
The Vegas Golden Knights lost 4-2 to the Utah Mammoth in their first playoff game at the Delta Center. The Mammoth took control in the second period and held off a late push from the Golden Knights.
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(© Rob Gray-Imagn Images)
Fans flocked to the Delta Center on Friday with plenty of reasons to be excited about the Utah Mammoth. In just their second year of franchise history, the Mammoth were about to host their first playoff game against the Vegas Golden Knights. Commissioner Gary Bettman was in attendance and had just announced pregame that the Mammoth would host a Winter Classic on New Yearâs Eve.
Their team certainly gave them something to cheer about. The Mammoth took a commanding lead halfway through the second period and held off a late Golden Knights push to secure a 4-2 win in their first home playoff game.
It took exactly 12:59 for the Mammoth to give the people what they wanted. After the Golden Knights lost a board battle, Keegan Kolesar disrupted a dangerous pass meant for Liam OâBrien. The puck came loose, and MacKenzie Weegar activated from the point and fired a clapper that hit Carter Hart in the mask, off his right pad, and into the net.
The Mammoth doubled their lead on their only power play opportunity of the night at 17:45 in the first. Logan Cooley set Dylan Guenther up for a one-timer, which he blasted home from the far side.
The final score was 4-2 in favor of the Utah Mammoth.
MacKenzie Weegar scored the first goal for the Mammoth.
The Mammoth hosted their first home playoff game and announced they would host a Winter Classic on New Yearâs Eve.
The Golden Knights struggled in the second period, allowing the Mammoth to take a commanding lead.


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Hockey is a game of momentum, and a two-goal deficit is nothing for the 2026 Golden Knights. But things got away from them in the second period, and Lawson Crouse scored twice in a 5:42 span to hammer the nail into the coffin.
The first came 4:06 into the second. The Mammoth won a defensive zone face-off, and MacKenzie Weegar took it the other way and found Lawson Crouse at center ice. Crouse fed Nick Schmaltz; Schmaltz entered the zone and set Crouse up for his first goal of the postseason.
At 9:48 in the second, the Mammoth capitalized on another Golden Knights mistake. Clayton Keller intercepted a clearing attempt and found Lawson Crouse to keep the play alive. Crouse stepped into the slot and wristed a shot past Carter Hart for his second of the night.
The Golden Knights finally solved Karel Vejmelka at 13:20 in the second. Mark Stone found Ivan Barbashev in front of the net, and Jack Eichel cleaned up the change.
The Golden Knights pushed in the third period, and, in addition to limiting the Mammoth to one shot on goal, scored again with 3:18 remaining in regulation. Cole Smith set up Nic Dowd for his second of the postseason to cut Utahâs lead to two.
Dowdâs goal gave them a new lease on life, and the Golden Knights pulled Carter Hart for the extra attacker. However, they didnât register a shot on goal; despite an inability to hit the empty net, the Mammoth held on for a 4-2 win to take a 2-1 series lead.
1. Despite Friday marking the first home playoff game for the Utah Mammoth in franchise history, head coach John Tortorella wasnât afraid of an energetic Delta Center. Instead, he saw it as something for his Golden Knights to feed off of.
âWe loved coming to [T-Mobile Arena], because I think it helps the visiting team,â said Tortorella on Friday morning. âI think itâs a wash point, honestly. I think our players are entertainers. They love playing in front of people, and Iâm sure itâs going to be very exciting here tonight for both teams.â
To Tortorellaâs credit, the Golden Knights didnât seem intimidated by the raucous crowd. By the end of the second period, shots were 23-11 in favor of Vegas. But some demons are hard to exorciseâ once again, despite recording 32 shots and generating38 total scoring chances, they simply couldnât do the only thing that matters in hockey: actually score the goals.
2. Tortorella is quick to change his lines, but heâs not considering making a change in goal.
âI know Carter well enough; he wants to work through it. I have faith in him. There was no thought of taking him out [tonight],â Tortorella said postgame. âI don't look at his game [tonight] as being a real bad game; it was a weird game for him. But I know him so well. He has an attitude and a mental toughness about him at that position. He'll be fine.â
3. For better or worse, the players arenât worried right now. This is a veteran group, and being down 2-1 in a series doesnât frighten them. They believe in the process, and they believe that theyâre on the right track.
âWeâre not going to win every single game. You do the mathâ you could lose 12 and still win the Stanley Cup,â Nic Dowd said postgame. âIf any team plays the right way, and they do it consistently, theyâre going to come out on top eventually.â
The Golden Knights are doingâ and sayingâ the right things. But if the last three years are anything to go by⊠Well, you know what they say about the road to hell.