SALT LAKE CITY – Despite an energetic effort and responding to critical stretches of adversity, the Utah Mammoth were yet again on the wrong side of a one-goal game as they lost a heartbreaker to the Florida Panthers in the final minute of play.
Here are the key takeaways from Utah’s 4-3 loss to Florida.
Dylan Guenther’s breakaway wizardry kept the Utah Mammoth alive
There’s a good reason that Utah Mammoth forward Dylan Guenther goes by ‘Gunner’ and it’s because he is simply deadly in the offensive zone with the puck on his stick.
Now, while most of his goals are usually produced from his office near the left face-off circle, No. 11 is capable of scoring in a collection of different ways.
Against the Panthers, that was on full display as Guenther scored not once, but twice on the breakaway to keep his team in the game against the reigning Stanley Cup Champs.
Gunner BURIED that one 🔥
🚨 1-0, Utah! pic.twitter.com/FFBkSrYe8d
— Utah Mammoth (@utahmammoth) December 11, 2025
With Logan Cooley ‘out indefinitely’ and the team struggling to produce consistent offense, Guenther needed this kind of a performance.
Not only to keep his team in the game, but to build some confidence, produce at the level he’s capable of and remind everyone just how deadly he can be.
Sometimes, players need those self-reminders.
Not to say that he’s been playing poorly by any means, but goals have been a little harder to come by this year as teams undoubtedly have his number.
Tonight was a step in the right direction as he masterfully beat one of the best goaltenders in the world twice to inject life into his team during a critical stretch.
Scoring twice on the breakaway against Bobrovsky is insane.
What a pass from Crouse. https://t.co/mXSOaMtcmW
— Cole Bagley (@BagleyKSLsports) December 11, 2025
To their credit, the Utah Mammoth played a great game with a lot of heart
After losing their third straight game and seven of the last 10, there hasn’t exactly been a lot of notable positives for the Utah Mammoth.
However, I would be remiss if I didn’t point out that Utah actually played a really good game against the Florida Panthers despite being on the wrong end of yet another one-goal outcome.
They started strong, matched Florida’s physical style, were opportunistic, had energy, got to the front of the net and responded to adversity.
“I was happy about that [starting strong]. We were focused; we were urgent. Obviously, (Florida) is a good team. I think we did a lot of good stuff,” Head coach Andre Tourigny said.
“We were playing well and made individual mistakes. Then, we showed a lot of character to come back in the game and tie the game. We had good momentum; we applied a lot of pressure; we did a lot of good stuff.”
Overall, that’s progress, right?
Not in the sense of winning hockey games necessarily but by executing in key areas where they’ve otherwise struggled.
“I think we did a pretty good job getting to the net. I think not only bodies, but we also had pucks there. I think we were pretty stingy for most of the game,” Jack McBain said.
To his credit, Utah was undeniably better in front of the net against the Panthers compared to any other game this season.
They were fearless in their approach, bothersome with their presence, poked at loose pucks and even found the back of the net on the doorstep to tie the game after falling behind in the second by two.
Atta boy, Bainer! Quick backhand out front to tie it up! pic.twitter.com/MbVxEDALJ4
— Utah Mammoth (@utahmammoth) December 11, 2025
Generally, those kinds of efforts are going to be rewarded with wins.
But unfortunately, one poor mistake in the final minute cost them precious points in a game where they honestly deserved more.
Utah has been on the wrong end of far too many one goal games
As previously mentioned, this has been a tough stretch for the Utah Mammoth.
Of the last 21 games, they’ve only won six and to make things worse, they’re just 1-7 in games decided by a single goal during that same stretch.
There’s not really words to accurately describe how deflating that is.
On the one hand, they’re still in the playoff race and have been right there in most of these games.
But on the other, they keep losing and bleeding precious points that could’ve separated them from the pack.
“Yeah, you have to find ways to win. I think, when you look around the league, good teams find ways to win hockey games, even when they don’t have their best or they’re close games,” McBain explained.
“That’s something as a group; we got to figure out. Obviously, it’s been a challenging stretch. We know we have it in this group and in the locker room, so we are just trying to figure it out.”
The number one question this team needs to ask themselves right now is, do they really have it?
Do they have what it takes to turn things around?
Can they flip the script, dig even deeper and get back on track by winning some of these one-goal games?
If the answer is no, then they’ll need to look for external solutions as soon as possible.
Someone(s) who can come in, light a fire and drag this team back to where they should be.
If not, it will only get worse as the playoff hopes fade.
“I said it this morning. We knew the guys were ready. We played a good game; we just…need to find a way to win,” Tourigny explained.
“At the end of the day, that’s the bottom line.”
What’s next for the Utah Mammoth?
The Utah Mammoth will conclude their three-game home stand against the Seattle Kraken on Friday night at 7 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.
