Utah Played to Identity in 5-2 Win over Minnesota

As the Mammoth found the response and play they were looking for, their next goal is to be consistent with that effort. Sticking to their identity night in and night out will be key for the team down the final stretch of the season.

“We’re a really fast team and can make a lot of plays, but I think that’s the biggest thing for us is sticking to our identity as much as we can,” Keller said. “It’s hard to do and I think we’ve got better as year’s gone on, but the good teams are the most consistent. Even when you don’t feel your best, you find a way. I think we’re showing steps in the right direction, just got to be more consistent.”

The line of Clayton Keller, Nick Schmaltz, and Lawson Crouse had an impactful night. The trio contributed five points in the middle frame with Keller and Crouse each scoring once while Schmaltz had a pair of assists. Each player had a multi-point night as Keller had three points (1G, 2A), while Crouse (2G) and Schmaltz (2A) each had two-point performances. Tourigny complimented the Schmaltz line for their drive and determination.

“They have that sense, and they can hunt pucks and create turnovers and are good on the forecheck and stuff like that,” Tourigny explained. “They’re hungry, they want to go at it, and they stay on top of their opponent. What I like about them, and through the years, when they started to play together a few years ago, they were a rush line. I believe if you want to be a really good line, you need to be more in there, even if you’re productive on the rush. When the game gets tight and push comes to shove, you need to be able to be good at creating traffic by the net, be good on the forecheck, be good at playing in the dirty area and playing that grind game. That line became really good with the years of doing it. You saw today, the goal of (Keller) is a turnover caused by a lot of pressure on one of the best defensemen in the world. That shows how good, how good they can be when they have that aggression.”

Crouse and alternate captain Mikhail Sergachev each recorded a team-leading five shots in tonight’s game. Like Crouse, Sergachev also had a multi-point effort with two assists. Both players were complimented for their individual performances following the win. 

“(Crouse has) been so big for us,” Keller shared. “He creates so much space for me and (Schmaltz). He does the little things that separate us. It’s great to see that he can finish too. He’s a really smart player, and I really enjoy playing with him.”

“I’m really proud of the boys,” Tourigny said. “I think there’s a ton of players I can talk about today who I’m proud of, proud of their effort … I have to talk about (Sergachev). I think he was a beast out there.”

In the final stretch of the regular season, every point matters. With the win tonight, Utah remains in the first wild card spot with 66 points. Those two points put some distance between the Mammoth and other teams fighting for a postseason berth.

“Huge, especially coming down the stretch to finish the season,” Crouse explained. “Tough when you lose two in a row and we came ready to play. Obviously, they had a tough schedule with the back-to-back to start (after the Olympic break). We jumped on them and took advantage.”

The Mammoth will wrap their six game homestand with a 2:00 p.m. game against the Chicago Blackhawks on Sunday. Tickets are available here!

Additional Notes from Tonight

• Keller had two assists in tonight’s game and became the first player to record 100 assists with the franchise.

• With 28 wins this season, Vejmelka is tied for the league-lead with Tampa Bay Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy. Vejmelka has a 3-1-0 record in four games this month and has improved to 10-2-0 at the Delta Center since Dec. 21.

• Hayton scored his fourth power play goal of the season, and the forward has earned points in six of his last seven contests (2G, 4A). 

• Cooley’s shorthanded goal is his second this season and third of his NHL career. The center is the only Mammoth skater with multiple shorthanded tallies this season. Utah’s six shorthanded goals are tied for the seventh-most of any NHL team in the 2025-26 campaign.

• Defenseman Nate Schmidt played his 800^th career game tonight and he is one of six active undrafted players to log at least 800 NHL contests. He trails only Brenden Dillon and Chirs Tanev in that category among active undrafted defensemen.

• Jack McBain had two assists in his 300^th career NHL game. This is his fourth multi-point game of the season, and he has six assists in his last seven games.