Pavel Dorofeyev scored the opening goal just a little over a minute into the game, his first of the playoffs. Brett Howden scored a beautiful shorthanded goal right before the end of the first period to make it 2-0. Cole Smith opened the second period with a goal of his own to make it 3-0. It seemed like the Golden Knights had finally figured out how to score in bunches, and it seemed the Mammoth would fall on their own sword, defeated by the issue that had plagued them in Game 3.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s just the mentality,\u201d Ian Cole<\/a> said. \u201cThey have a good team. If we can control the puck in the O-zone, hang on to that and generate more chances, that\u2019s good for us. Putting more pucks on that is obviously key.\u201d<\/p>\n After that Smith goal, it seemed like something had changed for the Mammoth. They started taking shots and stopped being too fancy with the puck, something that they had done throughout the first period, which didn\u2019t allow them to get shots, and what do you know, more shots equaled more opportunities to score.<\/p>\n Nick Schmaltz scored first, knocking in a Lawson Crouse shot. It was his first goal of the series and his first-ever playoff goal. Seconds later, Cole scored from near the top of the faceoff circle to get the Mammoth within one goal of the Golden Knights. Mind you, the Delta Center was going insane.<\/p>\n Two goals in 29 seconds! \ud83e\udd2f pic.twitter.com\/6IfVqguNma<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 x \u2013 Utah Mammoth (@utahmammoth) April 28, 2026<\/a> <\/p>\n The Mammoth fans in attendance didn\u2019t reach their peak there because, less than two minutes into the third period, Michael Carcone scored from inside the faceoff circle to tie the game up at three. Carcone had missed a wide-open net earlier in the game, one he should\u2019ve had. The game-tying goal was certainly a redeeming one for him.<\/p>\n Clayton Keller<\/a> continued the Mammoth\u2019s scoring with a shot off a defender right in front of Carter Hart to give the team their first lead of the game. It was his first playoff goal of the series as well, as the first line had one of their best games of the playoffs.<\/p>\n Captain Keller! Captain Clutch!<\/p>\n 4-3, Utah. pic.twitter.com\/9mcHXYjUuR<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 x \u2013 Utah Mammoth (@utahmammoth) April 28, 2026<\/a> <\/p>\n Shots in the second period were 11-10 for the Mammoth. Shots in the third, although favoring the Golden Knights, were 10-8. That\u2019s way more than the three the Mammoth had in the first. It was truly in the second and third periods where they finally found their game.<\/p>\n \u201cWe started to play our game, using our speed and just being simple, and let the rest take care of itself,\u201d Keller said. \u201cWhen you play fast and get pucks and recoveries, the other plays open up. We have a great forward group, lots of skill, and the rest just takes over.\u201d<\/p>\n It\u2019s a style of play that made the Mammoth really dangerous in the final two periods and gave them some really good chances to start overtime. Going forward, though, the Mammoth have to have better starts. What if they got more shots to begin the game? What if Carcone scored into that wide-open net? They could\u2019ve won this game, but that poor first period cost them.<\/p>\n \u201cWe had a slow start to the game and didn\u2019t play our best, but in the second period, we came back, our fans were rallying and brought us back into the game, and we came back,\u201d Mikhail Sergachev<\/a> said. \u201cWe just got to fix the start, and I think we\u2019ll be fine.\u201d<\/p>\n It wasn\u2019t just the poor start, though. Similar to Game 3, the Mammoth played a mainly defensive game in the final couple of minutes while having the lead. The Golden Knights are not to be toyed with like that; they will pounce on a team that leans back and defends. The difference between Game 3 and Game 4 is that the Mammoth had a multi-goal lead in the earlier game; they did not on Monday.<\/p>\n What happened? Howden scored his second of the game off a tip from in front of the net, and the game was all tied up.<\/p>\n \u201cIt wasn\u2019t our best,\u201d Sergachev said. \u201cWe had some times where we could have made plays. We opted for punting and chipped it out. We played a little too simple. We\u2019ve got to be more on it and talk to the puck carrier and help him out.\u201d<\/p>\n All tied up at four, this game headed to overtime, the first time a game in this series has gotten that far. With massive stakes on the line, the next goal would decide what the future of this series would be.<\/p>\n Shea Theodore, the Overtime Hero<\/p>\n Sudden death overtime in the playoffs is the best hockey there is. It\u2019s fast-paced, it shows the fans at their best, and it basically keeps everyone on their feet until the very end. It\u2019s only fitting that the fans at the Delta Center would get to witness that in only their second home postseason game in history.