3 takeaways from the Mammoths’ 3-2 win over the Bruins – Hockey Writer – Utah Mammoths
The Utah Mammoths opened the new season with a 3-2 victory over the Boston Bruins at the Delta Center for their third consecutive victory. The Mammoths faced arguably their toughest opponents in their first three games in Salt Lake City, and they handled it well to pick up their fourth win of the season.
This game showcased a lot of good bonding between the players on the team. From the first line to the second line, throughout the game, the Mammoths showed that this team really does come together and that the full potential of the offense is coming. Here are some takeaways from Sunday’s game.
Another big game from Clayton Keller and Nick Schmaltz
Friday’s game against the San Jose Sharks is a big one for a top unit that features Barrett Hayton, Nick Schmaltz and Clayton Keller. The trio combined for nine points, with Schmaltz scoring a hat trick.
Against the Bruins, the Mammoths will need their offense against a Bruins team that is better than expected. They need to contend with the attack of David Pastrňák, who scored two goals on Sunday to take his tally to four goals and eight points this season.
Little did anyone know that Keller and Schmaltz would put on another show for a crowd at the Delta Center. The game started with great passes from Mikhail Sergachev and Keller. The latter passed the puck to Schmaltz, who fired the puck into the net. It got past Joonas Korpisalo and hit Logan Cooley on the way in, giving the Mammoths an early lead.
The next goal came in a four-on-four match. Schmaltz took advantage of the open ice and moved around the Bruins zone. When he reached the net, he found an open Keller, who fired the puck into the empty net for his second Mammoth goal of the game.
The two of them are already unstoppable🙌
Schmaltz assisted Kelce to tie the score at 2-2. pic.twitter.com/YhHDziYGfs
— Utah Mammoth (@utahmammoth) October 20, 2025
Schmalz now has six points in his past two games. Keller also had six games, which helped make up for his poor performance in the first four games of the season. The connection between the two is crazy and is years worth of experience playing on the same line.
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“Chemistry is hard to find in this league and it takes time to really get to know each other,” Keller said. “It always feels like we know where each other is.”
Perhaps the recent success can be attributed to Schmaltz’s grandfather, who attended both Friday and Sunday’s games. In the three games Schmaltz’s grandfather watched his grandson, he saw him score multiple times, including two hat tricks. Maybe it’s a good luck charm.
The Mammoths didn’t see any performance from any team other than the second line (consisting of JJ Peterka, Dylan Guenther, and Logan Cooley), and now, the Mammoths are witnessing back-to-back games in which the top line not only failed to function, but controlled the game.
“Any good player, find another player that thinks like you do and you know where you are and you know where you’re going to be,” head coach Andre Turini said. “It’s not a matter of talent; it’s just a special chemistry, just something that’s built over time. We can talk about other duos in the league where March (Brad Marchand) and Bergeron (Patrice Bergeron) have been in Boston for a long time because we were just playing against Boston and they know each other and they know what to expect. Those things take time to build and I think they have that.”
Turini is right. It takes special players and time to have the kind of connection Schmaltz and Keller have. Being compared to two of the three members of “The Perfect Line” is certainly high praise, but with their performances, Keller and Schmaltz deserved it.
Another contest winner for Dylan Guenther
Gunther ended up scoring the game-winning goal for the Mammoths. What else is new? Seriously, the Mammoths’ star player once again played a key role in helping his team to its fourth win of the season.
Midway through the third period, Peterka controlled the puck and tracked down a Bruins defender. Meanwhile, Gunther skated into his usual spot near the faceoff circle and Peterka passed the puck to him. Unguarded, Gunther fired a powerful shot that was unstoppable and beat Korpisalo.
🚨 There is no way to stop this.
The Gunners rewritten the score to 3-2, Utah. pic.twitter.com/ZSNUwPCTpL
— Utah Mammoth (@utahmammoth) October 20, 2025
The goal ended up being the winning goal, Gunther’s eighth in the past 36 games. It leads the NHL during that span, as the two closest players, Cole Caufield and Sidney Crosby, have just six. Interestingly, similar to Schmaltz, Gunther also has some family members in the crowd.
“It only took 25 years (to score in front of my parents), so if I don’t get a road trip, this could be my last road trip,” Gunther said. “This is special. Growing up, you always dream of playing in the NHL, and it’s cool to be in the stands with your family and score.”
In addition to Guenther’s insane numbers leading the league in game-winning goals over the past 36 games, this goal stands out as yet another demonstration of the bond Guenther and Peterka are forming. While not on the level of Schmaltz and Keller, the play has been dynamic and already noticed in their first few games together.
“I really liked the way he (Petka) responded,” Turini said. “He was attacking from the first possession of the third quarter and he was attacking very quickly. He (Guenther) elevated this game in the third quarter and on the winning goal, he made a great reload, great strip, good pass, and obviously Gunner (Dylan Gunther) shot the ball really well. I liked that line in the third quarter and the way they responded.”
There’s definitely a valuable connection being made between the two, and you can bring Cooley into that conversation, too. If the Mammoths continue to grow and produce like most expect, the Mammoths will be one of the best top six in the Central Division and maybe even the Western Conference. With the two just signing long-term extensions (and Cooley set to sign one in the coming months), the potential for the “youth line” is huge.
Scan to find
The 3-2 win over the Bruins was the Mammoths’ third straight victory. All three have been present at the Delta Center and, most notably, their new mascot, Tarski, has been present.
Similar to the previous game, the Mammoths were going through a really bad stretch. This time, it was the second time, just like their game against the Sharks. It was the only time the team trailed, and Pastrnak took advantage of the opportunity. Nothing looked right.
The final period was when the Mammoths played their best hockey. They dominated, which led to Gunther’s goal.
“We had a good third place finish,” Keller said. “For whatever reason, we had a bad second game, but we bounced back and played hard and got back to our style of hockey in game three. I thought we did a good job tonight.”
Vitek Vaněček performed well in his second game as a starter for the Mammoths. It was much better than his first, and he made some big saves, especially on the Bruins’ power-play chances, to ultimately propel his team to the victory.
“V (Vaněček) was unreal the whole game,” Keller said. “Making big saves at the right time, so it was great to see him get the win at home tonight. I’m sure it was a huge confidence booster as well, he made great saves and had an unbelievable game.”
While all three wins came against teams that didn’t make the playoffs last season, a win is a win and the Mammoths have won three games to start the season with a 4-2-0 record. They’re undefeated in the Delta Center, which is a good thing for Mammoth fans.
“We’re trying not to get ahead of ourselves because I don’t want to get too excited, but obviously, we’re happy with what’s happened so far,” Turini said. “We know we have 41 home games and we want to take advantage of it. So far, so good.”
These three wins will hopefully inspire the Mammoths to keep their offense consistent. Their next four games all come against Central Division opponents trying to prevent the Mammoths from scoring any points.
In order to beat some of these teams, the top two teams have to continue to perform. Most importantly, however, the bottom six must start producing. We don’t see much offense from them. It needs changes to beat teams like the Colorado Avalanche and Winnipeg Jets.
For now, the Mammoths can feel good about themselves on Monday before completing a home sweep on Tuesday. Even if they end up losing that game, winning three of their first four games at the Delta Center is a great start to their season.
The Mammoths next face the Avalanche on Tuesday. The Avalanche started the new season with a record of 5 wins, 0 draws and 1 loss, and finally defeated the Bruins 4-1. The last time these two teams met was at the beginning of the season, and the Mammoths lost 2-1.
