\u2014 Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) January 22, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n Wasting NO time!#PHIvsUTA<\/a> | #LetsGoFlyers<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/HJPQnmfG2U<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) January 22, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cObviously, knew that we weren\u2019t playing great,\u201d Captain Clayton Keller said. \u201cThere was a lot of mistakes and just dumb mistakes really.\u201d<\/p>\n The biggest difference between the two teams through the first period on Wednesday night was simply urgency.<\/p>\n Philadelphia came out buzzing with speed and physicality while the Mammoth sat back and were instantly caught off guard.<\/p>\n After allowing the opening goal on the first shift, Utah hit the snooze button once more and the Flyers suddenly had full control with a 2-0 lead less than five minutes into the contest.<\/p>\n To add insult to injury, Nick Schmaltz was then called for a high stick as the first period expired which Philadelphia capitalized on to begin the middle frame.<\/p>\n Practice makes perfect!#PHIvsUTA<\/a> | #LetsGoFlyers<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/m8phrc9SUM<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) January 22, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n Now, while Utah was able to pull of an incredible comeback, there\u2019s really no excuse for them to play flat right out of the gate after multiple days in between games.<\/p>\n Rest is always welcome, but when it leads to playing overly relaxed it can be problematic.<\/p>\n Luckily, Utah still found a way to get the job done.<\/p>\n A collection of key moments resulted in an unbelievable comeback for the Utah Mammoth<\/p>\n When trailing by three goals in the second period, an NHL team doesn\u2019t simply come all the way back in an instant.<\/p>\n Rather, it requires a collection of key moments shift by shift in order to swing the momentum and tilt the ice in their favor.<\/p>\n That\u2019s what Utah accomplished on Wednesday night.<\/p>\n Despite trailing by three in the second period and eventually two with approximately eight minutes left in the third, Utah took it a shift at a time as they slowly built towards a remarkable comeback.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m really happy about our comeback,\u201d Head Coach Andre Tourigny said. \u201cObviously, that was a big goal on the power play (from Barrett Hayton) at a key moment; we often talk about producing on the power play but also producing in key moments\u2013and that was a key moment. Our first 6-on-5 goal in our franchise\u2019s history was a clutch one, obviously. And in overtime, that was a really good goal. I liked the way we turned things around in the second period.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe key goals, the comeback, the grit we showed in the second period. We had a good push. I think the fight of (Jack McBain) was a turning point. And we all know the play of the game was (Nick Schmaltz\u2019s) strip. Those are a lot of positives, and I don\u2019t want to take the spotlight off those things.\u201d<\/p>\n Like Tourigny noted, it all started with a pushback from Mammoth in the second period where they scored two goals in less than a minute to gather some initial momentum.<\/p>\n JJ and Crouser score back-to-back, 36 seconds apart! pic.twitter.com\/lUhPamBHtm<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Utah Mammoth (@utahmammoth) January 22, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n Then Karel Vejmelka kept Utah in the game as he robbed Trevor Zegras with his glove while going post to post in the splits.<\/p>\n Veggie!! What a save \ud83d\udd25 pic.twitter.com\/8BEnwnd1qa<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Utah Mammoth (@utahmammoth) January 22, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n Finally, after Jack McBain pummeled Noah Juulsen with a few nasty rights and Barrett Hayton brought the Mammoth within one on a tip from Dylan Guenther, Nick Schmaltz somehow stripped Garnet Hathaway despite an empty net with several feet of space behind him to comfortably ice the game.<\/p>\n Instead, Schmaltz exhausted himself to get back and stole the puck to keep Utah alive.<\/p>\n While Keller\u2019s goals were absolutely mesmerizing, this was the play of the game.<\/p>\n 99% of the time that\u2019s an empty netter but Schmaltz didn\u2019t give up. He refused to quit and won possession back.