SALT LAKE CITY - The Utah Mammoth still haven’t lost two in a row this season, and Tuesday night in Toronto was another reminder of why.
After a rough 6-3 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers on Sunday, Andre Tourigny made a full-scale adjustment to his forward group, and the new look paid off. Utah’s revamped lines brought energy, pressure and enough finish to edge the Toronto Maple Leafs 3-2 and get right back on track.
The changes were everywhere. Tourigny reworked all four forward lines, with Lee skating with Hayton and Keller on the top unit, Crouse joining Cooley and Trocheck, Schmaltz centering McBain and Guenther, and Carcone lining up with Stenlund and O’Brien. DeSimone also entered the lineup for Duda, while Sebastian Cossa got the start in goal.
The result was a much more connected Utah attack. The Mammoth came out with a heavy forecheck, created turnovers in the neutral zone, got clean entries and kept reloading to stay in the offensive zone. That pressure led to penalties, power-play chances and, eventually, goals.
“I thought we were really good,” Nick Schmaltz said. “All the lines were playing the right way.
We were creating a lot. Especially in the first two periods.”
“I think they had a push in the third, but we weathered it and found a way to get a win.”
That offensive reset mattered most for Dylan Guenther and Schmaltz, who had combined for only two goals over their previous seven games before facing Toronto. Even with Clayton Keller on their line, that group had been searching for rhythm and struggling to sustain pressure. Against the Leafs, Utah finally kept the puck in dangerous areas long enough to make Toronto pay.
Guenther opened the scoring on the power play in the first period, and Schmaltz later sealed it with a greasy goal in the final frame.
“I think we were just confident with the puck,” Schmaltz explained. “We’ve got a lot of skill throughout our lineup.
I think when we’re making plays when the play is there. If not, we’re working off the forecheck.
We’re a tough team to play against when we’re rolling like that.”
The Mammoth did not just get a boost from the new line combinations. They also got exactly what they needed in net from Sebastian Cossa.
With Karel Vejmelka coming off a five-game stretch that forced a change, Tourigny turned to the rookie, and Cossa delivered. The 23-year-old stopped 27 of 29 shots for a .931 save percentage, stayed composed through the night and held firm during Toronto’s third-period surge. He also turned away the Maple Leafs’ late 6-on-5 push.
“He made some great saves, clutch saves at crucial moments,” Andrew Peeke explained. “He played a heck of a game.”
“Makes us feel comfortable back there as a team.”
Cossa’s recent run is starting to look a lot more than just a one-night spark. He’s now 4-1 this season, has won three straight and has posted a .919 save percentage over his last two starts. After what he showed in Toronto, he’s earned another look.
The Mammoth will keep rolling through their six-game road trip and face the Montreal Canadiens on night at 5 p.m. MT. Utah will debut its new “Hometown Remix” sweaters in that game, which will be available on SEG+ and also broadcast live on the KSL Sports Zone (97.5 FM/1280 AM).
In Other News...
Utah Faces An Early Test Fans Can't Ignore
The early part of Utahs road swing has already put some pressure on a group that entered the trip looking to steady itself. A loss to Philadelphia exposed familiar issues at the back end, and the Mammoth now head into a meeting with Toronto needing a cleaner defensive effort if they want to keep the trip from turning into a longer slide.
For a team trying to avoid consecutive losses for the first time this season, the timing matters. The Maple Leafs offer another tough test, and with the Mammoth still in the middle of a six-game road trip, this is the kind of game that can either help reset the tone or leave them searching for answers on the road. [Read more 🡒]