For the first time ever, a meeting between the Utah Mammoth and the Columbus Blue Jackets did not require overtime.

The two teams had gone to extra frames in all four meetings through Utah’s first two NHL seasons, but on Saturday night at Nationwide Arena, the Mammoth took care of business handily with a 4-1 win.

Add it to Utah’s dominant victory over the Chicago Blackhawks on opening night, and the Mammoth have now outscored their opponents 10-1 two games into the season.

“I thought we kind of continued what we did in the first game. We were really fast, tough to defend,” said Nick Schmaltz, who scored two goals and his 500th NHL point on Saturday.

“We didn’t let them change. We hemmed them in, especially in the second period. First half, they were on us a little bit, but the second half, we really turned it up a notch and I think we tired them out, honestly.”

The Mammoth’s power play being 5 for 7 thus far is a major improvement over last season (it took Utah three weeks to score five power play goals last year), but one of the biggest factors in their dominance is their play away from the puck.

Schmaltz chalked it up to the chemistry the group has formed over their four-plus years playing together.

“We know where (each other is) going to be at. When we’re snapping the puck and we’re shooting, we’re really dangerous,” he said.

Utah has allowed just 33 shots on net through two games because it refuses to let its opponents skate with the puck. The absolute millisecond opponents turn it over, the Mammoth are right back on it with a hit or a stick check.

“(Columbus) didn’t really get any odd-man rushes, kept the seam passes away, didn’t really have any high-danger chances,” said Utah goaltender Sebastian Cossa, who made his first career NHL start on Saturday, capturing his second NHL win.

“A lot of stuff from the outside and we were beating them to the inside after that, too, so they weren’t getting second chances. Made my life easy.”

Also contributing to the Mammoth’s early success is the depth with which they suddenly find themselves having. If Schmaltz, Clayton Keller and Vincent Trocheck aren’t on the ice, there’s a good chance Logan Cooley, Dylan Guenther and Anders Lee are.

It doesn’t stop there: Lawson Crouse and Barrett Hayton have played much of their NHL careers as first-line guys, and they now find themselves on the third line alongside Jack McBain. They might not score every game, but they’ll play perfect defensive hockey and they’ll never be pushed around.

Rounding out the forwards are Kevin Stenlund, a Stanley Cup-winning defensive center, with Michael Carcone and Daniil But, who have both scored already this season and will likely do so on a semi-regular basis all season long.

Utah’s first big test of the season comes Sunday evening with a visit to Madison Square Garden, where it’ll meet former Mammoth Sean Durzi and his new team, the New York Rangers.

Trocheck, a former Ranger, will return to MSG for the first time since being traded to Utah this summer. Cole Beaudoin, who joined Durzi in the deal, didn’t make the NHL squad out of camp, but he scored three points in his pro hockey debut Saturday with the Rangers’ AHL affiliate, the Hartford Wolfpack.

Like the Mammoth, the Rangers are 2-0 to start the season, having won 5-1 and 2-0 against the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Detroit Red Wings, respectively. They’re also the first team this season with a goalie goal.

“The Rangers, obviously, (have) unbelievable goaltending and (it’s) always special to play at MSG,” said Mammoth head coach André Tourigny. “They’re a team who’ve played really well since the start of the season.

“… You can see the way they play: They play with urgency, beat really good teams so far, so we need to be ready.”

Utah Mammoth goaltender Sebastian Cossa (33) celebrates with left wing Lawson Crouse (67) after defeating the Columbus Blue Jackets during an NHL hockey game, Saturday, Oct. 3, 2026, in Columbus, Ohio. (AP Photo/Tanner Pearson) | AP Photo/Tanner Pearson