PHILADELPHIA — Forget what you knew about the Utah Mammoth.
In recent weeks, their penalty kill hasn’t been good enough — but on Thursday in Philadelphia against the Flyers, it not only went 3 for 3 in a 3-0 victory, it also drew a penalty.
Throughout the season, Utah’s power play has been among the worst in the league, but since Feb. 1, it’s the fourth-best and scored just eight seconds into its first power play on Thursday.
Vítek Vaněček has struggled this season, but he saved all 16 shots against the Flyers for his first shutout in nearly a full calendar year (March 8, 2025 was his last).
“I thought we were pretty good all night,” said Mammoth forward Nick Schmaltz after the game. “We stuck with it, we didn’t give them much. V made some really good saves when he needed to for us. PK did a great job, power play stepped up, so good all-around team effort.”
There are two ways of looking at Vaněček’s start. Most of his games this season have come when Karel Vejmelka has needed a break, but with the trade deadline less than 24 hours away, it’s hard not to wonder if the Mammoth are showcasing his talent the way they did with Olli Määttä before trading him.
Either way, he was exactly what his team needed — and what he personally needed, too.
“I felt really good,” Vaněček said after the game. “I didn’t play for a long, long time, you know? Little break, and then tried to be in my bubble and not thinking about anything. Just save the puck and then help the teammates because I know they’re always going to score for me.”
Of course, shutouts are also indicative of how the team plays as a whole. Despite losing Mikhail Sergachev to a lower-body injury, the Mammoth allowed just 16 shots on net.
But don’t let that undermine your opinion of how Vaněček played. Most notably, on a sure goal in the first period, he came out of nowhere and robbed Bobby Brink on the doorstep.
“I just tried to push (as) hard as possible and put my glove forward and then he hit it,” Vaněček said of the save. “Really happy for that.”
He said his confidence is the same now as it was before. His job is to relieve Vejmelka when needed, so he has to stay ready. Head coach André Tourigny pointed out that between the Olympic break, the afternoon game on Sunday and the trip to the East Coast this week, it’s impressive how ready Vaněček was.
Said Vaněček: “When I get the chance, I’m going to play my best.”
Why are Utah’s special teams suddenly working?
The Mammoth haven’t changed much in terms of personnel or structure when it comes to special teams, but Tourigny explained why both the penalty kill and the power play have had success.
Penalty kill
As mentioned, Utah’s PK this season as a whole has been phenomenal — the Mammoth were nearly perfect in the entire month of November — but for some reason, it took a downturn just before the Olympic break.
“We were rock-solid for a long, long time. We got (into) that slump, like I said, 10 games or so, but I’m happy today,” Tourigny said. “We didn’t tweak anything. We just got back and more assertive and playing well.”
It takes a committee to get it done.
Kevin Stenlund is a defensive specialist, which he especially proved in the 2024 Stanley Cup Final, consistently fending off the Edmonton Oilers’ offensive weapons on the big stage. Schmaltz, Lawson Crouse, Jack McBain and Alexander Kerfoot also played significant minutes on the penalty kill in this game.
That type of depth is crucial heading into what Utah hopes is a playoff run. Guys always get hurt, so having three or four players who can step up when needed is crucial.
Power play
“We didn’t change anything structure-wise. I think it’s more the mindset,” Tourigny said. “I think we’re a little bit lower, we’re a little bit more aggressive, we have more (shot volume), stuff like that. I think there’s a mindset (that’s) different, but it’s not structure.”
Before this recent stretch, the power play guys seemed more contemplative rather than instinctive, and in the best league in the world, there’s rarely time to sit and think about your next move.
Take Utah’s power play goal in Philadelphia, for example.
Dylan Guenther retrieved the puck and brought it to the top of the face-off circles, where he contemplated shooting. That drew all four penalty killers toward him.
The second he saw that everyone had taken their eyes off of Schmaltz, he passed it that way and before the Flyers knew it, they were fishing the puck out of their net.
Earlier in the season, Guenther or any of the other power play guys might have surveyed the options before making the pass, which gives the opposition time to counter.
What now?
The most important thing the Mammoth can do at this point is to focus on the game in front of them. Despite a two-game win streak, recent success does not guarantee future success.
They have a comfortable six-point lead over the best non-playoff team in the Western Conference, but they have also played more games than every team chasing them except the Nashville Predators. If they can keep winning two thirds of their games, though, their chances of playing spring hockey are high.
“We’re not where we want to be yet in the sense (that) consistency is not two games,” Tourigny said. “Consistency is two weeks, you know what I mean? So, we’re still far away.”