It\u2019s been a weird winter.<\/p>\n
The Utah Mammoth left a snowless Salt Lake City in their light jackets on Friday, and landed in a snowy, icy Nashville. The weather was bad enough there to change the start time of the Mammoth\u2019s game against the Predators on Saturday \u2014 mostly because Nashville isn\u2019t equipped to handle snow and ice the way more wintry cities are.<\/p>\n
A look at current downtown conditions ahead of the Preds vs Mammoth game at 12:30. <\/p>\n
Crews are plowing and salting the main plaza, though many of the sidewalks and roads are already slippy.<\/p>\n
Use caution if you are planning to make it here. pic.twitter.com\/jMksXuclbp<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Alex Daugherty (@AlexDaugherty1) January 24, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n Even with the improved start time, many fans chose to skip this game, leaving enough room for the upper-bowl fans to migrate to the lower bowl at no additional cost \u2014 and even then, there were still plenty of empty seats.<\/p>\n I guess it\u2019s fitting for the \u201cIce Age\u201d game.<\/p>\n In the end, the Mammoth won again, extending their point streak to nine games.<\/p>\n Quick catchupUtah Mammoth: 5Nashville Predators: 2<\/p>\n Steven Stamkos has scored hundreds of goals on power play one-timers from the left face-off circle \u2014 the area Mammoth fans recognize as Dylan Guenther\u2019s spot (though Stamkos and Alex Ovechkin have been doing it since Guenther was playing Timbits hockey<\/a>).<\/p>\n Stamkos added another to his lengthy portfolio on Saturday, opening the scoring less than four minutes into the first period, but the Mammoth have learned to overcome early setbacks. <\/p>\n In their last three games, they\u2019ve allowed four goals in the first five minutes, and they managed to win all of them.<\/p>\n \u201cI think we\u2019ve done a good job of sticking with it,\u201d said Barrett Hayton in an interview<\/a> with a Mammoth broadcaster. \u201cThat\u2019s something we talked about a little bit ago, staying even-keeled and staying with them for 60 minutes. <\/p>\n \u201cThat being said, I don\u2019t think we want to have those starts.\u201d<\/p>\n Utah struck thrice in the second period, allowing one goal against in the process but still holding a 3-2 lead heading into the final frame. <\/p>\n Hayton added an insurance goal on a third-period power play, followed by an automatic goal awarded to JJ Peterka, which we\u2019ll dive into in a minute.<\/p>\n With their 5-2 win, the Mammoth\u2019s point streak extends to a franchise record nine games. They\u2019re also on a five-game win streak. Their next three games will be true tests, as they\u2019re all against teams they have yet to beat this season.<\/p>\n Tidbits and takeawaysBlock by block<\/p>\n Early in the first period, Mikhail Sergachev made an impossible shot block, sticking his leg out behind him to take a sure goal away from Michael McCarron.<\/p>\n Later in the same period, Michael Carcone blocked one with the palm of his hand \u2014 one of the least-padded areas of a hockey player\u2019s body. Like Sergachev\u2019s block, it would have gone in the net had he not made that sacrifice.<\/p>\n The difference in this game was two goals, excluding the empty-netter. Shot blocks don\u2019t get nearly as much attention as goals, but those two in particular were equally important to the Mammoth\u2019s success on Saturday.<\/p>\n Both players will get their flowers either way, as Carcone scored a sweet goal and Sergachev contributed three assists, but don\u2019t forget what they did in their own zone.<\/p>\n How good is Kailer Yamamoto?<\/p>\n In his heyday, Kailer Yamamoto was a half-a-point-per-game guy or better with the Edmonton Oilers. Ever since he left Alberta though, his production hasn\u2019t been nearly at that level \u2014 which caused him to spend most of the 2024-25 season in the minors and much of the current season in the press box.<\/p>\n The difference is that in Edmonton, his most common line mates were Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins \u2014 two first-overall picks and a third player who, in hindsight, should have gone first. <\/p>\n When Yamamoto went to Seattle, he played with Pierre-Edouard Bellemare, Tye Kartye and Devin Shore \u2014 two undrafted guys and a career journeyman.<\/p>\n His ice time also dropped from a 16-minute average to about 12.<\/p>\n With Utah, it\u2019s been the same story as in Seattle: When Yamamoto does get in the lineup, he\u2019s usually tacked onto the fourth line and he sees less than 12 minutes of ice time per game, on average.<\/p>\n Of course, every NHLer would be better with McDavid and Draisaitl as their line mates, and everyone\u2019s production will increase with more ice time, but through little fault of his own, Yamamoto went from an NHL power play guy to a consistent healthy scratch.<\/p>\n Lawson Crouse was ill on Saturday, so Yamamoto got into his first game in 13 days. Rather than messing with the other lines to compensate for Crouse\u2019s absence, Tourigny opted to put Yamamoto with Clayton Keller and Nick Schmaltz on the top line \u2014 and it worked beautifully.<\/p>\n Yamamoto scored two points, including the game-winning goal, earning the honors as the first star of the game.<\/p>\n \u201cKells and Schmaltzy are two unbelievable players,\u201d Yamamoto said afterward. \u201cVery easy to play with, read off of and stuff like that.\u201d<\/p>\n Tourigny understands the type of role a player like Yamamoto needs to be able to succeed, but there\u2019s not always room for him on the top lines.<\/p>\n \u201cI always say to Yammy he can play top-six anytime we need it, but when we have our top six, it\u2019s tougher,\u201d Tourigny said. \u201cHe proved it again today. He jumped in the top six, made impact plays at key moments. <\/p>\n \u201cHe was a chain connector on that line. The guys like to play with him. He\u2019s a really good player, and he showed it today.\u201d<\/p>\n JJ Peterka\u2019s automatic goal<\/p>\n Peterka did not take a single shot on net in Saturday\u2019s game, but he did score a goal. How does that happen?<\/p>\n An odd but important rule came into play.<\/p>\n Late in the third period, Peterka found himself with the puck on his stick and a clear path to the empty net in front of him. <\/p>\n As he continued toward the open cage, Predators forward Michael Bunting made a desperate attempt to stop him, hauling him down to the ice \u2014 a penalty Bunting had to take to prevent a goal.<\/p>\n Referee Fran\u00e7ois St-Laurent initially put his arm up to call the obvious penalty, but realized within seconds that it happened during a breakaway on an empty net, which makes for an automatic goal.<\/p>\n The puck never actually went in, but in this case, it doesn\u2019t matter. Table 12, located on page 143 of the NHL rulebook<\/a>, clearly states that any foul from behind when a team has pulled the goalie for an extra attacker results in an automatic goal.<\/p>\n Goal of the gameClayton Keller\u2019s snipe<\/p>\n It may be cold in Nashville, but Keller is red-hot. His goal on Saturday extended his point streak to four games, with three goals and seven points over that span. <\/p>\n In his last eight games, he has 14 points.<\/p>\n On Saturday, he scored this one from a tough angle on one of the league\u2019s better goaltenders.<\/p>\n