed a win.
After that loss in San Jose, head coach André Tourigny hinted that he’d make some changes in the name of accountability. They came in the form of scratches for underperforming regulars Barrett Hayton and Brandon Tanev (who were both at fault for goals against on Monday), replacing them with But and Liam O’Brien.
“We came into this game with something to prove,” said Ian Cole, who had two points and two blocks on the night. “We had a pretty rough meeting after the San Jose game, and guys knew that we needed to step up, and we did.”
Now, the question is whether they’ll roll with the same lineup in Vancouver on Monday. On one hand, you never want to change a winning lineup. On the other hand, they need Hayton and Tanev to succeed, and they can’t do that from the press box.
More than one De-“But”
That subhead pun works for two players in this game: Mammoth forward Daniil But and Ducks goaltender Vyacheslav Buteyets both made their first NHL appearances on Wednesday.
It was also the first contest of the year for Maveric Lamoureux, who saw games’ worth of ice with Utah last season.
But was one of four Mammoth forwards without a point on Wednesday, but don’t take that as any indication of failure. At no point did he look out of place.
“It feels like a dream,” But said after the game. “I don’t think I understand yet where I am, and I need to keep going.”
The same can’t be said about Buteyets, who allowed three goals on 13 shots. You can’t help but feel bad for the guy, who will probably won’t get a wink of sleep tonight.
Lamoureux registered a primary assist in his season debut, teeing up Cole, his defense partner, for the game’s third goal. He also blocked what looked like a sure goal late in the game, keeping the shutout alive for his goaltender.
“I thought he did great today,” Cole said of Lamoureux. “I thought he handled a highly skilled team well over there in Anaheim, and we’re going to keep moving forward, just as he is.”
First-line success
Utah needed a win as a team, and Utah’s first line needed a win as a group.
They got exactly what they needed: Four points for JJ Peterka, three for Clayton Keller and two for Nick Schmaltz. Two of their goals, both scored by Peterka, came on beautiful tic-tac-toe passing plays.
It was a big night for Keller especially, who has struggled on the ice — as most would — since his father passed away on Thanksgiving Day.
“I don’t think I’d be able to do that, and I think that just goes to show how strong he is,” O’Brien said of his captain. “He’s our leader, he’s our captain, and we’re really lucky to have him. I’m really proud of the way he handled all of it.”
Much-needed big night for Vejmelka
Karel Vejmelka’s biggest battle this season has been consistency. He’s had a number of good games, but they’ve been overshadowed by some stinkers.
Monday’s game fell in the latter category. After giving up three goals on nine shots, Vítek Vaněček came in to replace him. That happened just 13 minutes into the game.
Vejmelka came back big time on Wednesday, recording 27 saves for his first shutout since Jan. 23.
As is the case with any shutout, there was a bit of luck involved. In this case, it came in the form of a successful coach’s challenge after the Ducks went a couple inches offside prior to putting the puck in the net. But that shouldn’t take away from Vejmelka’s solid night.
Best nickname in hockey?
Hockey has some lazy nicknames (anything that involves throwing a “Y” or an “S” on the end of someone’s last name) as well as some of the greatest ever:
- Larry “Izzy” Goodenough
- “The Rempire State Building” (6-foot-8 New York Ranger Matt Rempe)
- “The Dominator” (Dominik Hasek)
Another can now be added to the list: “Cheeks,” as Cole referred to But after the game.
Goal of the game
Guenther’s partial breakaway
Dylan Guenther has expressed a desire to be more versatile in his goal scoring. He did that on Wednesday as he put the Mammoth up 2-0 on a speedy partial breakaway.