Utah got off to a hot start and took a 3-1 lead with goals from Logan Cooley (2) and Alexander Kerfoot in the first period. By scoring his 19th and 20th goals of the season, Cooley has hit the 20-goal mark in each of his three NHL seasons. More impressively he achieved this feat in 46 games this year. Cooley also became the sixth player on the Mammoth to score 20 or more goals, and Utah leads the league in this category.
Alexander Kerfoot also had a two-goal night with one in the first period and one in the second. Utah’s alternate captain has three goals in his last three games, and he extended his points streak to four games. Since he returned from injury in late February, Kerfoot has contributed nine points in 17 games (4G, 5A). Due to two separate injuries, Saturday was Kerfoot’s 26th game this season. However, the veteran continues to be a versatile player for the Mammoth.
“I will say in the last week, he really improved,” Tourigny explained. “I think his drive to the net, he has a better net presence, he wins big face offs for us. (Kerfoot) is a guy who (is) a little bit of a Swiss army knife, or he can do everything. He’s a good offensive player, he has poise with the puck and creates possession, but as well is super reliable defensively, really good reads, super smart, and he has the intensity. We’re fortunate to have him and that kind of depth.”
Special teams were a significant factor in Saturday’s tilt. The Mammoth’s power play scored two goals on three opportunities. In addition to Cooley’s tally in the first, Nick Schmaltz scored his 27th of the season on the man-advantage. Utah’s power play has scored in three-straight games, and the Mammoth have scored twice on the man-advantage in each of their last two games (also Mar. 26, vs WSH).
“We had a shot mentality,” Sergachev said of the power play. “Everything started with a shot and then it opened up, and our elite players made some elite plays, and it paid off. So, simplicity is the key I think.”
On the other side of special teams, the Mammoth’s penalty kill killed off both of the team’s two penalties, which were separated by 41 seconds in the middle of the second period. Between the PK’s strong play and goaltender Karel Vejmelka’s timely saves, the Mammoth kept LA from capitalizing on the man-advantage. Utah’s penalty kill has gone 15-for-16 over seven games.
“I think our PK was solid,” Tourigny shared. “We didn’t make a lot of mistakes. Seriously, it was really good. You could see the guys were on a mission. They had poise with the puck on the PK; they were very quick at applying pressure. Did a really good job. And on the power play, I think you could see the aggression. It’s a word I use a lot but it’s exactly that. We attacked quickly; we had fire in our eyes. Just a funny thing in the third on our power play, the guys were rolling and the second unit they went ‘wow, they’re fun to watch, they should stay there.’ So, that was pretty cool for them to say that.”
The Mammoth were determined to play a 60-minute effort, especially after losing leads in recent games. When Los Angeles pushed back, Utah kept its composure, stayed disciplined, and rode the momentum wave. When the Kings pulled their goaltender in the final seven minutes of regulation, Jack McBain’s empty net goal with just over six minutes left, sealed the win. Utah rose to the occasion of the game and gained valuable experience.
“We have a couple meetings a couple days before and talked about it, and we (knew) what we’re going to do” Sergachev explained. “We’re just a young team. Sometimes emotions get the best of us like last game. We talked about it and today when emotions were getting the best of us, we settled it down, leaders, coaches, and it worked.”
Vejmelka picked up his 33rd win of the season and stopped 29 of the 31 shots he faced. He made timely saves and was a strong last line of defense, not only 5-on-5, but on the penalty kill as well.
Sergachev had his first career four-assist night, and the defenseman has seven assists in his last two games. Sergachev already has set a new career-high in assists and tied his previous career-high in points tonight. Following the game, his teammate shared more about the impact Sergachev has had for this Mammoth team.
“He’s elite,” Kerfoot said. “When he’s going, he can do everything. He can skate, he can make plays offensively, he can shut guys down defensively. He’s physical. He can do it all and when he gets the power play going like they were tonight, they were clicking. Made a great play to (Cooley) on that first (power play) goal. When he’s going, our team is at our best and he was great tonight, and he’s been great for the majority of the year.”
Utah will have a four-day break from game action before traveling to Seattle and Vancouver next week. Over this time the Mammoth will rest, recover, practice, and gear up for the final eight games of the regular season.
“(The break is) important at this time of the year,” Tourigny said. “I will say it’s a different break than others in a sense (that) we need to take it really seriously (and make sure) we manage it right. We have a really important game coming back. It’s a team who’s chasing us, who has a game in hand. So, it’ll be important for us to be ready against Seattle, but first let’s make sure we manage the break the right way.”
