Both goaltenders showed up strong throughout the game, especially Utah’s Karel Vejmelka who delivered time and time again. His timely saves were a big reason why the game was 0-0 going into the third period. In the final frame, when the Mammoth only allowed three shots, Vejmelka remained sharp. Utah’s netminder stopped 17 of Buffalo’s 18 shots in the win.
“It’s all about staying sharp mentally and just being ready for another shot,” Vejmelka reflected postgame. It’s as simple as that but I didn’t have that (many) shots, but it was a good game, but we need to be a little better defensively.”
On the other side, Buffalo’s goaltender Alex Lyon was strong in net to keep Utah from scoring on the majority of their opportunities. The Mammoth outshot the Sabres 34-18 through 60:47 of playing time. The Mammoth had a 15-5 shot advantage in the second period and a 12-3 advantage in the third. Utah stuck with it and kept pushing despite Lyon’s saves.
“We just kept going, no matter what,” Keller said of sticking with it. “Their goalie played awesome tonight, and I think that’s the biggest thing is when you’re getting chances, you got to stay positive, no matter how pissed off you are. It’s very hard to do but I think that’s the maturity in our team. Everyone has, as individuals, has gotten so much better at it.”
Four minutes into the third period, Nick Schmaltz broke the 0-0 tie and scored his eighth of the season. The goal was the result of Clayton Keller and Schmaltz’s strong chemistry, as the Captain knew exactly where his linemate was and that Schmaltz would convert. John Marino picked up an assist on the goal for his fifth helper of the season.
