Logan Cooley opened the scoring when he notched his second of the season. Schmaltz’s initial shot bounced over Bruins goaltender Joonas Korpisalo and bounced off of Cooley over the goal line. Schmaltz and Keller picked up assists on Cooley’s power play tally. The Mammoth have been committed to having a strong net front presence with multiple bodies down low.
For the second straight game, Clayton Keller and Nick Schmaltz were all over the scoresheet. After the two each combined for eight points on Friday night, both players had two points each against Boston (Keller: 1G, 1A; Schmaltz: 2A). The duo have played together for eight years going back to their days with the Arizona Coyotes, and their chemistry built over that time have made the duo difficult to contain.
The Mammoth tied the game late in the second period when Schmaltz made a gorgeous cross crease feed to Keller, which the Captain capitalized on to tie the game at two. They have combined for 12 points over the past two nights.
Utah’s third goal of the night was the result of determination and quick execution by the Cooley line. After Peterka stole the puck and won back possession, he quickly found his linemate, and Guenther’s shot soared into the back of the net. The game-winner was Guenther’s eighth game-winning goal over his last 36 games going back to last season, which is the most in the NHL over that span.
“Really nice play,” Guenther said of Peterka’s performance. “We talked about reloading a ton in practice and we’ve really been working on (it), even off the rush there, we had a pretty good chance … I felt like we had chances and when you’re getting chances it’s a good thing. Just keep creating and we’ll continue to score.”
“I liked their third period,” Tourigny said about the Cooley line. “I talked to JJ after the second on using his speed in every phase and putting speed around their (defense). Really liked the way he responded. I think he attacked right from the first shift in the third period. He attacked with a lot of speed, and I think he elevated his game in the third. On the winning goal, he had a great reload, great strip, made a good pass. Obviously Guenther took a really good shot, but I liked that line in the third, the way that they (responded).”
Going into this game, Utah was prepared for a hungry opponent as Boston had dropped three straight and was looking to get back into the win column. However, as the Mammoth have done before, the team weathered the momentum swings and held on, especially during a tied game. After Keller’s goal gave the team the 3-2 lead, the Mammoth held on and defended a one-goal lead to win the game.
“Those are the games that we want to be comfortable in,” Keller said on these close games. “We’re going to have a lot of them this year where we’re either down a goal or up a goal. I think just staying composed and have lots of confidence which I think we do. Just learning and getting better every game and every situation.”
“Above and beyond the structure is the approach of the guys,” Tourigny said about defending the lead late in the game. “The calm in that game, leading by one, we had a task in hand. That’s the way it felt behind the bench. I didn’t feel (like) ‘oh my god, we need to protect the lead.’ I felt the guys were like ok, I have a job to do … I feel that the guys were in the zone.”
Utah is now 3-0-0 through their first homestand of the year and has a 4-2-0 record through the first six games of the season.
“You got to take care of business at home,” Keller said of the early success at home. “It’s so hard to win hockey games on the road, and obviously at home as well, but it’s great to have our fans. They’ve been unbelievable all year so far. I just can’t thank them enough for always being engaged in the game and supporting us no matter what.”
The Mammoth will wrap up this four-game homestand on Tuesday night against the Colorado Avalanche.
