Utah had a quick start with two goals in the first seven and a half minutes of the game. Captain Clayton Keller had a great feed to Crouse in the slot and the Associate Captain capitalized. Crouse’s tally was his 10th this season, as he became the sixth skater to reach that benchmark. Three and a half minutes later, Marino cleaned up a rebound to double the Mammoth’s lead.
“I like the way we scored those goals,” Tourigny shared. “We (had) traffic, we went at the net. That generated second opportunity and so on and so forth. I think early on, our mindset was really good.”
Utah’s defensemen continue to be on the scoresheet game after game. In addition to Marino’s goal, Mikhail Sergachev and Nate Schmidt each had an assist. Utah’s defensemen have combined for at least three points in three of the last four games (per Mammoth PR).
“It's huge,” Crouse said of the d-core’s contributions. “We wouldn't be here without our (defense) and they contribute all over the ice, defensively and offensively. It's great to see Johnny get one. He's obviously a great guy and really good with the puck, and makes some solid plays. It’s nice to see him get rewarded.”
When Ottawa pushed back throughout the game, Utah withstood the pressure. The Mammoth also had help from goaltender Karel Vejmelka. Vejmelka stopped 32 of the 33 shots he faced and recorded a league-leading 19th win of the season.
“Yeah, he's been great for us all year making those big saves,” Marino said of Utah’s netminder. “He definitely bailed us out so many times today. We want to help him out more, but when he plays like that we are a tough team to play against.”
Daniil But increased the Mammoth’s lead to 3-1, 5:42 into the third period. The rookie capitalized off a scramble in front of the net for his second of the season. As But continues to grow in his first NHL season, he’s showing his abilities and getting on the scoresheet.
“He understands the game,” Tourigny said of But. “He understands when it's time to pass, when it's time to shoot, when it's time to block the shot, when it's time to make a play on the breakout, and when it's time to cut at the net. He has a good IQ in that sense.”
“Yeah, it's good,” Crouse said of his teammate. “He's got a lot of chances, and I think he had a few more tonight that probably could have gone in and it’s just weird, that's the one that goes in. But credit to that line, they go to the net hard. It's nice to see them get rewarded.”
Additional Notes from Tonight
- With Crouse hitting 10 goals, Utah is tied for the most players with double-digit goals in the NHL. Utah’s Associate Captain has tallied six points in his last seven games (12/21-1/7; 2G, 4A).
- Keller’s two assists in the opening 7:20 of tonight’s game, earning his team-leading 12th multi-point game of the season and the 127th of his NHL career. The captain has tallied 10 points over the last nine games (12/17-1/7; 3G, 7A). Keller leads his team with 21 points (6G, 15A) through 18 games at Delta Center this season.
- Vejmelka has posted back-to-back wins (also 1/5 at NYR), with a 1.49 goals-against average and a .947 save percentage (54/57) in those contests.
With the win, the Mammoth are 10-7-1 at Delta Center this season. Utah’s homestand continues on Friday with a game against the St. Louis Blues. Tickets are available here!
Upcoming Schedule
