Utah’s Postseason Run Ends at Home

SALT LAKE CITY – As they’ve done all season long, Utah fought until the final minute; however, the Mammoth’s first postseason appearance ended with a 5-1 Game 6 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights. It was a close First Round series, and multiple games were determined by one goal. The Mammoth gained plenty of valuable experience and this loss will fuel the entire organization to take the next step next year.

“Your failure makes you stronger,” head coach André Tourigny explained. “You learn from it, and it makes you better. In order to make sure that happened, it has to hurt. I don't even want to feel good about it. I want that to hurt, and I want to learn from it. There will be a ton of things we will unpack and learn and grow as a coach, as a player, as an organization. Our crowd was unbelievable for us all season long. In the playoffs, there were at another level. I would’ve loved to win it for them.”

“You have to go through the lows to get to the highs,” Associate Captain Lawson Crouse said. “We can be proud as a group of where we got to. Obviously, we have some things to learn, closing out games, but Vegas, they're a great hockey team … we gave it our all, we can all be proud of that. It wasn't like we rolled over at any moments throughout the series, and we just came up short. That's the way it is. Obviously you got to learn from it and come back with another goal next year and try and replicate it, get a couple wins in the playoffs and advance to the next round.”

Seasons like this will help this group grow stronger. Over the first two years of this organization’s existence, the team has established a strong brotherhood. Each player has committed to fighting through adversity, supporting each other, and wanting to improve. The Mammoth grew their resilience throughout the 2025-26 season and 2026 playoffs, and are determined to build on this next season.

“One thing I know about this team is that this is a resilient group, and we’ll always come back stronger,” alternate captain Mikhail Sergachev expressed. “And if we set our goals, we will reach them. I have no doubt we’ll do some damage next year. I’m proud of this team; we battled, and our fans saw it. We got a lot of support from them, and we tried our best today. Very proud of this team.” 

Throughout the regular season and playoffs, Utah’s players and coaches have discussed the passion of this fan base. The Delta Center was loud all night long and following the game, the crowd gave the team a standing ovation. Captain Clayton Keller reflected on this encouragement from Utah.

“Like I’ve said all year long, the past two years, they've been unbelievable,” Keller explained. “They took it to a new level in the playoffs here. Their support means so much to all of us in this room, and gives us lots of energy. We love playing at home. We love playing at the Delta Center. It's the best building to play in. I just love their passion and how much you know they appreciate and care for us.”

It was not the ending that the Mammoth wanted, but this is just the start for Utah.

“I love our players, I love our team,” Tourigny said. “They're competitors. They're proud to play for that team, that state, that ownership. They fight for each other. They love each other. There's no doubt. An unbelievable group of guys in that room. Having said that, what we're going through tonight is important for our future. It's really important. Like I said, you need to let it hurt. You need to let it bleed a little bit. Has to hurt because that will be the fuel of tomorrow to bounce back and find a way to be better and to get to the next.”