NASHVILLE – Bend, not break. That’s the mentality the Utah Mammoth had against the Nashville Predators to fight back for a 3-2 overtime win. Dylan Guenther’s overtime goal secured Utah’s first regular season win and two divisional points. Logan Cooley and Jack McBain also scored for the Mammoth in Saturday’s win.
“I like our resilience,” head coach André Tourigny shared postgame. “I think we probably had our B game, and we talk about mental strength and being tough mentally. We got in the box a little bit too much in the second, and instead (of folding) we really bounced back and played better in the third. We had better battles, and we were resilient, so (I’m) happy about that part of our game.
“I think it’s a good character (win) for us and that’s who we want to be as a team,” Tourigny continued. “It’s not always our A game, it’s how we react with adversity.”
The Mammoth’s resilience was evident late in the third period. Even though Utah was down a goal in the final nine minutes of regulation, forward Jack McBain’s determination to crash the net and capitalize on his chance, got the Mammoth back in the game. Brandon Tanev’s energy throughout the game also helped fuel this comeback.
“His intensity, his battle, his pushback,” Tourigny shared on McBain. “McBain is one. (Tanev) is another one. When we’re in deep water, he really stood (out to) me and see his plays, intensity, his battle level, he was a difference maker for us.”
When the team needed someone to secure the win, Guenther got the job done. The forward continued his strong start to the season Saturday night. Guenther has been involved in three of Utah’s four goals to start the 2025-26 campaign (per Utah PR). He also is the fourth player in NHL history to score five overtime goals in his first 150 career games (per NHL PR).
Guenther’s poise under pressure was evident in overtime and with the game’s opening goal. On a 3-on-1, Guenther went on his backhand to get past his coverage and set up his linemate Logan Cooley. The chemistry with this line is growing and the first goal of the game showed how dangerous the trio of JJ Peterka, Guenther, and Cooley can be.
In addition to his offensive contributions, Guenther has been turned to in every possible situation this season, whether it’s the power play, penalty kill, 5-on-5, or 6-on-5. He takes a lot of pride in the trust from the coaching staff.
“I think it’s a huge compliment,” Guenther said of his role with the team. “To have the coaches trust in you on the defensive side, and just give them a little bit more. We talked about that in the offseason, giving a little bit more, blocking more shots. I think that’s a big thing. So just doing whatever I can help this team win every game.”
With two big points secured against a Central Division opponent, the Mammoth walked away from Saturday’s game battle tested in a tight contest.
“We talk a lot as a group about just staying with it,” McBain reflected. “We want to be in those close games … and those are the games we got to win. I thought we did a really good job coming out in the third and just staying with it, being patient, not forcing stuff.
“It’s huge,” McBain also shared. “You look back at last year and we had a ton of overtime games that went the wrong way for us. When you’re sitting there at the end of the year, you’re in a playoff race, those are the ones you look back at. If you can just find a way to get those, huge win for us.”
