The Utah Mammoth’s preseason opener had two very different stories running at once.
For 40 minutes, Utah hung with the Colorado Avalanche and kept the game tight. Then the third period turned ugly, and a string of mistakes opened the door for Colorado in a 4-1 loss on Sunday night in Salt Lake City.
Even with the final score getting away from them, Utah came away with some encouraging performances from its young players, several of whom used the night to make a real case for more NHL looks.
Colorado controlled much of the opening period, but Utah settled in during the second and finally found some rhythm. At that point, the game was sitting tied at a goal apiece and the Mammoth looked capable of making the finish interesting.
Instead, the Avalanche took over late. Against a stronger Colorado group, Utah’s errors mounted in the third and turned a competitive game into a lopsided finish.
For a preseason game packed with prospects and AHL talent, that kind of swing is hardly shocking. But the mistakes did not erase what Utah got from a handful of its younger skaters.
Sebastian Cossa was one of the biggest bright spots. The 23-year-old goalie looked sharp in his first start for Utah, showing steady positioning, quick reactions and strong puck control from the opening faceoff. Rather than kicking rebounds back into danger, he steered pucks toward the boards and helped the Mammoth relieve pressure.
“[He did a] really good.” head coach Andre Tourigny said of Cossa. “They had a lot of traffic, passes through traffic and he found a way to see the puck and get a piece in front of it. It was a really good viewing.”
Cossa’s night ended early so Michael Hrabal could get third-period work, but he still finished with 11 saves on 12 shots against a lineup that included Brock Nelson, Martin Necas, Gabriel Landeskog and Nazeem Kadri.
Caleb Desnoyers also looked every bit like a No. 4 overall pick. Utah’s most recent top-five selection delivered a composed 200-foot game, making smart decisions, moving the puck well, forechecking and backchecking with purpose, winning 66 percent of his faceoffs and bringing a mature physical edge.
One third-period shift summed up his night. Desnoyers finished a check in the defensive zone, then drew a penalty to give Utah a power play.
The other big positive came from Gabe Smith’s line, which produced Utah’s only goal and spent much of the night driving play. That group kept the forecheck active, extended shifts in the offensive zone and created several dangerous looks.
“I really liked the game of Borikov,” Tourigny said. “I think he played a solid game. Not just his goal, I think the way he controlled the puck and the pace he had in his game as a positive.”
“They (Gabe Smith’s line) had a hell of a game. In the third period they controlled the play.
They were capable of holding on puck and playing fast as well with the puck, quick puck movement, good forecheck. There’s a lot to like in the third period about that line.”
The goal itself came off the kind of work that coaches love: a strong forecheck, a good reload, a smart redirect by Smith and a finish from Borikov.
Utah will be back on the ice Tuesday night against the Los Angeles Kings in its second preseason game. Puck drop is set for 8 p.m. MT, with the game available on SEG+ and on the KSL Sports Zone at 97.5 FM/1280 AM.