They may have had to hit rock bottom to get here, but the Utah Mammoth are starting to look like a potential playoff team again.
Their win over the Vancouver Canucks on Friday was their second consecutive victory by a three-goal margin or more. Their goaltending and special teams seem to have found a way to overcome the struggles that had weighed them down, and the team as a whole looks confident again.
Here’s the story.
Quick catchup
Utah Mammoth: 4
Vancouver Canucks: 1
Mikhail Sergachev opened the scoring in the first period with a power play goal. Those have been rare for the Mammoth this year, but they’ve now scored power play goals in consecutive games for the first time since October.
In the second period, Nick Schmaltz tipped a Sergachev shot past Kevin Lankinen for his first goal in 13 games, which is almost unbelievable, considering he led the league in goals for the first month or so of the season.
The Mammoth carried a 2-0 lead into the third, when Arshdeep Bains scored the second goal of his NHL career to end Karel Vejmelka’s shutout streak at five periods.
Daniil But’s would-be first NHL goal was waved off for goaltender interference. Many goalie interference calls cause tons of controversy, but in this case, even Mammoth fans agreed that Dylan Guenther’s contact with Lankinen impeded him from being able to play his position.
Kevin Stenlund made up for it with a vengeance goal after a hit from Kiefer Sherwood left him heated. That made it 3-1 with 2:08 to go, but the Mammoth weren’t done scoring yet.
John Marino scored on an empty net, sealing the deal.
The Mammoth’s win places them back in the first wild card spot in the NHL’s Western Conference, which they’d lost since gaining it on Wednesday.
After facing the league’s last-placed team in the Canucks, they now travel to Calgary, where they’ll face the second-worst team.
A win in Calgary would salvage what began as a miserable road trip.
Tidbits and takeaways
Bold enough to work
If you would have told Mammoth fans a month ago that the team would win a pair of games 7-0 and 4-1, they would not have guessed that their typical first-line center would be watching those games from the press box.
But up there with Barrett Hayton was Brandon Tanev. Both guys had been at fault for goals against in San Jose, and in an effort to command accountability, the coaching staff decided to scratch them. Although they’d learned their lesson, you never change a winning lineup — especially one that wins by a touchdown.
It proved to be the right decision again in Vancouver. With the back-to-back games on Friday and Saturday, André Tourigny and company might choose to throw the fresh legs back into the lineup in Calgary — maybe.
Don’t call it a comeback: Karel Vejmelka edition
There have been many question marks swirling the Mammoth’s goaltending in recent weeks — and deservedly so. Neither net minder had been good enough, and the team’s record reflects that.
After being pulled 13 minutes into the San Jose game, Vejmelka showed up in Anaheim and blanked the Ducks. It looked like he’d do the same in Vancouver, too, but a deflection — the hardest shot to stop — ended the possibility of consecutive shutouts.
Vejmelka didn’t seem too worried about it after the game, though. He made sure to share the credit with his teammates.
“Sometimes the boys need help, sometimes I need them,” he said. “It’s a team win.”
What do the stats say?
Tourigny opened his press conference with a musing that Utah won the game despite losing the analytical battle. Here’s what he was talking about.
Per data found on Natural Stat Trick and NHL.com, Utah was the worse team in the following categories:
- Expected goals (UTA 2.24, VAN 4.22)
- Scoring chances (UTA 35.71%, VAN 64.29%)
- High-danger scoring chances (UTA 34.29%, VAN 65.71%)
- Face-offs (UTA 40.96%, VAN 59.04%)
- Shots on net (UTA 18, VAN 32)
In the long run, the only statistical category that matters is reflected on the scoreboard — and Utah won that one 4-1. Good teams find ways to win.
Logan Cooley’s leg avoids the worst — again
For the second time this road trip, Logan Cooley’s left leg was on the receiving end of seemingly brutal contact.
First, it was the kneeing penalty — a five-minute major and a game misconduct — that took Alexey Toropchenko out of the St. Louis game alongside Cooley.
In this one, it was on a rush chance with Quinn Hughes chasing him down. Cooley fell at the wrong time, and you could see his leg bend the wrong way as it made contact with the post.
The first one was apparently a charley horse, rather than a severe injury. Cooley returned the following game and has seemed fine since. After this most recent one, he endured a 1:20 power play shift, but did not play in the remaining 3:09.
If there is an update to be given, it’s likely that it won’t come until just before Saturday’s game.
Goal of the game
Nick Schmaltz’s deflection
The hardest thing to do in sports is probably hitting a baseball, but deflecting a puck is right up there.
Schmaltz did it perfectly on Friday, and it ended up being the game-winning goal.