The Utah Mammoth walked into Wednesday already stretched thin, and by the end of the night the injuries had only piled up. Nick Schmaltz exited after taking a hard hit into the boards, returned for a couple shifts, then left again with a lower-body injury and was later listed as questionable to return. That came on top of a brutal pregame injury report that put Dylan Guenther and Nate Schmidt on injured reserve alongside John Marino, while Logan Cooley was also ruled day-to-day.
So even before the game got away, the Mammoth were in trouble. Vegas turned a tight matchup into a 5-3 win by taking over in the second period, and Utah never really recovered.
The Golden Knights scored three times in five minutes, and the Mammoth spent the rest of the night trying to hang around rather than control the game. They’ll head home after a road stretch that saw them play 13 of their 19 games away from home, with five straight now waiting at home.
Head coach André Tourigny said the injuries changed the feel of the night. “We went through adversity in the game with some injuries, and I think we lost our focus, and that cost us the game,” Tourigny said.
“At that moment, we gave up three goals, and we got pulled out of the game there. I liked the fight after we came back.
That was positive, but I think we can be more connected and a little bit more stingy.”
The second period told the story. Utah was outshot 15-5 in that frame, and the pressure kept building after a tripping penalty on Lawson Crouse led to Victor Olofsson’s power-play goal.
From there, the Golden Knights kept rolling, including Ivan Barbashev’s highlight-reel finish. The Mammoth’s penalty kill did have a strong moment earlier, killing off a five-on-three in the first period, but too many penalties eventually caught up with them.
“We need to play our game and play a full 60,” Crouse said. “We talk a lot about our pace, our speed, and how we want to play.
We got to do that. Staying out of the box is going to be a big priority.
We’ve got to find ways to not take those penalties.”
There was at least one bright spot for Utah: Jack McBain. He came through with three points, including his second goal of the season on a top-shelf shot, and Lawson Crouse added two points.
Andrew Peeke chipped in assists on the goals as well. For a team searching for offense, that line was the one that consistently made things happen.
McBain had been overdue. He hadn’t scored since Oct. 8 against the Boston Bruins and hadn’t picked up a point since Oct. 19 against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Crouse had been stuck too, with his last goal coming Oct. 6 against the New Jersey Devils. This time, they finally broke through.
“The first one, my goal, was a puck going to the net,” Crouse said. “It popped out perfectly on the weak side.
Then a great shot by Bainer, and then another great pass by Bainer. You love to see it from Boehner.
He’s a guy who does everything right. A true teammate, and nice to see him get rewarded.”
Daniil But also got the call up from the Tucson Roadrunners and made it in time for the game, while Kailer Yamamoto was reactivated off injured reserve. Tourigny said of But, “He had a good moment early, and then after that he went through a little bit of adversity and a few reads, but that's what I thought of his game,” Tourigny said. “I think he had a great first period.”
The bigger issue is that Utah keeps needing more from too many players who haven’t been producing lately. Anders Lee has struggled to score, Michael Carcone hasn’t done much since returning from injury, and Vincent Trocheck’s last goal came Oct.
- Now Schmaltz joins that group of unavailable or limited players, and the Mammoth are suddenly dealing with five everyday players out.
The goaltending hasn’t helped steady things either. Sebastian Cossa posted an .821 save percentage Wednesday, and while Tourigny said he made some big stops, the numbers remain a problem.
“I will need to look at the tape to analyze all the goals and all the scoring chances,” Tourigny said. “I think he made great saves during the game.
We'll have to look at all the goals and have a better read on it.”
Utah has now lost three in a row and slipped into the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference. The schedule doesn’t offer much breathing room, either, with the Mammoth back on the ice less than 24 hours later against the St.
Louis Blues at the Delta Center. St.
Louis is 8-8-2 and comes in off a 3-2 win over the Detroit Red Wings.
For the Mammoth, the message from the room was plain. The injuries are real, the losses are stacking up, and the response has to come from inside the locker room.
“We talk about adversity, and these are the moments when we all need to rise up,” Crouse said. “Everyone in the locker room needs to demand more of themselves, and that's what we're going to do.”
In Other News...
Former Coyotes Core Suddenly Leaves Utah With A Top Six Problem
Utahs forward depth took another hit this week, and the ripple effect matters for anyone still tracking the old Coyotes core now wearing Mammoth sweaters. Dylan Guenther was moved to injured reserve with an upper-body injury, while Nate Schmidt also landed on IR and Kailer Yamamoto was activated after getting past his own upper-body issue. It is the kind of roster shuffle that can quickly change the look of a lineup, especially for a team still trying to find its rhythm after a busy stretch of personnel moves.
Logan Cooley adds to the concern, as he is currently day-to-day with an upper-body injury, leaving Utah to patch together its top six in the short term. To help cover the gaps, the club recalled Danil But from the AHL, giving the Mammoth another option while they wait for bodies to return. For a group that has leaned on young skill up front, the timing is less than ideal and the next few games could force some different combinations than Utah likely envisioned. [Read more 🡒]
Tucson Has A Chance To Tighten Its Grip On The Division
The Tucson Roadrunners return home this week with a chance to keep building separation in the Pacific Division, welcoming the Texas Stars to Tucson Arena for a two-game set on Nov. 14 and 15. Tucson has been rolling through an 11-game point streak and sits atop the division, while Texas arrives buried at the bottom of the Central Division and still looking for its first road win of the season.
It sets up as a useful measuring stick for a Tucson team that has spent the early part of the season stacking results and reinforcing its place near the top of the standings. With division points at a premium and the Stars trying to find traction away from home, this series gives the Roadrunners a chance to tighten their grip even further before the schedule turns again. [Read more 🡒]