Mammoths beat Avalanche 4-3 in overtime thriller – The Hockey Writers – Utah Mammoths
The Utah Mammoths wrap up a four-game homestand Tuesday night when they host the Colorado Avalanche at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City.
This is the second meeting this season between the two Central Division rivals, after their first meeting in the season opener when the Avalanche defeated the Mammoths 2-1 in Colorado.
Since then, the Mammoths have gone 4-1-0, while the Avalanche remain undefeated in six regular-season games.
game review
The Mammoths had their first few good chances of the game, but the Avalanche opened the scoring on a wrist shot from Cale Makar that Karel Vejmelka didn’t see coming. Zahar Bardakov and Parker Kelly assisted on the goal. It was the 2021 seventh-round pick’s first NHL point in his second career game and Kelly’s first of the season.
The Avalanche took a one-goal lead into the first intermission. However, the Mammoths finally broke the deadlock shortly after midway through Nick Schmaltz’s fourth goal of the season. It was his fourth straight game with a point and his eighth in that span.
The Mammoths then took the lead when Kevin Stenlund passed the ball beautifully to Lawson Crouse, who scored his first goal of the season on a one-timer. Michael Carcone also had an assist in this game, taking the first shot off Stenlund before recovering the puck from a block and finding Crouse.
The Mammoths held on to their lead until their second break. But the Avalanche fought back 70 seconds into the game, scoring his first goal of the season from Jack Drury, who rebounded off Ross Colton’s shot.
However, the Mammoths took the lead at right back with less than five minutes to play, beating Scott Wedgewood with a shot from the top of the right circle. This is Mikhail Sergachev’s first goal and score of the season.
The Avalanche didn’t go away; they tied the game again, with Martin Necas tying the score with an incredible shot with just over two minutes left in regulation to avoid their first regular-season loss of the season.
The goal sent the game into overtime, and with 33 seconds left in overtime, Dylan Guenther connected on a wicked backdoor pass from Clayton Keller to make it 4-3. With the win, the Mammoths also fell behind in the season series against the Avalanche.
These two teams will meet twice more this season, with the next game scheduled for December 23 in the Mile High City. Before then, the Mammoths have a four-game road trip, starting with St. Louis, while the Avalanche will face the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday.
