‘The only thing I don’t like is the scoreboard’: Mammoth fall to a likely playoff opponent
Friday’s matchup was likely an appetizer for the first round of the playoffs
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Utah Mammoth left wing Lawson Crouse (67) hits Anaheim Ducks right wing Beckett Sennecke (45) in the face during a scuffle during the third period of an NHL game at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Friday, March 20, 2026. Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News
Brogan Houston covers the Utah Mammoth and trending news for the Deseret News.
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Sometimes, you run into a hot goalie. Other times, it’s simply a defensive unit that’s willing to put bodies in front of shots.
The Utah Mammoth had an incredible 75 shot attempts against the Anaheim Ducks on Friday in their 4-1 loss, where two of the Ducks’ goals came on an empty net. They hit the net on 30 of those attempts — a decent number — but after Dylan Guenther opened the scoring with his signature one-timer 1:48 into the game, the Ducks seemed resolute not to let the high-quality bids reach the goaltender.
Anaheim’s 26 blocks were tied for the second-most Utah has faced this season, and they seemed to always come at the most opportune moments.
Guenther said after the game that he and his teammates remained positive in those situations, which ultimately led to more scoring chances.
“Even if they block it, it’s funneling to the corner,” he said. “Puck’s getting in deep. I mean, it’s an opportunity to sustain (the offensive) zone, so I don’t take, like, any sort of discouragement from that.”
Head coach André Tourigny didn’t find much to nitpick from his team in this one.
“The only thing I don’t like is the scoreboard,” he said after the game.
Ever since the Olympics, the Mammoth have been red-hot on the road, earning a 5-1-1 record by beating some top-tier opponents. But in the same span at home, they’re 1-4-1.
“We’ve got a lot of games at home here (throughout the rest of the season), so hopefully we can change that,” Guenther said. ...“I think we had a little bit of a slump there and it just ended up that we were playing at home.”
He reiterated that the Mammoth love playing at the Delta Center and that throughout the season as a whole, Salt Lake City has been good to them. Their 18-12-3 record at home supports that statement.
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Utah Mammoth defenseman MacKenzie Weegar (52) makes a pass around Anaheim Ducks center Mikael Granlund (64) and center Tim Washe (42) during the first period of an NHL game at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Friday, March 20, 2026. | Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News
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Utah Mammoth center Nick Schmaltz (8) controls the puck ahead of Anaheim Ducks center Ryan Poehling (25) during the first period of an NHL game at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Friday, March 20, 2026. | Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News
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Utah Mammoth goaltender Vitek Vaněček (41) skates onto the ice ahead of an NHL game against the Anaheim Ducks at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Friday, March 20, 2026. | Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News
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Utah Mammoth right wing Dylan Guenther (11) celebrates after scoring during the first period of an NHL game against the Anaheim Ducks at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Friday, March 20, 2026. | Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News
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Utah Mammoth right wing Dylan Guenther (11) celebrates with defenseman Ian Cole (28) after scoring during the first period of an NHL game against the Anaheim Ducks at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Friday, March 20, 2026. | Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News
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Anaheim Ducks center Ryan Poehling (25) celebrates with the bench after scoring a shorthanded goal during the first period of an NHL game against the Utah Mammoth at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Friday, March 20, 2026. | Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News
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Utah Mammoth center Nick Schmaltz (8) takes a faceoff against Anaheim Ducks center Ryan Poehling (25) during the first period of an NHL game at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Friday, March 20, 2026. | Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News
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The puck hits the ice during a faceoff during the first period of an NHL game between the Utah Mammoth and the Anaheim Ducks at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Friday, March 20, 2026. | Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News
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Anaheim Ducks goaltender Lukáš Dostál (1) makes a save on a deflected shot by Utah Mammoth center Jack McBain (22) during the first period of an NHL game at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Friday, March 20, 2026. | Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News
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Anaheim Ducks goaltender Lukáš Dostál (1) makes a save during the first period of an NHL game against the Utah Mammoth at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Friday, March 20, 2026. | Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News
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Utah Mammoth defenseman MacKenzie Weegar (52) moves the puck during the first period of an NHL game against the Anaheim Ducks at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Friday, March 20, 2026. | Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News
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Anaheim Ducks center Mason McTavish (23) attempts to bat the puck out of the air during the first period of an NHL game against the Utah Mammoth at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Friday, March 20, 2026. | Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News
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Utah Mammoth center Jack McBain (22) and Anaheim Ducks left wing Jeffrey Viel (28) fight during the second period of an NHL game at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Friday, March 20, 2026. | Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News
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Anaheim Ducks left wing Alex Killorn (17) celebrates after scoring during the second period of an NHL game against the Utah Mammoth at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Friday, March 20, 2026. | Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News
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Anaheim Ducks defenseman John Carlson (74) makes a pass ahead of Utah Mammoth right wing Clayton Keller (9) during the second period of an NHL game at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Friday, March 20, 2026. | Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News
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Anaheim Ducks defenseman Jacob Trouba (65) catches the puck ahead of Utah Mammoth right wing Dylan Guenther (11) during the second period of an NHL game at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Friday, March 20, 2026. | Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News
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Anaheim Ducks goaltender Lukáš Dostál (1) makes a save against Utah Mammoth defenseman Mikhail Sergachev (98) during the second period of an NHL game at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Friday, March 20, 2026. | Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News
