Previous to Tuesday, the last time Nate Schmidt and Vítek Vaněček dressed for a game at Amerant Bank Arena, they hoisted the Stanley Cup .
Players always want to show up their former teams, despite good memories. The Mammoth came up just short when they played the Panthers in December , so the importance of Tuesday's game increased.
Here's what happened.
Winning the first period was key to the Mammoth's success — and they did exactly that.
Nick Schmaltz opened the scoring with a short-handed goal, thanks in large part to Kevin Stenlund pressuring Olympian-to-be Uvis Balinskis on an attempted zone entry.
A Mammoth-sized turnover in Utah's zone in the second period permitted Sandis Vilmanis to score his first NHL goal, but Sean Durzi restored the Mammoth's lead 54 seconds later.
Cole Schwindt capitalized on another Mammoth turnover to score his fourth-ever NHL goal, sending the teams into the second intermission with a 2-2 tie.
Mikhail Sergachev broke the stalemate with a perfect deflection — something defensemen don't often do. A Barrett Hayton empty-netter provided insurance, which Utah ended up needing, as Carter Verhaeghe snuck in a late goal off the rush.
Regardless, Utah managed a 4-3 win in a difficult situation.
"We took the lead, they came back, they tied the game, we took the lead again. It did not faze us," said Mammoth head coach André Tourigny. "It was a big test, mentally, today, the schedule and everything, and I think our guys were phenomenal."
It was an especially important matchup for goaltender Vítek Vaněček.
Prior to this game, Vaněček hadn't won since Oct. 26. Karel Vejmelka, of course, plays about three quarters of the games, but it was still a 10-game winless streak for the backup.
What better place to break a rough spell than your old stomping grounds?
"It feels good, you know? Like, I didn't get a win (in a) long time, and right time in the right rink, get the win," Vaněček said after the game.
Vaněček remains undefeated in regulation at Amerant Bank Arena, where the Panthers play their home games — and remember, he played for the Panthers.
Both of his wins after being traded to Florida last season came in that building, and his only other game there was an overtime loss with the New Jersey Devils. Tuesday's win keeps that record alive.
"I'm really happy for him," Tourigny said of Vaněček. "I think he had great games for us (lately). We could not find a way to win. We could not give him enough offense. Tonight, we gave him a little bit of offense. He got the two points on the back-to-back. Huge win for Vanny, huge win for us. That's great."
Before the season, if you would have told Mammoth fans that both Logan Cooley and Dylan Guenther miss the game in Florida due to injury, on the second half of a traveling back-to-back, using a goalie on a 10-game losing streak, they wouldn't have given their team very good odds at escaping with a win.
But they did it.
In his pregame remarks , Tourigny revealed a can-do mindset — one that accompanies good teams, not desperate ones.
"I like the challenge," he said, referencing that evening's matchup with the Panthers. "I like when we have to play that way. I think it's where we're at our best, and that's the kind of team we want to be."
The Mammoth didn't win every puck battle, nor did they dominate on the shot clock or in the face-off circle. But they stuck to the things that they do well and they kept their heads up during adversity.
"Tough environment: three games in four nights," Tourigny said after the game. "... We stayed with it and we were strong mentally and made a lot of good plays. Really proud of them."
This is the kind of game that can turn a hot stretch into a winning culture. For the sake of player development, it's just too bad the Mammoth's two most promising young stars weren't in the lineup.
With the number of remaining games quickly evaporating, Utah's chances at making the playoffs are looking better and better.
Their win in Florida puts them at 60 points on the season, which is five more than any non-playoff team in the Western Conference. They have, of course, played more games than all of their competitors, but games in hand do not automatically equate to wins.
If the Mammoth can't win the division (they won't), their next-best chance at first-round playoff success is to finish in the first wild card spot. That would likely match them up against the Vegas Golden Knights, rather than the Dallas Stars.
Don't get it twisted: Those are both proven playoff teams, and they're anything but a guaranteed W. But with how dominant the Stars have been this season, nobody wants to see them in April.
Not only was this a beautiful goal — it was also an important one. Schmaltz is now just four goals short of his career high, and one shy of his total from last season.
That's good timing for the UFA-to-be.