<\/p>\n Utah needs to bring 8 back this summer.pic.twitter.com\/ErpxX2yyCk<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Cole Bagley (@BagleyKSLsports) January 22, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cWe just kept fighting,\u201d Keller explained. \u201cSo many guys made key plays. Vejmelka made big saves\u2026we talked about it in the room after, none of this happens if Schmaltz doesn\u2019t back check and give everything he\u2019s got to strip them before they score on the empty net.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s the difference sometimes.\u201d<\/p>\n Like Keller pointed out, it was a collection of small moments that resulted in the comeback.<\/p>\n So, while the captain\u2019s heroics eventually called game, it took a group effort to deliver an improbable win.<\/p>\n \u2018Clayton Clutch\u2019 called game for the Utah Mammoth yet again<\/p>\n The seven-game home stand for the Utah Mammoth was nothing short of magical.<\/p>\n In search of consistency amidst a competitive Western wild card battle, Utah managed to claim 13 of 14 possible points to give themselves a little bit of breathing room in the top spot.<\/p>\n While it was undoubtedly a group effort to defend home ice for more than two weeks and stack up wins, the captain has recently taken his game to a completely different level.<\/p>\n Through 131 games in their young history, the Utah Mammoth had yet to score a 6-on-5 goal.<\/p>\n Enter Clayton Clutch.<\/p>\n THAT\u2019S OUR CAPTAIN!!!!! \ud83d\udd25<\/p>\n Keller ties the game to get our first extra attacker goal in franchise history \ud83e\udd2f pic.twitter.com\/knGvasV2EP<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Utah Mammoth (@utahmammoth) January 22, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n In desperate need of a goal in order to force OT, Keller didn\u2019t just score but he earned that goal in every possible way.<\/p>\n He battled for a loose puck in the neutral zone, forechecked with an active stick, poked it loose, went straight to net and light the lamp on his backhand.<\/p>\n According to Tourigny, that\u2019s just what Keller does.<\/p>\n \u201cFor us, it doesn\u2019t change anything. We think that of him. He didn\u2019t prove anything to me tonight. I know that\u2019s what he is,\u201d Tourigny explained.<\/p>\n \u201cI trust him in those situations, I know he has it in him\u2026that\u2019s probably reason number one he\u2019s a great captain for us. He\u2019s never satisfied. He always wants more. He wants to be an elite player. He\u2019s not happy just to be good, he wants to be great.\u201d<\/p>\n To prove his point even further, Keller then scored the OT winner to complete the improbable comeback and sent all of Delta Center into an absolute frenzy.<\/p>\n CAN YOU BELIEVE IT?! \ud83e\udd2f<\/p>\n Clayton Keller wins it for the @utahmammoth<\/a> in @Energizer<\/a> overtime! pic.twitter.com\/5knpVtJncY<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 NHL (@NHL) January 22, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n Like Tourigny said, these are the reasons No. 9 wears the \u201cC.\u201d<\/p>\n He\u2019s not only incredibly skilled but he puts in the work to be an elite player because he wants to win on the biggest stages.<\/p>\n \u201cI think a lot of it is belief, and the mental talk that I\u2019m saying to myself in my head,\u201d Keller explained. \u201cI\u2019ve always trusted my training. I know I\u2019ve done everything possible to leave myself in a good position and let the rest take care of itself. I skate every day in the summer with a couple other guys, I work on those touches and all those things.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s second nature to me & something that I want to continue to get better at.\u201d<\/p>\n Keller describes what goes through his mind when the puck is on his stick with the game on the line:<\/p>\n \u201cA lot of it is belief. The mental talk that I\u2019m saying to myself in my head.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s second nature to me & something that I want to continue to get better at.\u201d pic.twitter.com\/ki8HxTCAC0<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Cole Bagley (@BagleyKSLsports) January 22, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n Through the seven-game home stand, Keller finished with 13 points (2G, 11A) which ranks third in the NHL during that span.<\/p>\n His 11 assists are also tied with Boston\u2019s David Pastrnak for a league high.<\/p>\n That\u2019s clutch.<\/p>\n But that\u2019s also just Clayton.<\/p>\n What\u2019s next for the Utah Mammoth?<\/p>\n The Utah Mammoth will begin a four-game road trip against the Nashville Predators on Saturday afternoon at 1:30 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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