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Utah Mammoth goaltender Vitek Vaněček (41) covers the puck during the second period of an NHL game against the Anaheim Ducks at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Friday, March 20, 2026. | Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News
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Anaheim Ducks left wing Jeffrey Viel (28) complains after being tripped by Utah Mammoth defenseman Ian Cole (28) during the second period of an NHL game at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Friday, March 20, 2026. | Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News
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Anaheim Ducks center Mikael Granlund (64) skates during player introductions before an NHL game against the Utah Mammoth at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Friday, March 20, 2026. | Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News
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Utah Mammoth left wing Michael Carcone (53) collides with the boards while fighting for a loose puck with Anaheim Ducks defenseman John Carlson (74) during the first period of an NHL game at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Friday, March 20, 2026. | Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News
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Anaheim Ducks center Tim Washe (42) knocks over Utah Mammoth center Jack McBain (22) as he attempts to deflect the puck in front of the net during the first period of an NHL game at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Friday, March 20, 2026. | Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News
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Utah Mammoth center Logan Cooley (92) moves the puck against Anaheim Ducks defenseman John Carlson (74) during the first period of an NHL game at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Friday, March 20, 2026. | Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News
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Utah Mammoth right wing Clayton Keller (9) moves the puck during the first period of an NHL game against the Anaheim Ducks at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Friday, March 20, 2026. | Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News
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Utah Mammoth right wing Clayton Keller (9) skates near center ice during the second period of an NHL game against the Anaheim Ducks at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Friday, March 20, 2026. | Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News
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Utah Mammoth right wing Clayton Keller (9) moves the puck against Anaheim Ducks center Jansen Harkins (24) during the second period of an NHL game at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Friday, March 20, 2026. | Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News
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Utah Mammoth left wing Lawson Crouse (67) reacts after missing a chance during the third period of an NHL game against the Anaheim Ducks at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Friday, March 20, 2026. | Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News
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Anaheim Ducks goaltender Lukas Dostal (1) looks on during a break in play during the third period of an NHL game against the Utah Mammoth at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Friday, March 20, 2026. | Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News
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Utah Mammoth left wing Lawson Crouse (67) hits Anaheim Ducks right wing Beckett Sennecke (45) in the face during a scuffle during the third period of an NHL game at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Friday, March 20, 2026. | Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News
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Utah Mammoth left wing Lawson Crouse (67) skates past Anaheim Ducks right wing Troy Terry (19) during the third period of an NHL game at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Friday, March 20, 2026. | Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News
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Utah Mammoth center Logan Cooley (92) handles the puck in front of Anaheim Ducks goaltender Lukas Dostal (1) during the third period of an NHL game at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Friday, March 20, 2026. | Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News
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Anaheim Ducks center Tim Washe (42) fights for the puck along the boards with Utah Mammoth center Barrett Hayton (27) during the third period of an NHL game at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Friday, March 20, 2026. | Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News
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Utah Mammoth right wing Clayton Keller (9) shields the puck from Anaheim Ducks center Ryan Poehling (25) during the third period of an NHL game at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Friday, March 20, 2026. | Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News
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Anaheim Ducks center Ryan Poehling (25) reacts after the Anaheim Ducks scored their second empty net goal to take a 4-1 lead late in the third period of an NHL game against the Utah Mammoth at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Friday, March 20, 2026. | Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News
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Anaheim Ducks left wing Cutter Gauthier (61) celebrates with the bench after scoring an empty net goal during the third period of an NHL game against the Utah Mammoth at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Friday, March 20, 2026. | Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News
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Hockey equipment litters the ice after a scuffle during the third period of an NHL game between the Utah Mammoth and the Anaheim Ducks at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Friday, March 20, 2026. | Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News
If things remain the way they’ve been for the last couple weeks, Utah will likely meet Anaheim in the first round of the playoffs.
With that in mind, Friday’s contest was an opportunity for the teams to size each other up — and it was a pretty even matchup, as the empty-netters skewed the final score.
“Yeah, it certainly did,” said Ducks head coach Joel Quenneville when asked whether it felt like a playoff game.
That’s significant, given that Quenneville is the third-winningest playoff coach in NHL history.
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“(Utah) came ready to play. We’re lucky to come out of that the way it was, only down one in the first. It could have been a handful, and they kept coming all night. They’re a fast, dangerous team with a lot of skill and creativity.”
Ducks forward and two-time Stanley Cup champion Alex Killorn, who scored three points (including the game-winning goal) on Friday, pointed out that the scrums after the whistles are akin to what you see in the playoffs.
Along that line, it’s at this time of year that the Jack McBains of the world earn their money. In addition to his two goals over the previous two games, he threw three hits, led the Mammoth in face-off percentage and was perfect through two full minutes of PK time Friday.
And when you meet a 6-foot-4, 220-pound guy like McBain in those post-whistle scrums, you’re less likely to take extra liberties.
