Utah Ends Road Trip with 4-1 Win over Detroit

After a scoreless first period, the Mammoth had a strong second which started with the captain. Keller’s goal 1:44 into the middle frame got Utah on the board. Utah’s captain led by example and his strong play tonight pushed the team to keep fighting for a full 60-minute effort.

“(Keller), he competes. I think tonight he wanted to make the difference,” Tourigny said of the captain. “He scored a big goal, made a great play on (Stenlund’s) goal, but it’s more than that. It’s the fight he had. I felt like that about our team and it started with our captain.”

Nick Schmaltz recorded his 300th career NHL assist with the primary assist on Keller’s goal. In addition to leading the team in assists (19) and points (31), Schmaltz has switched to center with Logan Cooley out of the lineup. The forward has had a significant impact with his increased role, and has led the Mammoth with seven assists in nine games this month.

McBain scored his fourth of the season in the final six minutes of the second period, which increased the Mammoth’s lead to 2-0. Michael Carcone and Sean Durzi picked up assists on the play. Carcone (2G, 1A) and Durzi (1G, 2A) each have three points in their last three games.

“Really good pass by (Carcone),” McBain said of his goal. “It’s something you see him do a lot, kind of take them to the net, and whenever he does that I try to go backdoor and give him an option, so it worked out.”

In addition to the two second period goals, Utah’s penalty kill kept Detroit off the board in the middle frame. 36 seconds after the Mammoth killed off the first penalty in the second, the team went right back on the PK. However, Utah remained strong shorthanded and held the eighth-best power play to only three total shots on goal through two power plays.

“They do such a great job and at key moments,” Tourigny said of the PK. “The game was on the line at that time, and it was a key moment, so really good job.”

“I think it’s been great,” McBain explained of the penalty kill. “It’s something we’ve worked on a lot over the years and it’s kind of coming around. Our jobs just to try to keep the team in the game. Obviously, there’s really good players in this league, really good power play and you’re not going to get them all, but I think it’s been doing a good job.”

Detroit pushed back in the third. The Red Wings scored their first goal of the game on the power play halfway through the third period. Emmitt Finnie’s eighth of the year cut the Mammoth’s lead to 2-1.

However, the Mammoth scored twice in 31 seconds to reclaim momentum. Dylan Guenther’s team-leading 16th goal of the season increased Utah’s lead to 3-1 before Kevin Stenlund scored his third of the year less than a minute later to make it 4-1. The Mammoth held on in the final minutes and won the final game of the three-game road trip. Utah now has three wins in its last four games.

“We need to keep rolling,” Tourigny shared. “I think we’re playing a simpler game with more drive, with more net presence, with more dirty goals, going in the dirty area, I think that paid off. Our first two goals are what I call blue paint goals where you go to the net, and then after the rest open up. We had a few good plays here and there, but I think we need to keep going.”

Additional Notes from Tonight (per Mammoth PR)

• Selected 20th overall in the 2014 NHL Draft, Schmaltz has become the eighth player from his draft class to register 300 career assists.
• With the opening goal tonight, Keller has now found the scoresheet in all three of Utah’s meetings with Detroit (1g, 2a). He has posted a team-high 17 points (9g, 8a) in 14 career games against the Red Wings.
• Guenther has six goals in his last six games (12/8-12/17), and his seven goals in December (10 GP) are tied for the fourth-most in the NHL.
• Three of McBain’s goals this season have been on the road. In addition, his 12 goals on the road since the start of last season are tied for the fifth-most of any Utah skater.

The Mammoth return home for two games. Utah hosts the New Jersey Devils on Friday night.

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