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The Hockey News - Utah Hockey Club
Mammoth Bounce Back Yet Again, Edge Out Maple Leafs 3-2
- Story byThe Hockey News - Utah Hockey Club
- Mammoth Bounce Back Yet Again, Edge Out Maple Leafs 3-2
The Utah Mammoth's ability to bounce back continues. After a very rough 6-3 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers on Sunday, the Mammoth went to Toronto and pulled off a very close 3-2 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs.
The Maple Leafs might be hovering around .500, but they are no slouch of a team. Yet, the Mammoth managed to pull it off and now hold a 6-0-0 record after losing the previous game.
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There were a lot of big stories in Tuesday's game, but perhaps none were bigger than Sebastian Cossa's 27-save performance. Goaltending has not been great for the Mammoth between the first-year goaltender and Karel Vejmelka. Cossa has had some questionable games himself, and cries from the Mammoth fanbase of going out and trying to acquire a new goalie have only grown since the struggles began.
Tuesday's game was a good step in the right direction for Cossa. He looked comfortable in net as the game went on. While he definitely lucked out in the final couple of minutes with a couple of shots missing the net that should've gone in, all in all, it was a very solid performance for the goaltender.
"He made key saves at key moments and came up big when we needed him the most, and that was great," head coach André Tourigny said.
This game is only the second game this season in which Cossa has recorded a save percentage above .900. It's a much-needed win and performance, especially after a poor game from Vejmelka against the Flyers.
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Speaking of Vejmelka, he'll likely start on Thursday against the Montreal Canadiens. If he struggles, does Cossa get more games going forward? It's a very fair question to ask, especially because the 23-year-old is expected to help make up the goaltending tandem of the future with Michael Hrabal. Sticking to the positive side, though, you can see Cossa start to get more comfortable with being an everyday NHL goaltender, which is the main goal for him this season.
"He made some great saves, clutch saves in crucial moments," Andrew Peeke said. "He played a heck of a game, and it's awesome for him and awesome to see. It makes us feel comfortable back there as we keep growing as a team."
Another big story for the Mammoth going into Tuesday's game was the jumbling of the lines. Each line was altered in some sort of way or another.
Yet despite the jumbling of the lines, each trio worked pretty well with each other. The Jack McBain-Nick Schmaltz-Dylan Guenther line was noticeable every time they were on the ice, with Guenther and Schmaltz able to get pucks to the net and McBain able to find any loose change in front while also causing a little bit of chaos.
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"I think anyone can play with anyone on this team," Schmaltz said. "There's going to be changes throughout the year. That's just the way it goes. You've got to be able to adjust and play with who you're playing with that night. There's a ton of skill, so it's a lot of fun playing with new guys, and I thought we did a good job."
Guenther and Schmaltz each scored goals on the power play, with the aforementioned forward scoring the game-winning goal. The Mammoth went two-for-three overall on the man advantage while also killing both of the Maple Leafs' power plays. Not a bad night for special teams for the Mammoth at all, especially after it was a struggle on Sunday.
Another new line that was pretty noticeable was the top line of Clayton Keller, Barrett Hayton, and Anders Lee. Lee himself almost got a goal off a puck that he batted out of midair. However, due to goaltender interference from Hayton, it was waived off.
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Mammoth fans might've gotten mad at Hayton for that, but put some respect on his name. The forward made a good impact most of the night. He was physical and took some beatings in front of the net to help create screens for potential goals. That really helped on Peeke's second goal of the season, where he helped move Sergei Bobrovsky out of position for the shot to make its way into the back of the net.
The final member of the top line also had a really good night. Keller registered an assist on all three of the Mammoth's goals on Tuesday. There's been some criticism of his game recently too, with his defensive stats on a line with Dylan Guenther and Schmaltz not being the best. Don't look now, but Keller already has 17 assists this season, which is tied for the fourth most in the NHL, and has 21 points, which is tied for the ninth most in the NHL. He is also on pace for his first 100-point season. The captain has been sneakily good this season, and Tuesday proved it.
The biggest accomplishment for the Mammoth on Tuesday, though, was the number of shots they were able to get. The team racked up 36 shots on goal. Through the first two periods alone, the Mammoth had 55 shot attempts.
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That is an impressive number, considering the Mammoth only had 22 the game prior, a big reason why they lost that game. Throughout the first two periods against the Maple Leafs, the Mammoth dominated the shot game. Only in the third period did the Maple Leafs outshoot their opponents.
"We played a really good hockey game for the first two periods," Tourigny said. "I really like our identity and what we wanted. We were connected. We were disciplined in our details, and we played really well. Obviously, they had a push in the third. We were on our heels a little bit, and we'll learn a lot from that."
Tuesday's game was a complete 180 from Sunday's. The offense was generating shots, the goaltending was solid, special teams were clicking, and the Mammoth got the win to continue their streak of winning games after losing the prior one.
"We were confident with the puck," Schmaltz said. "We got a lot of skill throughout our lineup. We're making plays if the play's there, and then if not, we're going to work and work off the forecheck. We did a good job, especially in the first two periods. We're a tough team to play against when we're rolling like that."
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That's great and all, but it's now about consistency. Can the Mammoth repeat everything they did well and more on Thursday against an annoyed Canadiens team and onwards? You can't win every game, but the Mammoth's longest winning streak this season is currently three. The season is still young, but winning one or two in a row and then losing, and depending on a big bounceback win each time, isn't a recipe for consistent success.
Sooner or later, the luck is going to run out, and the Mammoth will lose back-to-back games. However, finding a consistent way to play as they did on Tuesday will help prolong that. It will also help them win more games.
"We need to keep believing in ourselves, believing in our systems, what we're doing, all those little things that go into getting prepared for each game," Peeke said. "We're having a good start to the road trip so far, and it's a huge win tonight. We have to take care of business in a tough barn the next night."
We'll see if the Mammoth can find that repetition against the Canadiens. For now, looking on the bright side, getting the 10th win of the season against a very solid Maple Leafs team isn't a bad thing to head into Game 17 with.
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The Mammoth will take on the Canadiens on Thursday night in Montreal. The Canadiens are 9-3-3 and are coming off a 5-4 overtime loss to the Winnipeg Jets, who came back from down 4-0 in the final couple of minutes of play to win the game.
