Guenther Reaches 40-goal milestone for First Time

SALT LAKE CITY – Just a day after turning 23 years old, Mammoth forward Dylan Guenther celebrated by scoring his 40th goal of the season, reaching the milestone for the first time in his young career, and the first time in Mammoth history. 

Guenther’s third period goal came on the power play, extending the team’s power play goal streak to eight games. His tally was the lone Mammoth tally in a hard-fought 4-1 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday, which snapped the team’s five-game win streak. 

“Yeah, I mean, it feels good, definitely something that I was eyeing down the stretch,” Guenther reflected on hitting 40 goals. “So really great play by those guys again (Clayton Keller & Mikhail Sergachev), and it’s definitely nice to have.”

Throughout the offseason and this year, Guenther has worked on scoring in different ways. He’s added depth to his arsenal and grown his game. Guenther has a strong impact in the lineup and in the locker room throughout his time with the Mammoth.

“Having (Guenther) in our lineup, knowing how he can play, how he can shoot, his release, his shooting ability, all of that, that for sure helps our confidence, because you know what he can do,” Tourigny said of the forward. “I think he's a great weapon for us. The growth in his game, it's clear. I think this year, like I said many times, we wanted him to become the player he is right now. Being able to contribute in different ways, score goals in different ways, contribute in a whole lot of different ways, from checking, to producing offensively, so on and so forth.”

“First off, as a guy, he's unbelievable,” defenseman Sean Durzi said. “I mean, we can talk about him forever, just you know how much he means to this team, as a person, and the energy he brings, the competitiveness, the fire, all that stuff. But as a hockey player, he's special. I remember the first time that I met him, you see his release. And then if you compare it to now, it gets better every day. So, he's an awesome guy, an awesome player. Couldn't be (happier) for him. I think a lot of the guys wanted him to hit that milestone, even though they wouldn't say it. But we're all rooting for him, trying to find him out there, and for him to get 40 (goals) it’s only a little bit of a teaser of what's to come. He's a great hockey player and a great person, couldn’t be happier.”

In addition to Guenther’s milestone achieved on Saturday night, a games played milestone was reached as Durzi played in his 300^th NHL game. The defenseman brings experience on the ice and energy off of it. 

Guenther shared more of Durzi’s impact following the game.

“I think just a lot of positivity, energy,” Guenther explained. “He’s a fun guy to be around. He’s loud in the dressing room. In the locker room he always brings the juice. But on the ice, I think his vision is really good and his offensive play. He finds guys in the (offensive) zone, he makes good passes. We’re lucky to have him.”

Utah had some strong chances throughout the game against Carolina, including a Keller goal that was called back for being offside in the first period. The Mammoth were able to show plenty of offense and generated 27 shots against the Hurricanes, who have held their opponents to the fewest shots on goal in the NHL (23.9).

The intense pressure that Carolina brings all game long can deter opponents. However, Utah found more of its game as time went on, including in the second period. 

“We don't play them a lot,” Guenther said postgame. “I think we know how they play, though, and they play super predictable. It's just work, I mean, they work other teams, and I think that we just maybe weren't prepared to do that at the start. And it's hard to come back on a team like that, but I thought we played well in the second (period).”

“I mean, that's the Carolina Hurricanes,” Sean Durzi shared. “That's what you're getting with that team. We know that you have to be patient. Not much, not many plays there to be made, and I thought that's what you saw. I think they always come out pretty hard, and we knew that, we knew what to expect. I thought we found our game in the second and then, yeah, that hockey game. It's a couple bounces the other way, and pucks go in the net. But listen, that's the Hurricanes. We've got to stay patient, and that's the way the hockey game went.”

The Hurricanes play and pressure is similar to the postseason. There’s not a lot of time or space in playoff games. Facing Carolina in the final stretch of the regular season provided Utah an opportunity to get reps ahead of the postseason. The Mammoth can learn from this and take these lessons into next week.

“The start, the intent you need to be able to match the intensity or take the momentum early on is one,” Tourigny said. “There were some moments of frustration at some points where we needed to stay even keeled. I think the guys reacted really well after that was pretty good. They are a pretty tight checking team. I liked the way that we progressed in the game of playing against that style. If there's space, we have the skill and we can make plays, but when there's no space, you have to be able to generate different ways. Creating space behind the D and stuff like that. I like the way we generated in the second half of the game. Generate that way, and that was positive. So, there's a few takeaways.”

“Patience is so important in these games,” Durzi explained. “Especially a team like us, a young, skilled, fast team. We want to make plays, and there are plays to be made, but at the same time, we can't force it. Not to say that we did, and that we were trying to force plays. But again, that’s hockey where we stay patient, we stay on them, we put pucks in, and then let our skill take over from there. And you know what? That's a good test for us today. And again, that's a lot of what's to come.”

Saturday was the first half of the Mammoth’s final back-to-back of the season. Utah will have an opportunity to bounce back tomorrow night against the Calgary Flames. 

“Just learn from it and get back at it,” Guenther said. “Quick turnaround, last away game, a little bit of travel. We’ve been in the position that Calgary’s in right now. They’re going to be hungry, they’re going to play well, and you’re always playing for something. So, I just think just making sure that we’re ready and learning from this one.”

Additional Notes from Tonight (per Mammoth PR)

• Guenther is the 12^th NHL skater to eclipse 40 goals in 2025-26, and his 67 goals with Utah are the third-most by any player over his franchise’s first two seasons since 1990. His nine power play goals this season are tied with Nick Schmaltz for the team lead and his 21 tallies on the man-advantage over the last two seasons are the most in franchise history.

• Durzi became the 21^st player from his draft class to reach 300 NHL games.

• Defenseman Dmitri Simashev was assessed his first career NHL fighting major in the third period, dropping the gloves with fellow rookie defenseman Charles Alexis Legault. 

• Over their eight-game goal streak, the Mammoth’s power play has gone 12-for-29 (41.4%).

Upcoming Schedule

• Apr. 12: UTA vs CGY

• Apr. 14: WPG vs UTA

• Apr. 16: STL vs UTA – Regular Season Finale