Crouse continues to be a key player for the Mammoth. Whether it’s playing on the power play or penalty kill, bringing energy on his line, or contributing on the scoresheet, the Mammoth’s Associate Captain continues to be a key part of the team.
“Our unsung hero tonight is Lawson Crouse,” Tourigny explained. “He was rock solid, (on the) PK (he was) super, played really well. Made good plays with the puck, without the puck. He was really good for us tonight.”
Utah’s power play started the new year with two goals through five opportunities. Captain Clayton Keller and alternate captain Mikhail Sergachev scored three minutes apart in the third period.
The power play also got the ball rolling for the Mammoth after the Islanders came out firing. New York had a 10-0 shots on goal advantage in the first and were in control. However, the momentum shifted when Utah’s power play went to work.
“The most important power play we had (was) that power play in the first period after the second TV timeout,” Tourigny explained. “We were on the ropes, we didn’t have a shot attempt yet, and that power play sparked us. We had several good looks and built our confidence. From there, we were a much better team and the rest of the game we were a good team.”
Goaltender Karel Vejmelka made his return to the lineup after an upper-body injury sidelined him for just over a week. Utah’s starting netminder stood strong against New York and stopped 20 of the 22 shots he faced.
“I felt good actually,” Vejmelka said following the win. “I was excited to get back on the ice with the boys, and I wanted to be helpful today. Obviously we played a hell of a game, especially offensively, but it was fun to watch.”
Vejmelka’s strong play early not only kept the Islanders off the board, it gave the Mammoth time to get to their game.
“It’s always better to make a couple of saves in the first couple of minutes, so I felt more and more confident during the game. We played a hell of a game defensively as well, we did a hell of a job on the PK, so year I think it’s a big team win tonight.”
“He kept us in the game early,” Guenther said of Vejmelka. “I think the shots were 10-nothing at one point. I mean, if they score a few there it’s a different game. He’s huge for us.”
“We didn’t have a great start, our goalie stepped up,” Tourigny shared. “We hold on to not giving up any goal (in the first period). Then our power play came up big to give us the momentum. Then we finished the period strong. Then we scored right away at the start of the second period, the big goal. There were a lot of key moment, key game management, key plays at crucial moments in that game.”
Additional Notes from Today
- Dylan Guenther (3G, 1A) has now posted multi-goal games in consecutive contests at UBS Arena, with six total goals in four career games against the Islanders. He has scored five goals in four career games against the Islanders.
- Clayton Keller (1G, 1A) has posted his team-leading 11th multi-point game of the season and his third in six contests (also 12/17 at DET: 1g, 1a; 12/21 vs. WPG: 1g, 1a).
- Utah's four total hat tricks are the most of any NHL team in 2025-26 (Logan Cooley: 2, Nick Schmaltz: 1)
The Mammoth’s road trip continues with a game against the New Jersey Devils on Saturday. Game time is 1:00 p.m. MT.
Upcoming Schedule
- Jan. 3: UTA vs NJD
- Jan. 5: UTA vs NYR
- Jan. 7: OTT vs UTA
