The Utah Mammoth got the kind of night that can sting twice: a third-period surge that looked like it might save them, and a string of mistakes that made sure it didn’t.
Logan Cooley carried the comeback effort, scoring twice in the first eight minutes of the final period to pull Utah even at 3-3 against the Seattle Kraken at Climate Pledge Arena. For a stretch, the Mammoth had the game where they wanted it, pressing hard with a heavy forecheck, constant traffic around the net and a steady stream of dangerous shots that kept Seattle pinned back.
But the damage had already been done. Utah spent the first two periods chasing the game, and a late defensive collapse with about 6:30 left opened the door for Seattle to reclaim control. The Kraken took advantage of Utah’s breakdowns at key moments, and the Mammoth never recovered.
“Obviously a frustrating night,” head coach Andre Tourigny said. “We did a lot of good stuff offensively, but we forced the play too much, and it’s disappointing… when we played with pace offensively, and we had a lot of speed, we had success.”
The bigger issue, once again, was the penalty kill. Utah gave up two goals while short-handed and continues to sit near the bottom of the league at 66.7 percent, good for 29th. That trend, paired with a rough night from Karel Vejmelka in goal, left the Mammoth vulnerable even though they controlled plenty of the night’s numbers.
Utah finished with a 36-23 edge in shots, out-hit Seattle 30-14, won 56 percent of the faceoffs and converted 2 of 3 power-play chances. None of it was enough to offset Vejmelka’s .818 save percentage and the team’s issues in its own end, and the result was a 5-3 loss.
The defeat doesn’t knock Utah off the top of the Central Division - the Mammoth still have 14 points - but the warning signs are hard to miss. Vejmelka’s .872 save percentage ranks 46th, and his 3.04 goals-against average sits 32nd.
Utah’s next chance to clean things up comes Saturday night, when the Mammoth host the Tampa Bay Lightning at 7 p.m. MT. The game will be on SEG+, and it will also air live on the KSL Sports Zone at 97.5 FM/1280 AM.
In Other News...
Utah's Goalie Problem Could Reshape The Central Race Fast
Utahs early grip on the Central Division has come with an obvious warning light attached. The Mammoth are sitting on top of the standings at 7-4-0, but the way they have gotten there has raised questions about whether the pace can hold, especially with the teams goaltending and defense looking shaky enough to make every night feel less secure than the record suggests.
Karel Vejmelka and Sebastian Cossa have both struggled to provide the kind of stability a division leader usually leans on, and that has already pushed Utah into the kind of speculation that can reshape a race before Thanksgiving. Around the league, one possible fix is starting to surface in trade chatter, and if the Mammoth decide they need a real answer in net, the conversation could move quickly from problem to priority. [Read more 🡒]
Coyotes Let Another Winnable Game Slip Away Against Seattle
Utah had enough chances to make a night of it before Seattles depth and special teams took over. The game featured goals from Jordan Eberle, Vincent Trocheck and Brandon Montour, along with a steady stream of penalties that kept both benches busy and gave the matchup a stop-start feel. Even with the stat sheet showing plenty of back-and-forth across shots, hits, blocked shots and faceoffs, the Coyotes were left chasing a result that felt within reach for long stretches.
The frustration is that this one sat there for Arizona to grab if it could have found one more push at the right time. Instead, Seattle kept answering, and a game that had been level at 3-3 eventually tilted away late, turning what looked like a winnable night into another missed opportunity. For a team trying to bank points in a tight race, those are the losses that linger. [Read more 🡒]
Former Coyotes Pick Artem Duda Just Made Arizona Fans Pay Attention
Artem Dudas name is suddenly back on the radar for anyone who followed the Coyotes late draft years, and it has everything to do with how quickly his stock has started to rise in the Utah system. The defenseman recently earned his first NHL call-up after a strong start to the 2026-27 season with Tucson, a development that suggests the former second-round pick is moving from prospect territory into real organizational plans.
Utah has now added another layer to that momentum with a new contract extension that begins in the 2027-28 season. The deal gives the Mammoth some cost certainty on a player they clearly believe in, while also signaling that Dudas path forward is no longer just about proving he belongs at the next level. For Coyotes fans, there is a familiar sting in seeing a player they once drafted begin to take off somewhere else, especially when the early signs are this encouraging. [Read more 🡒]