SALT LAKE CITY – Another day, another Utah Mammoth victory as Dylan Guenther netted his 11th game-winner to best the Winnipeg Jets in a Central Division matchup and remain hot.
With even more composure and maturity than before, Utah put the league on notice as they defeated the reigning President’s Trophy Winners on the road, 3-2.
Here are the key takeaways from Utah’s statement victory in Winnipeg.
Vitek Vanecek’s save of the night & dominant overall performance propelled Utah to victory
Boasting one of the best goalie tandems in the NHL early this season, Utah’s Vitek Vanecek picked up right where Karel Vejmelka left off with another superb showing between the pipes.
Making 28 saves on 30 shots (.937 SV%), Vanecek was as reliable as ever as he made key saves during critical stretches and propelled the Mammoth to their seventh-straight victory.
VANECEK JUST ROBBED THE JETS ON 3 CONSECUTIVE SHOTS.
My goodness. Not once, not twice, but three grade A scoring chances and he says no.
Saves of the night.
— Cole Bagley (@BagleyKSLsports) October 27, 2025
It’s not often that an opposing goaltender walks into the Canada Life Centre and bests Connor Hellebuyck, but that didn’t stop Vanecek.
Despite a strong showing from the reigning Hart Trophy Winner on the other end of the ice, “V” was just slightly better and that ended up being the difference in the game.
In addition to turning away nearly every shot he faced, Vanecek also made a few pivotal stops, including three consecutive shots on goal near the midway point of the third which immediately injected life into his team.
From that point forward, it was all Mammoth as they closed out the game and stole two more points on the road.
VITEK ARE YOU SERIOUS 😮 pic.twitter.com/dTerF26Njs
— Cap’n Cook 🦣 (@JazzePinkman) October 27, 2025
“Him and Vej have both been unbelievable,” Dylan Guenther said following the win.
“When your goalies are playing like that, you’ve got a chance to win every game.”
He’s right.
As of right now, both Mammoth goaltenders are presenting Utah with a chance to win every single night.
While Vejmelka currently leads the NHL with six wins and is top 20 in both total saves (162) and GAA (2.43), Vanecek is currently seventh in GAA (2.00) and top 20 in save percentage (.913).
That’s not only a reliable tandem that’s going to give you a chance to win every night, but based on how they’re playing, that’s a tandem that will lead you into the playoffs.
Now, like in all things, consistency will be key.
But it’s hard to argue that Utah’s goalies don’t look poised to man the nets for the Mammoth in the postseason.
Dylan Guenther is arguably the best contract in the NHL with his automatic game-winners
I may sound like a broken record at this point but with 11 of his last 17 goals being game winners, Dylan Guenther isn’t exactly giving me a whole lot else to write about and that’s totally fine.
Not that we need to discuss just how clutch he is (I probably still will) because that’s entirely obvious at this point, but let’s talk about how much of a steal his 8-year, $57.14M contract is.
As previously mentioned, No. 11 simply refuses to stop scoring clutch game-winners.
Against the Jets, he was back at it again as he blasted a one-timer past Hellebuyck off a sweet, no-look drop pass from Logan Cooley.
Credit to Peterka for taking a licking in the corner to make a play.
Incredible awareness from Cooley on the drop pass & another ferocious one-timer from Dylan Guenther. https://t.co/2YRkegpUmp
— Cole Bagley (@BagleyKSLsports) October 27, 2025
Absolute cash money.
Speaking of cash, I think it’s fair to say that Dylan Guenther’s contract just might be the best deal in the entire NHL right now.
To currently have a top 20 goal scorer who is also top 20 in points under $7.25 AAV is pure wizardry from the front office and Bill Armstrong.
Who are the other players currently surrounding him in the standings you may ask?
Sidney Crosby ($8.7M AAV), Kyle Connor ($12M AAV), Cale Makar ($9M AAV) and Connor McDavid ($12.5M AAV) just to name a few.
But the best part?
Guenther will be on that contract until 2033 and who knows where the cap might be at that point.
So, buckle up for countless more game-winners from No. 11 because right now, they’re coming at a bargain.
Utah just put the league on notice with a statement win over the reigning President’s Trophy Winners
Similar to my notes from last game, it’s still far too early to be talking about the Stanley Cup.
While this seven-game run has been absolutely electric for Utah and it feels like they’re never going to lose again, there’s still 72 games left before the postseason begins.
However, with that being said, tonight’s win over Winnipeg felt like a statement victory that validated the way Utah is playing right now.
“Every single game is really important. Doesn’t matter if it’s the beginning of the season or not,” Vanecek explained.
“It’s about winning. We need the points. We just need to keep going like that and it’s going to be great.”
Like Vanecek said, every game is important but tonight felt like there was just a little bit more on the line for the Mammoth.
Facing one of the other top teams in both the Central Division and Western Conference, Utah was presented with an opportunity to prove that this run isn’t just some fluke.
While the win over Colorado was certainly impressive, besting the reigning President’s Trophy Winners and the Hart Trophy Winner for their seventh-straight victory undeniably put the league on notice.
Additionally, when you take a look at the stats, this doesn’t appear to just be dumb luck.
Utah leads the league in goals (37), goal differential (+13), are top 10 in goals allowed (24) and have 4 skaters inside the top 20 in terms of point production (Schmaltz, Keller, Cooley & Guenther).
That’s far too much data to deny that something is truly different about the Mammoth this year.
“We feel our team is different in the sense of, yes, we have the excitement, but instead of having excitement and hope, we have excitement and confidence,” Head coach Andre Tourigny said.
Look, at some point, Utah will lose.
It’s coming.
But if Utah can remain mature in the face of harsher adversity, they’ll be just fine and continue to rack up more wins than losses.
As of right now, I have full confidence that Utah will make the playoffs this season.
Can they go beyond that?
We’ll see.
But two things are for certain.
Tusky is the luckiest mascot in the NHL and Utah has put the league on notice, especially after the win tonight.
What’s next for the Utah Mammoth?
The Utah Mammoth will conclude their four-game road trip against the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. MT
The game will be available on Mammoth+.
Cole Bagley is the Utah Mammoth insider for KSL Sports. Keep up with him on X here. You can hear Cole break down the team on KSL Sports Zone and KSL 5 TV.
Take us with you, wherever you go.
