PHILADELPHIA – Despite a rocky season with starts few and far between, backup goaltender Vitek Vanecek stood on his head as he led the Utah Mammoth to victory in a shutout over the Flyers.
Combined with another power play goal and an opportunistic approach from the rest of the Mammoth, Utah won their second straight on the road to remain firmly in the top wild card spot.
Here are the key takeaways from Utah’s 3-0 victory over the Flyers.
How’d Dmitri Simashev play in Mikhail Sergachev’s absence?
After Mikhail Sergachev was officially ruled out just prior to warmups in Philadelphia, 21-year-old defenseman Dmitri Simashev was penciled into Utah’s lineup for the first time since December 1.
Related: Utah Mammoth Defenseman Mikhail Sergachev Out With Lower Body Injury
So, how’d No. 26 do?
He was fine.
Nothing significant either direction as he played a simplified game, moved the puck quickly, stayed in his lane and refrained from taking any risks.
As of right now, that’s probably the best approach for the young defenseman.
Anticipating he stays with the team until MacKenzie Weegar arrives and only remains in the lineup as long as Sergachev is out, he doesn’t really need to do anything other than play simple as the team pushes for a playoff spot.
However, at some point, it would be ideal to see him get a little bit more involved, especially in the offensive zone.
Doesn’t have to be risky but maybe he pinches here or there and carries the puck through the neutral zone.
Perhaps he takes a blast from the blue line and tries to create some offense.
Again, it doesn’t have to be anything crazy, but as an almost point-per-game player in the AHL (28 in 30 games), he needs to start showcasing what he can do at the NHL level.
Utah’s power play strikes again as they continue to move the puck quickly
Despite a mostly abysmal season on the man advantage, Utah’s power play has been absolutely scorching as of late.
Through the five games they’ve played since returning from the Olympics, Utah has registered a power play goal in four of those matchups with five total pucks finding the back of the net.
What’s been the secret sauce?
Moving the puck quickly and playing to everyone’s strengths.
“It’s pretty good,” Nick Schmaltz said of Utah’s power play. “Probably the best it’s been all year.”
“We we’re fighting a little bit for a while there. We know we’re a good unit…we knew it was going to come, we just had to move the puck a little bit quicker. Once we move the puck, things open up for us and then our skill takes over.”
Against Philadelphia, it was Dylan Guenther’s ability to draw the attention of every Flyer on the ice while simultaneously noticing Schmaltz approach the backdoor and then feeding him quickly for an easy tap in.
Guenther drew the attention of every single Flyer while Schmaltz snuck to the back door.
Utah’s power play remains hot as they continue to move the puck quickly.pic.twitter.com/J4VkwPM9uH
— Cole Bagley (@BagleyKSLsports) March 6, 2026
That’s all it takes a lot of the time.
Maximizing the group’s strengths and moving the puck quickly before the defense can even get set up.
“It’s more the mindset,” Head coach Andre Tourigny said. “I think we’re a little bit lower. We’re a little bit more aggressive. We have more volume of shots and stuff like that.”
“There’s a mindset difference but it’s not structure.”
Now, will Utah continue to score this often on the man advantage through the remainder of the season?
Probably not.
But if they can score on every fourth or even fifth opportunity, they’ll not only get into the playoffs, but they could make some serious noise once they do.
The Mammoth need to rely on Vanecek a bit more down the stretch after he stood on his head in Philly
While the Mammoth played really well as a team against Philadelphia on Thursday night, Vitek Vanecek was simply sensational between the pipes.
Making 16 total saves, Vanecek registered his first shutout with the organization while also capturing his 100th win in the National Hockey League.
But shutting out the Flyers wasn’t necessarily an easy task.
Despite a low volume of shots, the Flyers circulated the puck well at times and even managed a few Grade A scoring opportunities.
One in particular even required Vanecek to rob Bobby Brink with his glove despite a wide-open net and plenty of time to tuck it away.
“That was shot from the blue line and then it was like a broken play,” Vanecek explained. “The puck got on the side and then I just tried to push as hard as possible and put my glove forward and he hit it.”
“So, really happy for that.”
Robbery by Vanecek.
Wide open net and he snatches it with his glove.pic.twitter.com/TY4xkb4zKl
— Cole Bagley (@BagleyKSLsports) March 6, 2026
As much as Utah needed that shutout, Vanecek needed it more.
After eight games since his last start and only three total in 2026, it was time for him to get another chance and regain his confidence.
“It was really tough,” Vanecek said in regard to how few starts he’s had recently. “I’m not going to lie. When you come back, it’s hard to breathe. It’s not same like practice. A game is always different.”
“You’re trying to just dial in during the practice and then do what you’re doing in the games. That’s the only thing I can do and then wait when I get the chance.”
Coming down the stretch, Utah should aim to utilize Vanecek more often.
Not that Vejmelka has played poorly by any means, but if Utah wants to make the playoffs with hopes of extending their time in the postseason as long as possible, there needs to be a little more balance between the pipes.
Sure, Vejmelka is clearly capable of a heavy workload as he’s demonstrated the past two seasons.
But the Mammoth aren’t just trying to play meaningful games.
They want to play meaningful games, win and then make the most of a post season berth.
If they’re going to do that, Vejmelka needs more rest and Vanecek needs to play a few more games.
Not just the second of a back-to-back but in more situations like the Flyers where they are facing somewhat of an inferior opponent and feel confident enough to get the win with 41 in net.
“I’m happy for him,” Tourigny said of Vanecek. “He’s a hell of a pro. Great guy. Works hard.”
“He’s been put in a tough spot. Often on the back end of a back-to-back. He gives us a chance to win when he’s in there and I think that’s what’s important.”
Obviously, it’s been a tough season for Vanecek.
With only three wins in 14 starts, there’s obviously been some hesitancy to give him more opportunities.
But if he can get a few more games under his belt, build on his confidence and give Utah a chance to win every time he’s on the ice, they simply have to play him more.
Vejmelka has been great.
Now imagine how much better he could be with a little more rest and some trust in Vanecek to back him up.
What’s next for the Utah Mammoth?
The Utah Mammoth will continue their five-game road trip against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday night at 5 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.
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