The Utah Mammoths’ New Year’s resolution is obvious: score more goals. They certainly did that in a 7-2 victory over the New York Islanders on Thursday.
Their win keeps the team with a perfect 5-0-0 record in New York State. They’ll have a chance to extend that streak with a visit to Madison Square Garden on Monday, where they’ll face the New York Rangers.
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catch up quickly
Utah Mammoth: 7
New York Islanders: 2
When the Mammoths failed to score a field goal in the first 14 minutes of the game on Thursday, fans didn’t expect they would end up with a touchdown.
But the floodgates opened in the second period: four goals, three of them in Utah’s favor. They went even better in the third period, scoring a total of five goals, four of which belonged to the Mammoths.
Dylan Guenther notched his first NHL hat trick and added an assist to tie his career high. Nick Schmaltz, Clayton Keller and Mikhail Sergachev each scored three points.
Thursday also marked Karel Vermelka’s first game back since missing the Denver game due to injury two days before Christmas. He made 20 saves on 22 shots, including all 10 of the Islanders’ saves before the Mammoths’ first shot.
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Utah’s penalty kill is also noteworthy. Near the end of the second quarter, it wiped out the entire double minor and preserved the Mammoths’ 3-1 lead at the time.
They did allow rookie Matthew Schaefer to score a goal, but at one point in the game, Utah had built up a big enough cushion to win comfortably.
“To me, the score doesn’t reflect the game,” Mammoth head coach Andre Turini said. “They were tough to play against, … but I thought we got the win.”
Highlights and Highlights
They called him “The Gunslinger”
Anyone who follows the World Juniors knows how critical Dylan Guenther’s performance was in early January. He proved that again on Thursday and is now on pace to reach 40 goals for the season.
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Guenther hasn’t played with the Islanders since moving to Utah. The game brought his total to six goals and seven points in three games, adding to the overtime winner when the team visited UBS Arena last season.
He said at his preseason press conference that he wanted to diversify his scoring output rather than rely on the one-time power play that seemed to create most of the goals last season. It’s not all sunshine and rainbows, but the statistics speak for themselves. The adjustments are working.
“I don’t want him to get ahead of himself, so I won’t get ahead of myself. I have a lot of respect for the Gunner and a lot of respect for his ability,” Turini said. “…The most important thing for him is making sure he stays in the right mindset.”
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Gunther doesn’t take all the credit.
“Realistically, I probably have a lot of two-goal guys, so it’s nice to get another one. But, I mean, (Lawson Krause) and (Barrett Hayton) have been really good in all the goals I’ve had, so I wouldn’t have scored three goals without them.”
Utah fans can rest easy knowing that Guenther’s services extend through the end of the 2033 season at an extremely manageable fee of $7.1 million per year.
Is the sleeping giant awakening?
Last season, the Utah Jazz ranked 10th in the NHL. This year, that number has dropped to 25th.
But the Mammoths struck twice Thursday with manpower superiority. Both goals came from the first team, which has struggled more than the second team in recent weeks.
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Turini pointed to the change in momentum caused by the team’s power play in the first period.
As mentioned earlier, the Mammoths didn’t allow a single field goal in that period, but repelled 10 shots from the Islanders. The high-powered offense kept the puck in the offensive zone for the first time all game, and although they didn’t score in that period, their five shots on goal were enough to erase the fatigue that comes with celebrating the New Year in New York.
“That power play fired us up — we had a couple good looks — and built our confidence,” Turini said. “We were a better team from that point on and we were a good team the rest of the way.”
Gunther equates that success to working harder and winning more hockey games and faceoffs. Utah won all 14 of its draws on the power play, which is a huge win — especially considering Bo Horvat, who shot 57.6 percent in the faceoff circle this season and is one of the Islanders’ top penalty killers.
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Considering the number of games the Mammoths have lost by one goal, an extra power-play goal every few games might be just what they need to start winning more consistently. The personnel hasn’t changed much since last year, so these guys know their capabilities are high.
Half-season standings
The Utah Jazz currently have 41 games left and their season is over. That’s not usually the case this time of year, but a three-week break from the Olympics means the schedule is tighter than usual.
At this point in the season, the Mammoths are in the thick of the playoff race and there’s no way they’re out of contention, and a couple wins in a row could get them to where they need to be.
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The key for Utah is finding consistency. Look at the Central Division leaders, they’ve all been on a lot of 3-5 win streaks this season, and they rarely lose more than two games.
The Mammoths had their moments, but it was more of a one-step-forward, two-step-back situation.
What works in Utah’s favor from now on is the schedule.
The Mammoths compressed the first 41 games into 85 days, while the second half will be played in 105 days due to the Olympic break.
Utah has played 24 games on the road, but only 17 at home, meaning the Mammoths will have home-field advantage more often the rest of the season.
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According to Tankathon, their schedule ranks 16th in terms of opponents they will face. While that’s significantly worse than the San Jose Sharks, Nashville Predators and Los Angeles Kings — all of whom are vying for the same wild-card spot — it’s not as daunting as what the Calgary Flames, St. Louis Blues, Chicago Blackhawks and Winnipeg Jets face going forward.
game goal
Krause passed the ball to Gunther without looking at anyone
Turini calls Krause the unsung hero of this game, so let’s sing his praises.
This goal would not have been possible without Krause’s ability to fight in the corner and have the composure to make a great game. If you don’t have the confidence to get the ball to the right person, you can’t pass the ball – which puts your team at a disadvantage in other areas.
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Maybe he wouldn’t have tried to do that last season, but this time around he had enough confidence and it paid off in a big way.