<\/p>\n The Mammoth controlled the overtime at first, getting seven of the first 10 shots. They had the better shots and chances as well. On top of all of that, they killed a penalty early in overtime with one of their best penalty killers, Kevin Stenlund<\/a>, in the box. They played a really good game in overtime.<\/p>\n \u201cI liked our game, I liked our play,\u201d head coach Andr\u00e9 Tourigny said. \u201cThey had a shift before (the goal) where they had the momentum, but I thought we had good looks in overtime, we had good possession, we had speed. I like the way we played in overtime.\u201d<\/p>\n Then came the momentum changer, and it came in the weirdest way possible. Dorofeyev was the last person to touch the puck as Kailer Yamamoto accidentally deflected it into the back of the net. It seemed like the Golden Knights had won.<\/p>\n However, after review, the play was clearly offside. Tourigny knew it right away. Golden Knights head coach John Tortorella, however, did not.<\/p>\n \u201cI thought we won it the first time,\u201d Tortorella said. \u201cI was in the coaches\u2019 room, pretty much celebrating. I was yelled back out that we\u2019re not sure, and so that was a little weird for me.\u201d<\/p>\n After that point, it felt like the Golden Knights had most of the momentum, even though you would expect it to favor the Mammoth. Finally, it all ended in the final minute of overtime. Karel Vejmelka stopped a puck, but Cole slid into him, making the goalie let the puck go, and his stick went flying with it.<\/p>\n The Golden Knights scrambled for the puck, and Theodore positioned himself in a good spot to receive a pass. Cole, desperate to stop the puck, slid right into Vejmelka and stopped him from making a save on Theodore as he scored the overtime winner.<\/p>\n NEVER GIVE UP \u2014 Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) April 28, 2026<\/a> <\/p>\n Despite being on both of the Golden Knights teams that went all the way to the Stanley Cup Final, Theodore\u2019s overtime winner in Game 4 was the first of his career. It was a special moment for him, especially because it gave the Golden Knights new life in the series.<\/p>\n \u201cEspecially at the end, close to the end of the first overtime, you don\u2019t really want to go to a second overtime, but it\u2019s just a good feeling,\u201d Theodore said. \u201cIt sucked having that one called back, but I felt like we kept our foot on the gas. I think scoring overtime winners is pretty special.\u201d<\/p>\n A Brand New Series<\/p>\n With the series evened at two wins each, this series becomes a brand new one. A best of three. The winner of Game 5 on Wednesday will have the chance to end the series on Friday. Game 4 might\u2019ve been the most important game for the Golden Knights specifically, but Game 5 has become the most pivotal game for both teams.<\/p>\n The Mammoth could\u2019ve easily won Game 4 if a lucky bounce had gone their way. They didn\u2019t necessarily play badly besides the poor start, and when they had the lead for a couple of minutes in the third period. However, one goal can change the trajectory of the series, and with the overtime winner and the series shifting back to their home rink, Game 5 will be one where the Mammoth might have to find momentum early.<\/p>\n \u201cEach game is an individual game,\u201d Cole said. \u201cRight now, it\u2019s the best of three. Obviously, unfortunate about the outcome, but not one that we can dwell on. We\u2019ll look at it, we\u2019ll try to figure out what we can do better, and move forward.\u201d<\/p>\n A couple of notes. Tom\u00e1\u0161 Hertl only played around 11 minutes in Game 4. Mitch Marner still has zero goals<\/a> in the series. Game 4 might\u2019ve saved the Golden Knights\u2019 series, but they desperately need to get those guys going. Dorofeyev was benched at points, but did get his first goal of the series. If the Golden Knights end up losing this series, Marner in particular will get a lot of the blame shifted on him.<\/p>\n For the Mammoth, JJ Peterka only played around 10 minutes. He was benched midway through the game and never played another minute. That could be an interesting plotline. If it\u2019s an injury, does he come back for Game 5? If it\u2019s a coaching decision, what does his role look like on Wednesday? He was on the ice for a pretty bad goal against, so we\u2019ll have to wait and see what that looks like.<\/p>\n
NEVER BACK DOWN pic.twitter.com\/PuUSeD5WH2<\/a><\/p>\n![\"Vegas](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Mammoth-Golden-Knights-1200x800.jpg\")
Utah Mammoth goaltender Karel Vejmelka and center Nick Schmaltz react after a goal by the Vegas Golden Knights ends the game during overtime in Game 4 of the first round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs (Rob Gray-Imagn Images)<\/p>\n