RALEIGH, NC – Despite outplaying the Carolina Hurricanes for a majority of the contest, the Utah Mammoth experienced a late colossal collapse as the Canes stormed back with three goals in less than 90 seconds to somehow win in regulation.
Following an unfortunate double-minor penalty with under five minutes to go in the third, Utah became ‘passive’ which opened the door for an epic Carolina comeback.
Here are the key takeaways from Utah’s 5-4 loss in Carolina.
Kailer Yamamoto ignited Utah’s offense all night despite the loss
Every team in the National Hockey League needs depth.
Guys who can come in and out of the lineup at any point, play wherever they’re asked to and make an impact.
For the Utah Mammoth, that is exactly what they’ve gotten from forward Kailer Yamamoto over the last two seasons no matter the assignment.
Despite being a former first round draft selection (2017, 22nd overall), Yamamoto’s career has taken a significant turn over the last few seasons.
Following a one-year stint with the Seattle Kraken where he was in and out of the lineup, Yamamoto had to earn a contract with the Utah Hockey Club during training camp yet still spent a majority of the season in the AHL with Tucson.
After proving himself in Arizona with 20 goals and 36 assists, Yamamoto signed another one-year contract with the Mammoth but has since played a much bigger role this season.
“He’s such a great player,” Clayton Keller explained. “He can play anywhere in the lineup. He’s super smart, he’s got a good IQ hockey and that’s something you can’t teach.”
“He’s a great player in our lineup. He can do it all and we’re really lucky to have a guy like that.”
Appearing in 32 games for Utah this year, No. 56 has registered seven goals and seven assists (14 points).
But what stands out the most about Yamamoto is his consistent attitude and approach.
Whether he’s played the previous six games or missed eight in a row, he presents the same mindset without a single complaint.
He embraces his role, plays with the heart of a lion and makes a difference.
“I just try to play my game,” Yamamoto explained. “Don’t do anything too crazy. Step in when I need to. If they don’t want to play me, they don’t want to play me.”
Against the Hurricanes, that was on full display as Yamamoto ignited Utah’s offense with two goals and an apple to get his team on the board.
Yams makes it even in Carolina! 🔥🍠 pic.twitter.com/3FdCpKvIjv
— Utah Mammoth (@utahmammoth) January 30, 2026
Yams with his second of the night! 🤯
🚨 2-1, Utah. pic.twitter.com/lFajA4bVF0
— Utah Mammoth (@utahmammoth) January 30, 2026
Yamamoto is the kind of depth player that can juice a team when they’re shorthanded.
As injuries inevitably take place over the course of an 82-game season, the Yamamoto’s of the world can step in when a Logan Cooley or Dylan Guenther goes down.
Without Yamamoto’s five points on this four-game road trip, Utah likely doesn’t take care of business in Nashville, nor would they have had any chance of beating Carolina.
The Utah Mammoth became ‘passive’ which sparked an epic Carolina comeback
That one was a doozy, eh?
Leading 4-2 with roughly two minutes left in the game but then allowing three goals in 1:29 to end up losing 5-4 in regulation.
Can’t say I’ve witnessed many games end like that.
So, what happened?
After taking a double-minor penalty with 5:18 left in the contest, Utah let their guard down on the second minor and things quickly spiraled.
“It started with the PK and for sure when they put it in…you want to be patient, but you don’t want to be passive & we became passive,” Head Coach Andre Tourigny explained.
“We paid for it.”
THREE GOALS IN 1:29 FOR THE WIN 🚨 pic.twitter.com/XZoSifrOoQ
— Carolina Hurricanes (@Canes) January 30, 2026
On the first, they got caught sleeping on the backdoor during the PK and Karel Vejmelka was left with zero help on a favorable Carolina bounce.
32 seconds later, Utah was simply flatfooted and failed to clog passing lanes as Carolina circulated the puck to the point and generated traffic.
As for the third and despite calling a timeout, the Mammoth sat back on their heels, lost the battle in front of Vejmelka and the puck ended up in the back of the net.
“What matters is we had the lead with five minutes to go by two goals & we lost the game,” Tourigny said.
“We cannot accept that.”
Sometimes, hockey can be cruel.
A team can dominate for 95 percent of the contest and still somehow lose.
Tonight, Utah learned that the hard way.
“They’re a good team. We knew they were going to have a push…it sucks to lose like that. It felt like we were in control most of the game,” Keller explained.
“It’s on all of us & we’ll have to take accountability for it. We’ll learn from it. We’ll be better.”
Clayton Keller on the loss:
“They’re a good team. We knew they were going to have a push…it sucks to lose like that. It felt like we were in control most of the game.”
“It’s on all of us & we’ll have to take accountability for it. We’ll learn from it. We’ll be better.” pic.twitter.com/3XkzhxhKyi
— Cole Bagley (@BagleyKSLsports) January 30, 2026
Despite the loss, Utah still picked up four points & learned a valuable lesson
Look, that one stings.
As previously mentioned, there’s no reason to lose a game 5-4 in regulation when leading 4-2 with two minutes left.
Can’t happen.
However, in the grand scheme of things, that road trip was still a success as they picked up four out of eight points, won the swing game against Nashville and remained in the top western wild card spot.
Those details cannot be forgotten simply because of a bad loss.
This team is still playing really good hockey and managed to win two difficult games during a gauntlet eastern conference road trip without Logan Cooley or Dylan Guenther for the last two.
“I know we’ll bounce back from this,” Yamamoto explained.
“I know that’s a fluke for us. I don’t think we’re going to be giving up three goals in the last four minutes.”
So, while the team should not lose games like that, the trip should still be considered a success.
Do they need to make sure that never happens again?
Absolutely.
But they still managed to get two wins and nearly stole a third without two of their best players.
That speaks volumes to how well this team is playing as a collective unit and what their intentions are this season.
The most important thing is to quickly move on, get back on track over these next three home games and ride into the Olympic break in a wild card spot.
Simple as that.
What’s next for the Utah Mammoth?
The Utah Mammoth will begin a three-game home stand against the Dallas Stars on Saturday 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.