LAS VEGAS — At the media meal ahead of the Utah Mammoth’s inaugural playoff game against the Vegas Golden Knights, one writer who has attended many a playoff game at T-Mobile Arena gave us Utah reporters some advice: Don’t bring a full cup into the press box.
That’s because the building gets so loud it virtually registers on the Richter scale — and you don’t want your beverage to end up all over your laptop.
While the pregame festivities were very Vegas, Utah’s play in the first period and a half was enough to keep the crowd quiet.
Logan Cooley scored in the dying seconds of the first and Kevin Stenlund beat Carter Hart with a quick, heads-up play in the second, with a Colton Sissons rebound goal in between.
But despite being tied or leading until nearly halfway through the third period, the Mammoth dropped their first playoff game by a 4-2 score.
By the time the Golden Knights took the lead, everyone’s beverages were already gone — which was advantageous because it was at that point that the volcano erupted.
What do the Mammoth need to change going into Tuesday’s rematch?
It starts with the top line of Nick Schmaltz, Clayton Keller and Lawson Crouse. That group typically leads the charge offensively for the team, but on top of not scoring, they were on the ice for four, three and two of the Golden Knights’ four goals, respectively.
Crouse, the team’s associate captain, took responsibility and committed to improving.
“I feel like we can be better,” he said. “We’re competitive guys. We want to do whatever we can to help this team win, just like everyone in our locker room. We’re going to try and step up.”
“... It’s a game about learning. It’s a game of inches out there. (In the) regular season, it seems like it’s a game about feet. (In the) playoffs, it seems like it’s a game of inches. So, everything happens way quicker. Mentally, you’ve got to be on the ball.”
Logan Cooley, the supervillain
Everyone knew Cooley would be a good offensive player — third-overall picks tend to be that way. But what wasn’t as obvious is how much of a pest he could become.
In the hockey world, and especially when it comes to the playoffs, “pest” is a positive term used to describe players who get under opponents’ skin. The regular season is a battle, but the playoffs are a war — and guys like Matthew Tkachuk and Brad Marchand, for example, have made their living by playing that style of hockey in April, May and June.
Throughout the Utah Mammoth’s first-ever playoff game Sunday against the Vegas Golden Knights, Cooley played with an edge that has only surfaced a few times in his Mammoth career thus far.
“It’s the playoffs. You’re playing for the Cup. You’re doing whatever you can to help your team win, if that is (playing) physical or scoring, playing good defensively, whatever the team needs,” he said after the game. “I think that’s our mindset in this locker room.”
Cooley averaged precisely one hit per game throughout the regular season, but he had four in his playoff debut. He also scored the franchise’s first-ever playoff goal and had several other jaw-dropping plays.
“He was on a mission,” said head coach André Tourigny after the game. “He was really good. I think him and his line played a solid game. You guys know how Cools is, how competitive he is, and I think he just put it on display.”
Ever since returning from the injury that sidelined him for 28 games this season, Cooley has been more than a good player. He’s been a game breaker: The guy who steps up when the team needs a hero.
“I think he’s a player that’s ready to take that step on this center stage here in the playoffs,” said veteran defenseman Nate Schmidt. “He really makes a lot of plays for guys and creates space for people. I love his game. I love his tenacity around the puck. He’s not someone that’s going to shy away from it, and that’s what I love about him.”
Cooley was so successful in his debut as a villain that he even appeared to get a death threat from Golden Knights forward Nic Dowd — something that the NHL Department of Player Safety could potentially review for supplementary discipline.
When asked about it after the game, Dowd didn’t address it directly.
“I mean, it’s an emotional game,” he said. “It’s going to be a grind of a series. Again, it’s an emotional game.”
Surprises
The Mammoth have made a point of concealing as much injury information as possible, as opponents can and do target those injuries — especially in the playoffs.
But on Sunday, it seemed the “game-time decisions” came down to the literal final seconds.
In particular, Jack McBain, who hadn’t played or participated in a full practice since April 2, did not skate with the team in the morning, leading most to the conclusion that he wouldn’t play. The fans were elated to find out that he was taking warmups.
When the public relations folks handed out the lineup sheets in the press box, he was not listed. He did end up playing, though, at which point they reprinted the lineup sheets and handed out new ones.
That doesn’t happen often.
Sean Durzi also returned from an injury, which had kept him out of a game and a half.
Neither guy played much, though: Durzi logged the fewest minutes of Utah’s defensemen and McBain outplayed only Brandon Tanev.
But the guys were glad to have them back.
“McBain’s such a team-first guy,” Crouse said. “Playoff player. The way he plays, he’s hard, he’s heavy on pucks, he’s unselfish and just a great teammate. He’s always there to pick people up when they’re down and just really gives everything he can each and every night.”
