SALT LAKE CITY – Despite knowing what to expect from the Los Angeles Kings, a sluggish start plagued the Utah Mammoth on Monday night as they fell behind early and failed to complete the comeback.
Here are the key takeaways from Utah’s 4-2 loss to Los Angeles.
Utah Mammoth fans rally around Clayton Keller after loss of father
Roughly a week after Utah Mammoth Captain Clayton Keller unexpectedly lost his father, fans collectively showed their support as they wrote numerous letters for No. 9 during both intermissions on Monday night.
Similar to the ‘Letters to Ingram’ gathering that took place last season, several individuals drew inspiration from that event to coordinate letters of love and appreciation for their captain amidst a time of loss.
After seeing the news of Bryan Keller’s tragic passing, Utah Mammoth fan Krystal Dodge quickly sprang into action to generate support for Keller.
As someone who lost her stepfather several years ago, the story resonated with her, and she felt inspired to do something meaningful.
“I lost my stepdad, the only dad I ever had in my life three years ago,” Dodge said. “When I heard that his dad passed away, it really hit close to home for me.”
“These are professional athletes but underneath that, they’re people. Sometimes, it’s easy for some people to forget that they’re real people and go through hard times. I felt that it was important for the community to show out and show our support for the captain.”
Similar to ‘Letters To Ingram,’ Dodge coordinated letters for Keller at the Delta Center during both intermissions against the Los Angeles Kings.
For those who couldn’t attend, she also accepted letters online from around the country and even received one from Australia.
“People [have been] reaching out, telling me their own experiences that they’ve gone through with loss,” Dodge explained. “People from Australia for instance wanting to write a letter and people from all over the country wanting to write letters who couldn’t be here.”
“That’s what makes this community special. It’s the people.”
Once all the letters are gathered, Dodge hopes that Keller will feel supported and understand that Utah is always behind him.
A poor start doomed Utah’s chances as LA dominated the neutral zone
Coming into the matchup with Los Angeles, the Mammoth knew exactly what to expect from their opponent.
As Head coach Andre Tourigny pointed out during his morning press conference, the Kings play a rough style of hockey and thrive in the neutral zone.
“They play a heavy style and the most important (thing) for us is to stay away from their neutral zone…We need to find a way to be quick on our counterattack,” Tourigny noted.
Unfortunately for Utah, while they knew what to expect, they willingly stepped into a 2-0 hole as the Kings caught them sleeping and scored twice in the first period.
That was sick Adrian pic.twitter.com/O4J8NVGRdV
— LA Kings (@LAKings) December 9, 2025
WHAT A PASS FROM KEV pic.twitter.com/dqGHDjLkTY
— LA Kings (@LAKings) December 9, 2025
It’s tough.
While the Mammoth knew exactly what Los Angeles was going to throw at them, Utah let their guard down and the Kings punished them.
“I think what LA does really well is counterattack,” Tourigny explained. “If you mismanage the puck or if you force play, they counterattack. In the first period, we definitely gave them too much space. We let them take the middle on the rush, so they had too many entries.”
“They’re number one in the league at certain things, for a reason, and I think by giving them the lead, it made them play in their strength even more so.”
Any team that surrenders two goals in the first period is going to be battling for their lives the rest of the night.
It diminishes confidence, accelerates frustration, puts the team in a state of trying to do too much and allows the opposition to excel at their game.
Tonight, that was the story for Utah and despite a commendable comeback effort, they were unable to overcome the sluggish start.
“Not a great first from us,” Clayton Keller said. “They’re an experienced team. They’re structured. They defend really hard, and they made it tough on us in the first.”
“Starting on time is obviously a big one.”
Utah needs to find consistency offensively
Another game, another inconsistent showing in terms of offense for the Utah Mammoth as they struggled to find the back of the net.
To make matters worse, despite winning most other statistical battles (faceoff percentage, power play, hits, blocked shots, takeaways, & giveaways), Utah obviously lost on the scoreboard as they generated fewer shots.
So, what’s the problem?
Utah just isn’t doing the extra work that it takes to score those greasy, dirty goals.
Why does that matter?
That style of offense opens up everything else.
“Always having a guy at the net is a huge one,” Keller explained in regard to generating consistent offense. “Also having that quick strike mentality…you’re looking for your first option. You need a guy in the slot & a guy at the net.”
“That’s how you create offense.”
Keller on how the offense can find consistency:
“Always having a guy at the net is a huge one…also having that quick strike mentality…you’re looking for your first option. You need a guy in the slot & a guy at the net.”
“That’s how you create offense.” pic.twitter.com/iDFz4yfC6s
— Cole Bagley (@BagleyKSLsports) December 9, 2025
Like Keller pointed out, Utah struggles when they’re overthinking, getting too cute with the puck and neglecting the simplicities that break down coverage.
Essentially, they’re not making it hard enough on the defense or goaltender without bodies in front to generate traffic and pounce on quick strikes.
“If we have the opportunity to capitalize on our chances, we have to do that,” Brandon Tanev explained. “Continue to play physical, and our chances came up to forecheck. We weren’t letting them set up and put themselves in uncomfortable positions, and ultimately, getting in front of goalies’ eyes will make a difference for us.”
Since their 8-2 start where they collectively outscored their opponents 37-24 (+13), Utah has been outscored 66-52 (-14) over the last 21 games.
Somebody needs to step up and if not, Utah may need to look externally for some help in the offensive zone because right now it’s simply not good enough.
What’s next for the Utah Mammoth?
The Utah Mammoth will continue their three-game home stand against the Florida Panthers on Wednesday night at 7 p.m. MT.
The game will be available on Mammoth+.
All Mammoth games will also be broadcast live on the KSL Sports Zone (97.5 FM/1280 AM).
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.
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