The Utah Mammoth looked like a different team Tuesday night, and the scoreboard backed it up.
After a sluggish preseason opener, Utah came out with pace, bite and a clear edge in a 6-3 win over the Los Angeles Kings, earning its first preseason victory while flashing the kind of pressure-heavy style head coach André Tourigny has been asking for.
“I really (liked) our pace,” Tourigny told reporters after the game. “I think we were, like I said, we went at them. We were aggressive, we didn't give them a chance to execute.”
That showed up everywhere. Utah outshot Los Angeles 35-22, won 57.1% of the faceoffs and spent much of the night pushing the Kings back instead of letting them settle into their game.
When Los Angeles trimmed the lead to one early in the second period, Nick Schmaltz answered with his first goal of the preseason. When the Kings made it a one-goal game again early in the third, Liam O'Brien responded to restore a two-goal cushion.
Tourigny liked that response as much as the final result.
“Could have (been) more stingy when we took the lead, but it's training camp hockey,” Tourigny said. “It's a lot to ask.
We'll review that, but really like the mindset. Guys wanted to do the right thing and we (applied) a lot of pressure.
There's a lot of (positives).”
Utah’s offense came from all over the lineup. Eleven players recorded at least one point, while Anders Lee led the way with two goals. Daniil But, Clayton Keller, Nick Schmaltz and Liam O'Brien also scored.
But was one of the night’s bigger positives for the coaching staff in his second preseason appearance. He opened the scoring in the first period and later helped set up Lee’s second goal.
“I’m happy about the response of (Daniil But),” Tourigny said. “I think (But) had a good night. Simpler, more direct, did a good job with those guys."
Tourigny also singled out several other players who made an impression. Yegor Borikov drew another solid review, Tomas Lavoie stood out on the blue line and MacKenzie Weegar earned especially strong praise.
“Really think Lavoie had a really good night,” Tourigny said.
“(MacKenzie Weegar) was a beast out there,” Tourigny said.
Andrew Peeke brought the kind of physical edge Tourigny had talked about before the game, and that part of his performance didn’t go unnoticed.
“Really like the game of Peeke,” Tourigny said. “Get under their skin, it was physical. There were a lot to like.”
The defense as a group played on the front foot, stepping up the ice and closing space early before the Kings could get organized.
“I think I'll give an example, our D,” Tourigny said. “They were really up the ice and really tight gap surfing a lot and not giving time and space to get organized.”
Karel Vejmelka stopped 19 of 22 shots and played all but eight seconds in goal. Utah also went 1-for-4 on the power play and held Los Angeles to one goal on four chances.
Tourigny said the energy on the bench mattered too. Even in a preseason setting, he liked the emotion and urgency his group brought.
“If you like what you're doing, you're doing it right,” Tourigny said. “You have kind of a fun, you have emotion, you have pride in what you're doing.”
He added, “I like the presence of the guy on the bench,” he said. “I think they were into that game.
They were focused. They played with urgency.”
There’s still cleanup work ahead, especially when it comes to protecting leads, but Tuesday gave Utah something it wanted badly after the opener: a version of itself that looked faster, sharper and far more physical. The Mammoth will try to keep it going Thursday night against the Vegas Golden Knights.
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Arizona High School Football Has A New Team To Chase
Week 4 brought a real shakeup to the top of Arizona high school football. Basha handed previously unbeaten Liberty its first loss, and the ripple effect pushed Hamilton into the No. 1 ranking. Centennial also kept climbing after a win over Mesa, while several of the states top programs, including Hamilton, Centennial and Desert Mountain, still have perfect records and plenty of big games ahead.
The new order gives the rest of the field a fresh target, especially with so much still to settle in the early part of the season. Libertys loss changes the conversation at the top, and Centennials rise only adds to the pressure, with the chase now centered on whether any of the unbeaten teams can separate themselves before the schedule starts to bite. [Read more 🡒]