Saturday was a resilient effort from the Mammoth as the team battled back from two separate deficits by re-establishing their game and settling in as time went on. It was Utah’s first multi-goal comeback win this season, and was the Mammoth’s first overtime game of the year.
“After they scored, you could see the stress and we were not as connected from that moment,” head coach André Tourigny shared. “We (didn’t execute) a lot of plays and we were a little bit nervous. We were capable of regrouping and finding our game and played much, much better in the second half of the game. Really proud of the guys for that. We talked about that being one of our goals this season of being able to find a B game, being able to close games, being able to find your game when you don't necessarily play your best game. Being able to find a gear, find a shift in momentum and get your game back. The way we played in the third period, (I’m) extremely proud of the boys and the way we reacted, so a lot of positives there.”
The line of Anders Lee, Barrett Hayton, and Kailer Yamamoto scored goals, brought energy, and played a connected game. In addition, the Hayton line drew two penalties, one of which the Mammoth scored on with a timely power play goal. This trio’s performance was noticeable and key in the Mammoth’s comeback effort.
“We go to work,” Lee said on his line. “We put the puck in, we're smart with it, and we got a little bite. I think we won a lot of battles tonight. (Hayton) and (Yamamoto) were great, up and down the ice and in the corners. We were able to create a lot from that and that's kind of been our identity as a line, and I think we played to that very well tonight.”
Tourigny also shared that the Hayton line keeps things simple and are smart with the puck. This allows them to play as effectively as they do.
“They protect the puck if they have to,” Tourigny explained. “They play north all the time, they get on the forecheck, get pucks behind the (defense), they put pucks at the net, move the puck at the open guy, (if the) guy’s not open they put the puck in a safe place.”
Goaltender Karel Vejmelka had a resilient effort against Tampa Bay. He stopped 29 of the 32 shots he faced, including all 10 shots in the third period and overtime. Vejmelka is 6-3-0 this season, as well as 3-1-0 on home ice. He also tallied his sixth career assist on Simashev’s overtime winner (per Mammoth PR). His hard work and determination helped the Mammoth get the win.
“He showed a lot of character bouncing back and coming up big like he did at the end of the game and making big saves in overtime and in the third,” Tourigny said. “Really proud of him, really proud for him. I think we all know how much he cares and how much the team means to him, so to see him bounce back and come up big in key moments and help us to get the two points was huge.”
“He played a resilient hockey game,” Lee said of Vejmelka. “He stuck with it, he found his game and we needed him. A couple ones that went in, bad bounce on the first one, stuff like that, but he hung in there and played a really strong game after that. He gets a win tonight because he did that and we did our job from him on out. I think it was a great group effort.”
The Mammoth recorded its 16th power play goal of the season when forward Dylan Guenther’s shot beat Tampa Bay goaltender Dennis Hildeby, late in the first period. The tally was Guenther’s fifth of the season and brought the Mammoth within one in the final three minutes of the opening frame. Utah has scored on the man-advantage in three consecutive contests (per Mammoth PR).
Mikhail Sergachev’s primary assist on the power play goal was his first career point against his former team. Captain Clayton Keller also had an assist for his 11th helper of the season. Keller’s 15 points lead the Mammoth, while his 11 assists are tied with Sergachev for the team-lead.
With the win, Utah has not lost consecutive games so far this season, which shows the dedication and drive from the team to keep pushing forward. The Mammoth improved to 8-4-0 with the win, and are 4-1-0 at the Delta Center this season.
Additional Notes from Tonight (per Mammoth PR)
- Yamamoto has seven points (3G, 4A) in as many games, and the forward is on a three game point streak. He has points in six of his last seven games, including three of four games at the Delta Center.
- Utah’s blue line has scored a league-high 11 goals in 2026-27. All defensemen who have played five or more games for the Mammoth this season have scored at least one goal.
- Center Vincent Trocheck posted two assists in the second period tonight, notching his first multi-point game with the Mammoth. He has now recorded three points in his last two games, after scoring at Seattle (10/22). Trocheck led the Mammoth with 17 faceoff wins tonight, after matching a franchise record with 18 faceoff wins in his last game at Seattle.
Final Stats
Score: UTA 5-4 OT
Shots: TBL 32, UTA 28
Power Play: UTA 1/3, TBL 1/3
Hits: UTA 26, TBL 23
Blocked Shots: TBL 13, UTA 12
Face-Off %: UTA 60.8%, TBL 39.2%
Upcoming Schedule
