SALT LAKE CITY – The Utah Mammoth seized a golden opportunity on Monday night as they pummeled the league’s worst Vancouver Canucks to get back into the win column and regain their momentum.
With a more energetic approach and another hat-trick from Nick Schmaltz, Utah took care of business in a must-win game against Vancouver.
Here are the key takeaways from Utah’s 6-2 victory over the Canucks.
Why was Daniil But scratched against the Vancouver Canucks?
After 28 games for the Utah Mammoth this season, 20-year-old rookie forward Daniil But was scratched against the Vancouver Canucks.
He’d come out and Liam O’Brien would take his spot on the fourth line.
Per Tourigny, O’Brien will enter the lineup with But coming out.#TusksUp #Canucks
— Cole Bagley (@BagleyKSLsports) February 2, 2026
But why?
According to Head Coach Andre Tourigny, the coaching staff is hoping the scratch will result in a reset for But as he’s struggled to play impactful hockey despite sound positioning.
“We’re looking for a little bit of physicality & spark & a little bit of a restart with But,” Tourigny said.
“He’s playing really well positioning wise, but his execution right now is not as good as it was.”
Young players are very fragile, especially in their first season.
While great stretches of hockey can set the tone for their careers as it did for skaters like Logan Cooley and Dylan Guenther, poor stretches can also ruin players.
So, when a rookie is struggling and their confidence begins to fade as pucks refuse to cross the line, the coaching staff has to intervene.
Such was the case with But as he failed to register a point since January 21 or score a goal since January 13.
That’s simply not good enough.
He’s a former first round draft selection who has an incredibly high ceiling and consistently puts himself in dangerous areas.
However, pucks simply aren’t going in.
Of the 43 shots on net he’s taken this season, only three have gone in (seven percent).
That is the second-lowest shot percentage of any forward on Utah’s roster and 18th worst on the team.
Thus, correction was required and somebody had to fill the roster which is why No. 38 entered the lineup.
Like Tourigny said, But needed to come out of the lineup for a little reset.
He hasn’t registered a point since January 21 & hasn’t scored since January 13.
He is sound in his positioning but he hasn’t been very effective as he’s struggled to finish opportunities.
— Cole Bagley (@BagleyKSLsports) February 2, 2026
It’s important to note that this is not about O’Brien versus But.
Rather, it’s about protecting But’s development, giving him some time to reset and providing him with an opportunity to succeed.
Utah’s power play finally found the back of the net with a simplified approach
Good things generally happen when teams put pucks on net and that’s exactly how the Utah Mammoth finally connected on the power play against Vancouver.
After going 0/10 over their last four games, Utah simplified their game against the Canucks as Mikhail Sergachev blasted one from the point with traffic in front to light the lamp.
What a beauty 🤩
Sergy makes it 3-1 with a power play goal! pic.twitter.com/p0imMYw7w2
— Utah Mammoth (@utahmammoth) February 3, 2026
While there has yet to be a long-term solution to drag Utah’s power play from the 14.8 percent depths at the bottom of the NHL, the simple fact is that the Mammoth have not been shooting enough.
Far too often, Utah sets up in the bumper power play and while they swiftly circulate the puck, they neglect to move properly or shoot.
“Right now, we’re kind of struggling,” JJ Peterka explained after the loss to Dallas. “We’ve got to go back to making easy plays, getting more shots on net, maybe scoring one or two greasy goals and just moving on from there.”
Looking back at the goal against the Canucks, Utah scored because Sergachev decided to go back to the basics.
“Obviously, we didn’t recover well enough, but the mentality was there,” Sergachev said.
“And yeah, I just took the shot. There was no screen, which was not great, but it went in. It was kind of lucky, but it was a big goal for a power play that made us confident we could shoot and go get rebounds to score.”
After trying to break down Vancouver’s defense with Barrett Hayton in the bumper position, the puck eventually went back to the point and No. 98 let it fly.
The result?
A much-needed power play goal as Marcus Petterson screened his own goaltender perfectly and Kevin Lankinen couldn’t see the shot coming.
Like Peterka pointed out on Saturday, Utah needed to play basic hockey to find success on the man advantage.
That means circulating bodies, creating extra space, crowding the net front, passing with intent and getting pucks on frame.
Hockey is a funny sport.
While it is a very complex game, it’s also very simple and sometimes that’s the best way to find success.
The Utah Mammoth took care of business as Nick Schmaltz got his second Hatty
That win felt good, eh?
After two tough losses in a row against very good teams, Utah got back on track as they seized an opportunity to bury the worst team in the NHL by a margin of 6-2.
How’d they get it done? An energetic start, simplified approach and Nick Schmaltz registering his second hat-trick of the season.
🗣️Schmaltzy makes the crowd go WILD!
🚨 1-0, Utah. pic.twitter.com/Moc7VPTQpE
— Utah Mammoth (@utahmammoth) February 3, 2026
Schmaltz AGAIN! 🤯
🚨 2-1, Utah. pic.twitter.com/acbfwnRCsL
— Utah Mammoth (@utahmammoth) February 3, 2026
HATS ARE FLYING AT THE DELTA CENTER 🧢🧢🧢 pic.twitter.com/6Zo07h0g6S
— Utah Mammoth (@utahmammoth) February 3, 2026
Against Dallas, Utah not only started painfully slow, they also didn’t take a whole lot of interest in the game until it was too late.
In addition to registering a season-low 14 shots against the Stars, the Mammoth were hesitant to go to the net front, lost battles, turned the puck over in dangerous areas and failed to set up their offense.
However, against the Canucks, Utah flipped the script with a polar opposite approach.
They clogged passing lanes, denied zone entries, won the neutral zone battle, ferociously attacked the net and move the puck with intent.
“We had the intensity,” Head coach Andre Tourigny explained. “We recovered loose pucks. I liked our special teams. We were really opportunistic.”
“We found a way to score a big goal at a key moment early in the game and throughout the game.”
While the team as a whole played with a ton of intensity, it was Nick Schmaltz who yet again stole the spotlight with an explosive four-point night.
With 51 points through 56 games, No. 8 is on track for roughly 75 points (would be a career-high).
To put it simply, Schmaltz has been the heart and soul of the team this season and if his recent performances haven’t convinced you Utah should bring him back, perhaps this quote from Tourigny will.
“I think Schmaltzy was really good everywhere,” Tourigny explained. “He was good defensively, stripped pucks, and his body position was good.”
“What can I say? He’s an assistant captain, he’s a great leader on our team, he has a special chemistry with our captain. I often say he’s the brain of the operation…you want to know what’s going on with our team? Talk to Schmaltz.”
Individual performances aside, this was a great team win that put them back in a wild card spot with momentum as they approach the final game against Detroit before the Olympic break.
What’s next for the Utah Mammoth?
The Utah Mammoth will conclude their three-game home stand against the Detroit Red Wings on Wednesday night at 7:00 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.
