Utah found its offense against the Sharks with four different goal scorers, and eight players on the scoresheet. With four minutes left in the second period, Askarov mishandled the puck and O’Brien capitalized. Brandon Tanev picked up his first point with Utah and Ian Cole also was credited with an assist.
“There’s a little sense of relief,” O’Brien said postgame on his goal. “Took longer than I wanted but felt good and just happy we got the win too.
“I think for me it was proving that I can be put in uncomfortable situations,” O’Brien continued. “I’ve been in this situation last year, I didn’t play for almost two, three months … I think it’s just proving that I can play in these situations.”
“(O’Brien) is a great teammate,” Schmaltz said. “He’s always one of the hardest working guys on the team so to see him get rewarded is awesome and hopefully he’s got many more in the tank here for us this year.”
In the opening minutes of the third period, Carcone’s goal increased Utah’s lead to 5-2. Carcone shot through the legs of San Jose Vincent Iorio and past Askarov to net his first of the year.
“(Carcone) is a great shooter,” O’Brien said of his teammate. “He’s a pure goal scorer so I was really happy to see him get one as well.”
Just past the halfway point of the third period, Keller scored his first of the season and increased the Mammoth’s lead to 6-2. The Captain recorded a four-point night, and his goal was assisted by his linemates Schmaltz and Barrett Hayton.
Although Utah’s offense found a new season high in goals, there were times the team had to weather an offensive push from the Sharks. San Jose pushed back in the second period. Five and a half minutes into the middle frame, Tyler Toffoli’s power play goal cut Utah’s lead in half. Two minutes later, San Jose tied the game, 2-2. Jeff Skinner threw a shot on net, and it hit off of Utah goaltender Karel Vejmelka’s stick and bodies in front before it bounced in. However, the Mammoth regrouped and were able to take control of the game once again in the third. Macklin Celebrini scored late in the third period on the power play; however, Utah secured a 6-3 win.
“The second period was tough for us,” Schmaltz explained. “We were making soft plays and feeding their transition game. They got a high-end skilled team and then the third, we talked about getting in behind them and working from below their goal line, and that’s kind of where we wanted to exploit them. I thought we did a better job at that and we were able to pot a few more in the third.”
With the win, the Mammoth remain undefeated at home and have a 3-2-0 record. Up next, Utah hosts the Boston Bruins Sunday night at 5 p.m. MT.
Additional Notes from Tonight
- Nick Schmaltz lit the lamp at 9:39 and 13:31 of the first period tonight, marking the fastest two goals by any player in franchise history (3:52). The previous record was held by Clayton Keller, who scored twice in 5:12 during the third period against MIN on Dec. 10, 2024 (per Utah PR).
- The Mammoth held the Sharks to under 10 shots per period. In the first, San Jose had seven shots on goal, the second they had nine, and in the third they had 7.
- Schmaltz and Keller both finished the night with four points each. The last time Schmaltz had four points was on Feb. 11, 2023, in St. Louis (1G, 3A). Keller’s most recent four-point performance was on Apr. 14, 2025, in Nashville (2G, 2A).
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