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The Vegas Golden Knights defeated the Utah Mammoth 5-3 on Wednesday night in Las Vegas, capitalizing on a second-period surge while the visitors struggled with a growing list of roster injuries. The victory was a rematch of the teams’ first-round playoff series from last spring.
Injury Troubles Mount for Utah
Utah entered the contest severely shorthanded after placing Dylan Guenther and Nate Schmidt on injured reserve alongside John Marino. Forward Logan Cooley was also ruled out with a day-to-day designation. The team received minor relief with Kailer Yamamoto returning from injured reserve and Daniil But being recalled from the Tucson Roadrunners. Head coach André Tourigny noted that But showed promise early in the game.
“He had a good moment early, and then after that he went through a little bit of adversity and a few reads, but that’s what I thought of his game,” Tourigny said. “I think he had a great first period.”
The Mammoth’s health struggles deepened during the game when forward Nick Schmaltz suffered a lower-body injury following a heavy hit along the boards. Schmaltz briefly returned for a couple of shifts before leaving permanently, leaving Utah without three of its top five forwards for most of the night.
Second-Period Surge Decides the Game
The Golden Knights took control in the second period, outshooting Utah 15-5 and scoring three unanswered goals in a five-minute span. The scoring run began on a power play by Victor Olofsson after Lawson Crouse was penalized for tripping. Ivan Barbashev added a highlight-reel goal shortly after to extend the lead.
Tourigny pointed to the team’s temporary lapse in focus following Schmaltz’s departure as the turning point in the game.
“We went through adversity in the game with some injuries, and I think we lost our focus, and that cost us the game,” Tourigny said. “At that moment, we gave up three goals, and we got pulled out of the game there. I liked the fight after we came back. That was positive, but I think we can be more connected and a little bit more stingy.”
Goaltender Sebastian Cossa finished with an .821 save percentage for Utah, continuing a trend of inconsistent goaltending performance for the team this season. Tourigny noted he would review the game film to evaluate Cossa’s overall display.
Bright Spots and Looking Ahead
Despite the defeat, Utah received strong performances from forward Jack McBain, who registered three points including his second goal of the season, and Crouse, who added two points. Defenseman Andrew Peeke also contributed assists during the game.
“The first one, my goal, was a puck going to the net,” Crouse said. “It popped out perfectly on the weak side. Then a great shot by Bainer, and then another great pass by Bainer. You love to see it from Boehner. He’s a guy who does everything right. A true teammate, and nice to see him get rewarded.”
Crouse stressed the necessity for discipline and complete effort moving forward.
“We need to play our game and play a full 60,” Crouse said. “We talk a lot about our pace, our speed, and how we want to play. We got to do that. Staying out of the box is going to be a big priority. We’ve got to find ways to not take those penalties.”
The loss marks Utah’s third consecutive defeat, dropping the club into the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference. With five key players now sidelined, Crouse emphasized the internal drive needed within the squad.
“We talk about adversity, and these are the moments when we all need to rise up,” Crouse said. “Everyone in the locker room needs to demand more of themselves, and that’s what we’re going to do.”
After concluding a road stretch where they played 13 of their first 19 games away from home, the Mammoth return to the Delta Center on Thursday to host the St. Louis Blues in the first of five straight home games.
