\u2014 Cole Bagley (@BagleyKSLsports) January 8, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n Not a pretty goal by any means but one that shows heart, determination and counts just the same.<\/p>\n With his towering 6-foot-5 frame, No. 19 needs to learn how to consistently feast in front of the net.<\/p>\n Whether that\u2019s utilizing power moves, screening the goaltender\u2019s vision or scoring greasy goals, he needs to live in the painted area.<\/p>\n What makes him even more of a threat is that he also has an absolute laser beam of a wrist shot.<\/p>\n So, once he\u2019s able to finish those dangerous chances in close more often and gains experience, the young forward will be a special player for Utah.<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, it\u2019s good. He\u2019s got a lot of chances, and I think he had a few more tonight that probably could have gone in and it\u2019s just weird, that\u2019s the one that goes in. But credit to that line, they go to the net hard. It\u2019s nice to see them get rewarded,\u201d Lawson Crouse explained.<\/p>\n Like Crouse and Tourigny pointed out, But is consistently putting himself in the right spots and has shown he understands the game at a high level.<\/p>\n He just needs to find the back of the net a little more often and Wednesday night was a step in the right direction.<\/p>\n Karel Vejmelka has rediscovered his game between the pipes over the last month<\/p>\n After a rocky start to the 2025-26 season, Karel Vejmelka has recently rediscovered his game over the last few weeks.<\/p>\n With a .908 save percentage through December and .932 in three of the four games in January (not counting the loss in New Jersey), Vejmelka looks more like the netminder who captured Utah\u2019s net a year ago which is resulting in wins for the Utah Mammoth.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s been great for us all year,\u201d John Marino said. \u201cMaking those big saves. He definitely bailed us out so many times today. We want to help him out more but when he plays like that, we\u2019re a tough team to play against.\u201d<\/p>\n Over his last 13 starts, No. 70 is 9-4 between the pipes as opposed to 4-7 in the previous 11.<\/p>\n What\u2019s been the difference?<\/p>\n Statistics aside, he looks more confident.<\/p>\n Not only is he making the expected saves, but he\u2019s also consistently bailed his team out in a handful of critical moments recently that have either translated to wins or given the team a shot to stay in the game.<\/p>\n He was a wall against the Islanders in the first period, impenetrable late against the Rangers and then offered one of his best performances of the season against the Senators.<\/p>\n In addition to 32 saves on 33 shots (.970 save percentage), Vejmelka was Utah\u2019s best penalty killer, managed a game-altering breakaway save in the second period and then locked down the pipes to preserve the lead in the third.<\/p>\n Stopped by Vejmelka! pic.twitter.com\/T6P9ATDzDp<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Utah Mammoth (@utahmammoth) January 8, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n Those are the types of performances that could help Utah get back on a path towards the playoffs.<\/p>\n Not that he\u2019s going to stop 97 percent of shots every single night, but if he can hover around .900 and make a few more unexpected saves, he\u2019ll give the Mammoth a chance to win every game.<\/p>\n That\u2019s all the team can ask for and as of late, he\u2019s answered the call.<\/p>\n Utah won the battle in front of the net to send Ottawa home with a loss<\/p>\n Most nights in the NHL, the team that wins the battle in front of the net will generally emerge victorious.<\/p>\n As one of the bigger and more physical teams in the league, the Senators play a ferocious style of hockey that often requires sheer grit in order to defeat.<\/p>\n Rather than shying away and allowing themselves to be consumed, Utah rose to the occasion and absolutely dominated the painted area on both ends.<\/p>\n \u201cYou saw it from the one goal they had,\u201d John Marino explained. \u201cYou know how they crash the net and how hard they play.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cJust how they keep sustained pressure remanent. They\u2019ve got some heavy guys up front, and we knew that was the game going into it.\u201d<\/p>\n Beginning in the offensive zone, Utah dominated the first period and then continued to win the important battles as each of their three goals came right in front of the net.<\/p>\n Utah then built on their offensive success by boxing out forwards in front of their own goal and rendering players like Brady Tkachuk ineffective.<\/p>\n Sure, Veggie bailed them out on several occasions but for the most part, Utah did a good job at defending against Ottawa\u2019s suffocating approach.<\/p>\n Keller serves it up for Crouse to give Utah an early lead! pic.twitter.com\/K0jvQ0WV9L<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Utah Mammoth (@utahmammoth) January 8, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n Johnny off the boards!!! \ud83d\udd25<\/p>\n \ud83d\udea82-0, Utah! pic.twitter.com\/EvERGtxnJ2<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Utah Mammoth (@utahmammoth) January 8, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n While speed and skill have arguably never been more valuable in the NHL, so many goals are still scored right in front of the net.<\/p>\n For a team that\u2019s struggled a lot this season to win their battles in close, Wednesday\u2019s victory was a statement of what they\u2019re capable of as they dominated one of the nastiest teams in the league.<\/p>\n If they can continue to replicate that physical approach with similar performances from Vejmelka between the pipes, this home stand could prove to be a turning point in the season.<\/p>\n What\u2019s next for the Utah Mammoth?<\/p>\n The Utah Mammoth will continue their seven-game home stand against the St. Louis Blues on Friday night at 7 p.m. MT.<\/p>\n The game will be available on Mammoth+.<\/p>\n All Mammoth games will also be broadcast live on the KSL Sports Zone (97.5 FM\/1280 AM).<\/p>\n Cole Bagley is the Utah Mammoth insider for KSL Sports.\u00a0Keep up with him on X here<\/a>.\u00a0You can hear Cole break down the team on KSL Sports Zone and KSL 5 TV.
\nTake us with you, wherever you go.<\/p>\n
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