SALT LAKE CITY – Beginning a seven-game home stand at the Delta Center on Wednesday night, the Utah Mammoth got off to a great start with a gritty win over the Ottawa Senators.
Amidst a heated, physical battle with one of the toughest teams in the National Hockey League, Utah took an early lead and never looked back as they dominated the crease on both ends of the ice.
Here are the key takeaways from Utah’s 3-1 victory over the Senators.
Daniil But is going to be a special talent for the Utah Mammoth
In the 17 games that Daniil But has played for the Utah Mammoth, he’s already proven several things.
He has no fear around the net, he belongs in the NHL and once pucks start crossing the line a little more consistently, he will be a special talent for Utah.
“He understands the game,” Head coach Andre Tourigny said. “He understands when it’s time to pass, when it’s time to shoot, when it’s time to block the shot, when it’s time to make a play on the breakout, and when it’s time to cut at the net. He has a good IQ in that sense.”
Over the last few games, But has made more of an effort to battle relentlessly around the net.
In addition to colliding with future Hall of Famer Jonathan Quick in New York City on Monday night, No. 19 continued to crash the painted area against the Senators and was finally rewarded with his second goal of the season.
“He’s a big strong body on the ice,” Lawson Crouse said. “He skates well and he can make plays.”
“He uses his size to his advantage and gets to the net. He was able to get there at the right time, whack away, and pick himself up a goal.”
Cheeks with his second goal of the year.
Absolutely RELENTLESS in front of the net.
Love the celly too. Just laid down with his hands in the air 😂 https://t.co/w5FVlZo3ht
— Cole Bagley (@BagleyKSLsports) January 8, 2026
Not a pretty goal by any means but one that shows heart, determination and counts just the same.
With his towering 6-foot-5 frame, No. 19 needs to learn how to consistently feast in front of the net.
Whether that’s utilizing power moves, screening the goaltender’s vision or scoring greasy goals, he needs to live in the painted area.
What makes him even more of a threat is that he also has an absolute laser beam of a wrist shot.
So, once he’s able to finish those dangerous chances in close more often and gains experience, the young forward will be a special player for Utah.
“Yeah, it’s good. He’s got a lot of chances, and I think he had a few more tonight that probably could have gone in and it’s just weird, that’s the one that goes in. But credit to that line, they go to the net hard. It’s nice to see them get rewarded,” Lawson Crouse explained.
Like Crouse and Tourigny pointed out, But is consistently putting himself in the right spots and has shown he understands the game at a high level.
He just needs to find the back of the net a little more often and Wednesday night was a step in the right direction.
Karel Vejmelka has rediscovered his game between the pipes over the last month
After a rocky start to the 2025-26 season, Karel Vejmelka has recently rediscovered his game over the last few weeks.
With a .908 save percentage through December and .932 in three of the four games in January (not counting the loss in New Jersey), Vejmelka looks more like the netminder who captured Utah’s net a year ago which is resulting in wins for the Utah Mammoth.
“He’s been great for us all year,” John Marino said. “Making those big saves. He definitely bailed us out so many times today. We want to help him out more but when he plays like that, we’re a tough team to play against.”
Over his last 13 starts, No. 70 is 9-4 between the pipes as opposed to 4-7 in the previous 11.
What’s been the difference?
Statistics aside, he looks more confident.
Not only is he making the expected saves, but he’s also consistently bailed his team out in a handful of critical moments recently that have either translated to wins or given the team a shot to stay in the game.
He was a wall against the Islanders in the first period, impenetrable late against the Rangers and then offered one of his best performances of the season against the Senators.
In addition to 32 saves on 33 shots (.970 save percentage), Vejmelka was Utah’s best penalty killer, managed a game-altering breakaway save in the second period and then locked down the pipes to preserve the lead in the third.
Stopped by Vejmelka! pic.twitter.com/T6P9ATDzDp
— Utah Mammoth (@utahmammoth) January 8, 2026
Those are the types of performances that could help Utah get back on a path towards the playoffs.
Not that he’s going to stop 97 percent of shots every single night, but if he can hover around .900 and make a few more unexpected saves, he’ll give the Mammoth a chance to win every game.
That’s all the team can ask for and as of late, he’s answered the call.
Utah won the battle in front of the net to send Ottawa home with a loss
Most nights in the NHL, the team that wins the battle in front of the net will generally emerge victorious.
As one of the bigger and more physical teams in the league, the Senators play a ferocious style of hockey that often requires sheer grit in order to defeat.
Rather than shying away and allowing themselves to be consumed, Utah rose to the occasion and absolutely dominated the painted area on both ends.
“You saw it from the one goal they had,” John Marino explained. “You know how they crash the net and how hard they play.”
“Just how they keep sustained pressure remanent. They’ve got some heavy guys up front, and we knew that was the game going into it.”
Beginning in the offensive zone, Utah dominated the first period and then continued to win the important battles as each of their three goals came right in front of the net.
Utah then built on their offensive success by boxing out forwards in front of their own goal and rendering players like Brady Tkachuk ineffective.
Sure, Veggie bailed them out on several occasions but for the most part, Utah did a good job at defending against Ottawa’s suffocating approach.
Keller serves it up for Crouse to give Utah an early lead! pic.twitter.com/K0jvQ0WV9L
— Utah Mammoth (@utahmammoth) January 8, 2026
Johnny off the boards!!! 🔥
🚨2-0, Utah! pic.twitter.com/EvERGtxnJ2
— Utah Mammoth (@utahmammoth) January 8, 2026
While speed and skill have arguably never been more valuable in the NHL, so many goals are still scored right in front of the net.
For a team that’s struggled a lot this season to win their battles in close, Wednesday’s victory was a statement of what they’re capable of as they dominated one of the nastiest teams in the league.
If they can continue to replicate that physical approach with similar performances from Vejmelka between the pipes, this home stand could prove to be a turning point in the season.
What’s next for the Utah Mammoth?
The Utah Mammoth will continue their seven-game home stand against the St. Louis Blues on Friday 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.
Take us with you, wherever you go.
