SALT LAKE CITY – Despite losing to the Dallas Stars in regulation to begin their six-game road trip, tonight was more about brotherhood as the Utah Mammoth rallied around Captain Clayton Keller who tragically lost his father yesterday morning.
Here are the key takeaways from Utah’s 4-3 loss in Dallas.
Utah gifted far too many penalties to the best power play in the NHL and Dallas made them pay
In spite of boasting one of the best PK units (90.6%) in the NHL through the majority of November, Utah’s defensive special teams have struggled over the last two games as they’ve surrendered four power play goals on seven chances (57%).
So, what’s been the biggest issue recently?
Not necessarily the structure or effort on the power kill but surrendering a pair of five-on-three opportunities to the Montreal Canadiens and Dallas Stars in back-to-back games.
“We got in trouble,” Head coach Andre Tourigny said. “Dallas has a really good power play and they took advantage of it.”
Tic-tac-toe, Johnny makes it go 🤠 pic.twitter.com/QdH2swjtsi
— Dallas Stars (@DallasStars) November 29, 2025
Anytime a team commits two penalties in short order, they’re simply begging to be scored on as it’s almost impossible to cover so much extra space or effectively avoid odd-man situations.
Such was the case against the best power play unit in the league (31.3%) as the Stars baited Utah with a series of shots, got Mikhail Sergachev to bite and then found a wide-open Wyatt Johnson on the backdoor for an easy tap-in.
Even on the five-on-four advantage in the first, Dallas demonstrated their elite abilities as they circulated bodies, pulled Utah out of position and then fed a trailing Mikko Rantanen at the point who blasted one past Vitek Vanecek.
4 games straight with a Roope tally 💪 pic.twitter.com/VGQcKYOhud
— Dallas Stars (@DallasStars) November 29, 2025
Utah simply can’t make those kinds of mistakes, especially against a juggernaut like Dallas who will happily punish any team who serves them a collection of power plays on a silver platter.
“[We took a] few too many penalties,” Lawson Crouse explained. “That’s one of the best, if not the best power plays in the league right now.”
“It’s tough when you give them that many looks.”
Again, it wasn’t necessarily the structure of the PK, rather Utah making poor decisions and gifting the most dangerous team in the league golden opportunities.
Utah needs to get back to winning one-goal hockey games consistently
As reported by Dominic Moore during the Utah Mammoth post-game segment, 81 percent of the NHL’s matchups this season have been decided by just a single goal.
Additionally, according to Moore, that’s the highest margin in the history of the league by nearly 10 percent.
So, what does that mean?
That means that mistakes are far more costly and teams have to present their ‘A’ game as often as possible with little to no room for error.
“It’s always a one goal game and we need to stack detail over detail to find a way to win with consistency,” Tourigny explained. “Right now, we are always one detail short and that league doesn’t give you that liberty.”
To begin the season, Utah was actually one of the best teams in the NHL in one-goal games.
Through the beginning of November, Utah was 5-1 in those scenarios.
How?
By scoring more goals, defending leads, dominating overtimes, and getting better performances between the pipes.
What’s changed?
Since their last one-goal victory over Buffalo on November 4, Utah has lost six-straight of those one-goal contests, three of which took place in OT.
That’s how close this league is.
All it takes is one mistake, one lazy backcheck, one silly penalty, one missed opportunity, etc. that can be the difference between winning and losing.
Right now, Utah needs to find ways to avoid those mistakes and instead do just a little bit more to secure precious points.
Some things are bigger than hockey as the Utah Mammoth rallied around Clayton Keller
Ignoring the result of the game, today served as a reminder that some things are simply bigger than hockey.
As confirmed by the team this morning, Clayton Keller’s father, Bryan, unexpectedly passed away in his sleep on Thursday.
Following his passing, Keller decided that he would stay with his team who then rallied around him as family, rather than just teammates.
Keller means everything to this team 🩵@SCMerrifield | @ZionsBank pic.twitter.com/O95e5JWWd3
— Utah Mammoth (@utahmammoth) November 29, 2025
“That’s our brother,” Sean Durzi said. “We love him and we’re a big family. We all feel the heavy hearts of loss today.”
“[He means] everything. He’s the heart and soul, stand-up guy, he’s got everyone’s back, ultimate competitor. Like I said, emotional game and we’ve got his back tonight.”
Keller means everything to this team 🩵@SCMerrifield | @ZionsBank pic.twitter.com/O95e5JWWd3
— Utah Mammoth (@utahmammoth) November 29, 2025
Like Durzi stated, hockey is family and that was evident tonight as the Mammoth shared the grief of their leader.
“It’s been an emotional 24 hours,” Lawson Crouse explained with visible emotion. “Obviously, Kells is our leader in our locker room but also away from the rink.”
“He’s done an incredible job leading us & guiding us…it’s really our turn to support him…just trying to be there for him, support him, & give him the love & friendship that he needs.”
As someone who has interacted with Keller most days over the last year, I can attest to the sentiments shared by his teammates.
Demonstrated by his desire to play tonight and the resilience he’s shown throughout his career, Keller is the ultimate team-player.
Every single day, he’s leading by example on the ice in a plethora of different ways to get the best out of himself and those around him.
Off the ice, he’s a great human who cares about his teammates and the community around him.
One personal story on that subject.
As the father of a five-year old who loves hockey, my son has quickly grown fond of No. 9.
This past summer, as I was covering one of the Mammoth events in St. George, my son had a chance to meet his new hero.
Understandably, my son was a little starstruck.
But rather than moving on from the moment, Keller smirked and with a smile told me he understood and to take our time.
From a distance, my son then asked for his autograph which Keller happily obliged.
That’s the kind of hero you want your kids to have and that’s the kind of person Keller is.
So, performances aside, goals aside, points aside, some things are simply bigger than hockey.
We’re all human and undergo hardships that matter more than what goes on between the lines of a hockey rink which is an important lesson to remember.
“He means the world,” Tourigny said. “He loves his teammates so much & his teammates love him so much.”
“He drives our passion, our competitiveness every night…we could not have a better example as a captain.”
At this time, my condolences, thoughts, and prayers go out to the entire Keller family.
What’s next for the Utah Mammoth?
The Utah Mammoth will continue their six-game road trip against the St. Louis Blues on Saturday night at 6 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.