Philadelphia took control of the game early with two goals in the first four and a half minutes of the game. In the first minute of the second period the Flyers scored on the power play to take a three-goal lead. However, Utah built momentum off several strong shifts, as the team simplified its game.
“That’s the way we have to play,” Tourigny explained. “Just predictable, fast, quick, simple (hockey). That’s what we have to build off, and I think tonight we had the good, the bad, and the ugly and that was the good.”
Five and a half minutes in the middle frame, Utah got on the board. Peterka’s effort in the blue paint got the Mammoth on the board with his 17th of the season. Credit to Daniil But for driving in and getting the puck on net initially.
36 seconds later, Crouse scored his 13th of the season to bring the Mammoth within one. The Schmaltz line brought a lot of effort to maintain the zone and make the goal happen. Both of Crouse’s linemates, Nick Schmaltz and Clayton Keller, picked up assists on the tally. Like his teammates, Crouse had a strong effort throughout the game.
“Here’s such a great player, person, guy in the locker room,” Keller said of his linemate. “He does everything for the team, does everything right. I can’t say enough good things about him and it’s great to see him get rewarded. He has been working on his shot a lot. He’s doing the little things that the rest of you guys might not see and we all see it, so it’s great to see him get rewarded and he’s going to bring that same effort every single night.”
Philadelphia entered the third period with a two-goal lead after the Flyers converted on two power plays in the middle frame. With 7:13 left in regulation, Hayton’s power play goal brought the Mammoth within one.
Utah pulled Vejmelka in the final two minutes as the Mammoth were looking for the equalizer. When Utah lost possession, Philadelphia’s Garnet Hathaway raced up ice with the net empty in front of him. However, a strong defensive play by Schmaltz stripped Hathaway of the puck and kept the game within one.
“You know what I’m happy about–I’m happy that everybody (saw) that,” Tourigny said of Schmaltz’s play. “Because that’s what we see from (Schmaltz). I talked about it last year and I’ve talked about it this year and I’ve talked about his play away from the puck and his effort and his IQ, the way he defends, the way he strips pucks, how he gets body position and battles. Not everybody will see that and you need to pay attention. And when there’s a highlight play like that; I liked his performance and how he impacts our team. I’m glad for him and for everybody–who were here at the Delta Center or at home watching our game–who sees that. It can highlight what Nick Schmaltz means for our team.”
From there, the Captain took over. Keller scored with 35 seconds left to tie the game, 4-4, and then two minutes into overtime to win the game. Keller was a constant on the scoresheet during this homestand. He had at least a point in six of the seven games, and had 13 points in that span (2G, 11A). His constant drive and hard work has led to performances like these and the captain reflected on this following the game.
“I think a lot of it is belief, and the mental talk that I'm saying to myself in my head,” Keller said of his clutch performances. “I've always trusted my training. I know I've done everything possible to leave myself in a good position and let the rest take care of itself. I skate every day in the summer with a couple other guys, I work on those touches and all those things.”
It was a very successful homestand as the Mammoth won six of seven, and outscored their opponents 28-15. It was important that Utah put together strong performances and picked up 13 of 14 possible points in a tight playoff race. Even with this, the Mammoth remained focused on not going too high or too low with their emotions.
“Staying even keel,” Keller said of the homestand. “You can be humbled very quickly. You’re never as good as you think you are, and they’re never as bad as you think they are. I think just finding that middle ground. We really feel like everyone’s bought in right now and we’re playing for one another. We’re giving everything we’ve got. Lots of ups and downs, but we gotta keep it going. There’s a lot of season left, and we have a big road trip coming up and that’s where we have to move our focus on to now.”
“We had a lot of road games to start, and you got to take advantage of these when the standings are tight,” Guenther said of the homestand. “You try to string a couple together and just want to keep it going now.”
The Mammoth head out on a four-game road trip. The first game is a Central Division matchup as the Mammoth visit the Nashville Predators on Saturday afternoon.
Additional Notes from Tonight (per Mammoth PR)
- Vejmelka made 25 saves in net tonight to register his league-leading 24th win of the season. He has now posted a career-long, seven-game win streak dating back to Jan. 5 at the New York Rangers. He has extended his longest career home win streak to seven contests.
- Tonight was the second three-goal comeback win in franchise history. Both such victories have come this season, with a 5-4 margin of victory against opponents from Pennsylvania (also 12/14/25 at PIT).
- Keller has scored three overtime goals this season, tied with Guenther for the team lead and tied for the second-most in the NHL (Cole Caufield, MTL: 4).
- The Mammoth became the 13th team in NHL history to earn points in every game of a homestand lasting at least seven contests, as well as the first team to accomplish the feat since 2022-23.
