SALT LAKE CITY – Despite another sluggish start in the first period, the Utah Mammoth found their stride in the second and third as they survived another ice age brawl with a commanding victory over the Nashville Predators.
Following an explosive middle frame with three goals in five minutes, Utah took control and never looked back as they iced the game with a pair of goals late in the third period.
Here are the takeaways from Utah’s Divisional victory in Nashville.
The Utah Mammoth need to clean up the first period after consecutive slow starts
Over their last two games, the Utah Mammoth have been outscored by their opponents 3-0 in the first period.
Now, while that ultimately did not impact their ability to still win either of those contests, Utah simply has to be better from the initial puck drop as they approach the next three games on the road (Tampa Bay, Florida, Carolina).
Despite a thrilling comeback victory over the Philadelphia Flyers less than 48 hours ago, the Mammoth yet again came out flat against the Nashville Predators.
Meanwhile, the Preds came out buzzing as they got pucks in deep, won battles behind the net and then generated a plethora of dangerous scoring chances by crowding the crease.
This allowed them to apply immense pressure on Utah in their own zone which quickly resulted in an early power play goal by non-other than future Hall of Famer Steven Stamkos.
Nashville leads Utah 1-0 after the first period following a quick strike from Stamkos on the PP.
Despite failing to connect on a late power play, Utah generated some offensive momentum as they lead SOG 10-8.
40 to go.pic.twitter.com/s7XbBtLaeG
— KSL Sports (@kslsports) January 24, 2026
For the most part, Utah’s first period woes against Philadelphia and Nashville were nearly identical.
After a sluggish start from puck drop, Utah failed to assert themselves on the forecheck which limited dangerous chances and allowed the opposition to dictate the pace.
However, as previously mentioned, Utah won both of those games as they pushed back and found ways to swing the momentum in their favor through the second and third periods.
“I think we’ve done a good job at sticking with it,” Barrett Hayton said. “That’s something we talked about a little bit ago is staying with it for sixty minutes.”
“That being said, I don’t think we want to have those starts. There’s been a couple in a row like that we’ve got to clean up.”
Like Hayton pointed out, slow starts are still never ideal, especially against the likes of Tampa Bay, Florida and Carolina who will not be as forgiving as the previous two opponents.
An explosive second period fueled the Utah Mammoth to victory
If you start slow in the National Hockey League, you have no choice but to respond in the second period which is exactly what the Mammoth did in Nashville.
Following their sluggish start through the first frame as they lacked aggression and were unable to generate any dangerous scoring chances, Utah adjusted their approach and lit Nashville’s net on fire.
“I think we had a little bit of a slow start,” Head Coach Andre Tourigny explained. “We came up stronger in the second and third.”
“We were getting better and better every shift in the second period.”
What was the biggest difference?
Just as Nashville attacked them in the first, Utah went right at the crease as they put pucks towards the net and crashed with a purpose.
The result?
Three goals in five minutes that stunned the Predators and essentially put the game out of reach as Utah captured all momentum.
“That’s (in front of the net) where a lot of goals are scored,” Hayton said. “You saw that tonight. Even if it’s not a direct play, some of those point shots in traffic and even just getting those recoveries off that and being able to attack is huge.”
“I think that has been an area of emphasis and it’s been paying off.”
WHAT A GOAL BY CLAYTON KELLER 🤩 pic.twitter.com/sxzXVSEQSK
— NHL (@NHL) January 24, 2026
Carcone in on his own! 🤯
2-1, Utah. pic.twitter.com/gN4XxwE1Gu
— Utah Mammoth (@utahmammoth) January 24, 2026
Yams deflected out front!
🚨 3-1, Utah. pic.twitter.com/ybd1Lj2a2E
— Utah Mammoth (@utahmammoth) January 24, 2026
While hockey is obviously a very complex sport, it’s also very simple.
Generally, the team that imposes their will towards the front of the net wins the hockey game.
When Utah shies away from that and exclusively attacks from the perimeter, they often lose.
But when they’re able to get to the inside, generate traffic and pounce on loose pucks, they consistently win games.
Like General Manager Bill Armstrong has said before on his radio appearances with the KSL Sports Zone, “You want bread? You go the bakery. You want money? You go the bank. You want goals? You go to the front of the net.”
As long as Utah plays with that mindset, they’ll continue to produce positive results.
The Utah Mammoth are hitting their stride as a team
The Utah Mammoth are on fire.
After beating Nashville 5-2 on Saturday afternoon, Utah has amassed a Western Conference best 9-1-1 record in January with 58 total points in the top Wild Card spot.
How’ve they accomplished it?
In addition to collective consistency and confidence, Utah’s hot streak has been a group effort as players up and down the roster have continuously stepped up.
Of the 44 goals (fifth most in the NHL) Utah has scored in January, 15 of Utah’s 23-man roster (65 percent) have found the back of the net.
Additionally, Utah has also received elite consistency from their top players as Clayton Keller (3G, 13A), Nick Schmaltz (6G, 7A), Dylan Guenther (6G, 5A), Lawson Crouse (4G, 6A), and Karel Vejmelka (.915 SV%) have all taken their games to a different level.
Assuming that a playoff berth will yet again require approximately 95 points, Utah has put themselves in a really good spot to begin 2026.
With 31 games left on their schedule (17 at home), realistically, Utah needs to win roughly 18 (58 percent) of those to basically guarantee themselves a playoff spot.
Doable?
Absolutely.
The way this team has been playing is very promising and their roster will only improve as Logan Cooley returns within the next month.
However, nothing is ever guaranteed, and Utah needs to continue to play with a consistent approach as they enter a difficult stretch against top-tier opponents.
“We need to be ready,” Tourigny said.
“We’re in a stretch where we know what we have to do. We try not to complicate things. We try to simplify, simplify, and simplify. We need to keep going that way.”
What’s next for the Utah Mammoth?
The Utah Mammoth will continue their four-game road trip against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Monday night at 5 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.
