Game 1, Round 1 ended in defeat for the Utah Mammoth in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Photo: courtesy of Utah Mammoth // NHL
LAS VEGAS, Nevada — The Utah Mammoth lost 4-2 to the Vegas Golden Knights at T-Mobile Arena in Game One of the Western Conference First Round. The Mammoth led 2-1 in the third period, NHL reports.
Utah, the underdog, looked competitive from the start, generating scoring chances and holding its own in scrums, according to the NHL.
This was Utah’s first playoff game since the NHL approved its new franchise on April 18, 2024. For Vegas, it was their 107th playoff game since their NHL debut in 2017-18.
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Logan Cooley, one of seven Mammoth players making his NHL playoff debut, scored Utah’s first postseason goal with an 11-second first-period one-timer, making it 1-0.
After Colton Sissons tied it for Vegas at 3:44 of the second, Kevin Stenlund gave Utah a 2-1 lead with a fortunate goal at 5:07. Sean Durzi rimmed the puck around the boards, goalie Carter Hart misplayed it, and Stenlund’s shot deflected off Hart’s stick and Kaedan Korczak into the net.
The score held until 5:33 of the third, when Vegas captain Mark Stone tied it 2-2 with a rebound on a power play. Nic Dowd deflected in the go-ahead goal at 7:20, and Ivan Barbashev sealed it with an empty-netter at 18:21.
Utah outshot Vegas 33-31.
“Early on, we played our game and style,” Cooley told NHL. “We let off a bit in the third, and it cost us.”
Experience may have been a factor.
“Some of our guys got a taste of playoff hockey tonight,” said Utah defenseman Nate Schmidt, who played his 100th NHL playoff game.
The encouraging sign for the Mammoth was their strong mindset throughout the game.
“I think we did a great job during that game, even when they took the lead or when they tied the game,” Utah Coach Andre Tourigny said to NHL. “It did not affect our spirit on the bench. It did not affect the way the guys talked, their intensity, or anything else. We even raised our game from there.”
“We didn’t act like we were a young team or that our team had a lack of experience. It was the reverse, I felt.”
Sixteen teams are in this first round. Game Two is in Vegas on Wednesday, while Utah’s first home game is Friday at the Delta Center. Game Four is Monday in Salt Lake City.
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