This wasn’t how the Detroit Red Wings wanted to head into the three-week Olympic break.
Karel Vejmelka made 29 saves, and the Utah Mammoth defeated the Red Wings 4-1 at the Delta Center.
The Red Wings (33-19-6, 72 points) have scored only three goals, including an empty-net tally, in their past three games. They are 1-3-1 in their past five.
Three Red Wings – Dylan Larkin (United States), Lucas Raymond (Sweden) and Moritz Seider are headed to Milano Cortino (Italy) for the Olympics. The rest of the team will be off until Feb. 17, when teams are permitted to start practicing.
Detroit will emerge from the break with a three-game trip that starts Feb. 26 in Ottawa.
Larkin scored with 4:08 remaining to cut his team’s deficit to 3-1. He cleaned up around the net for his 26th goal. It came during a six-on-four as the Red Wings pulled John Gibson for the extra skater during a power play.
But Clayton Keller’s empty-net goal with 2:18 remaining sealed the outcome.
The Mammoth (30-23-4, 64 points) are 11-3-1 in their past 15. The Utah/Arizona franchise is 10-1-1 in its past 12 games against the Red Wings.
Utah was leading 2-0 when Dylan Guenther scored a big goal at 4:40 of the third. He won a puck battle along the boards just outside the blue line and skated right to the net to beat Gibson five-hole.
The Mammoth led 2-0 after the first period.
Sean Durzi scored 57 seconds into the game, quickly firing in a shot from along the boards after Andrew Copp did not connect on a pass to Alex DeBrincat.
Nick Schmaltz whipped in a shot from the slot during a five-on-three power play at 8:11.