Mammoth Get Slain By Vegas In Game 1

The Utah Mammoth had a promising start to their first-ever playoff game in franchise history. However, it would end in heartbreak. They had the lead twice, but the Vegas Golden Knights eventually beat them 4-2 on Sunday night in Game 1 of their first-round series.

As for the Golden Knights, they waited until the third period to strike. They scored three goals in the third to take the lead and win the game. With the win, the Golden Knights have not lost in regulation since John Tortorella (8-0-1) took over as coach.

Colton Sissons had a goal and an assist for Vegas, and Mark Stone, Nic Dowd, and Ivan Barbashev also scored. Carter Hart stopped 32 shots. Noah Hanifin had two assists.

Logan Cooley and Kevin Stenlund scored for the Mammoth. Karel Vejmelka made 27 saves in the loss. Utah captain Clayton Keller, who closed the regular season with 16 assists over a 10-game streak, failed to record a point in this game.

Mammoth Were Not Physical Enough in Game 1

The Golden Knights took the fight to the Mammoth from the beginning. They out-hit Utah 52 to 29. Vegas’ high in the regular season was 36 against the Los Angeles Kings in the October 8th opener. The Mammoth will need to step up their hitting game in Game 2.

The playoffs are a different animal from the regular season. Utah must be more physical if they want to win this series. Both teams broke into several scrums throughout the game, including one after the final buzzer. I expect to see much of the same in Game 2 on Tuesday night.

Game 1 Breakdown

Former Golden Knight Nate Schmidt delivered a tremendous cross-ice pass to Cooley, whose one-timer from the right circle put the Mammoth on the scoreboard first with just 11 seconds left in the first period.

Sissons scored the equalizer at 3:44 of the second period, jamming in the puck after a backhand pass from Cole Smith. The Mammoth retook the lead just over a minute later when Hart found himself out of position, and Vegas defenseman Kaeden Korczak knocked the puck into his own net. However, it was officially credited to Kevin Stenlund.

The Golden Knights tied the game again when Stone put a rebound into the open net for a power-play goal at 5:33 of the third period. They then took the lead when Utah defenseman MacKenzie Weegar turned over the puck in his zone, and Dowd knocked in Hanifin’s shot. Barbashev closed the scoring with an empty netter.