Goaltender Karel Vejmelka stopped all 15 shots he faced in the win which was the Mammoth’s first home shutout in franchise history. The Delta Center erupted into ‘Veggie’ chants throughout the game, and he was a calm presence for the team in front of him. In the third period, the Mammoth were focused on helping Vejmelka get his first shutout of the season.
“He was confident out there; he was solid,” Tourigny said. “When he had to come up big, he made the big save. I like his performance; no doubt about it, but I like how the guys wanted to do the right thing for him at the end. They played the right way, and we kept them on the outside. I think it's a good team mentality, and I think we played for each other.”
It may have been the first of 84 games this season; however, the Mammoth brought a consistent effort throughout the game. Part of that effort was using the team’s speed and chemistry to take over.
“I thought we had good pace from the start,” Captain Clayton Keller explained. “We knew they were a fast, skilled team, and I thought we put pucks behind them, used our speed. Every single line was playing the same way, and just kept rolling it over and didn't get away from our game.”
With two assists in the home opener, Keller is two points away from the 600 career NHL points mark. He assisted on both of Dylan Guenther's power play goals. Guenther opened the scoring for the third-straight season. He became the fourth player in NHL history to score a goal in each of a team's first three season openers.
“I think just consistency and attacking them the same way,” Guenther said about his team’s performance. “We had a game plan going in, wanted to get a lot of shots and a lot of good forechecks, and probably just get going after that goal.”
In addition to all skaters bringing the same effort, the Mammoth were strong defensively. Utah held Chicago to 15 total shots, seven in the first period, two in the second period, and six in the third period.
“I think just having lots of pace in the D zone,” Keller shared on the team’s success defensively. “We talked about that a lot, and trying to take away their time and space, so I think we did a good job tonight, and we got to continue to do that every single night.”
Faceoffs were another strength in Thursday’s game. Utah won 72.2% of its faceoffs in Thursday’s game, which is a new franchise high. Offseason acquisition Vincent Trocheck won 11 of his 14 faceoffs, Kevin Stenlund went 6-for-8, and Logan Cooley went 7-for-10 at the dot.
It was a special night for the community, the state of Utah, and the Mammoth organization. One thing that has remained consistent from the first game in 2024, until now, has been the support from the community.
“Every game that I coach in (this) building, it’s been amazing,” Tourigny said. “They are supportive, they are into it, they’re loud. They’re great. We get spoiled. We knew what to expect tonight. They did not disappoint. They were great. They showed up, like usual in Utah. It was great.”
The Mammoth head out on a five game road trip with stops in Columbus, New York, New Jersey, Boston, and Buffalo. Although it was an exciting win and a great way to start the 2026-27 season, Utah is focused on looking ahead and staying even-keeled.
“I think everyone’s anxious to get the season going,” Guenther shared. “So, to start like that is a good feeling. I hope we can just take that momentum into the long roadie.”
“I think it's a good start, Keller said. “It’s a start that you want to have a big one like that, and now we have to keep it going. Short memory, learn from the mistakes in the game tonight, and go into this road trip.”
