3 Takeaways From Mammoth’s 3-1 Win Over Flames

Peterka has to be one of the fastest players on the Mammoth roster. It’s an asset we’ve seen him use before to score, but not like this, at least in Utah.

“I think that has always been a huge strength for me, going by defenders,” Peterka said. “I hope to continue that here.”

Peterka ended up being named the first star of the game for his contributions. It wasn’t just the goal that he brought to the table either. He had multiple good chances to score and was a solid piece of the power play despite their lack of production.

In the four games Peterka has played with the Mammoth, Tourigny has seen the young forward continue to improve in each game. It hasn’t just been his offensive play either. It’s been his two-way play as well.

“He’s improving every game, to be honest, on both sides of the puck,” Tourigny said. “I like the last two games; he’s way more involved in battle on the forecheck. Today was better, again, even better in the forecheck, but even better as well at getting inside on the offensive zone and creating space for his teammates, and everybody can go to the net.”

It’s not like the forward automatically clicked with the team when he first arrived from the Buffalo Sabres. While maybe it didn’t seem like it on the surface, the newest Mammoth struggled at points during the preseason. 

Now, it feels like he’s been with the Mammoth forever, making unreal passes to Dylan Guenther and Logan Cooley. 

“Preseason was a little different,” Peterka said. “I think as the season started, I was always ready. It’s not much thinking anymore on the ice, which is good. I just try to play instinctively out there.”

A Risky Win

As mentioned, the win wasn’t one that should be repeated. A win is a win, but the way the Mammoth got there was sloppy.

The power plays were atrocious, the Mammoth still didn’t do well in the faceoff circle, and the third period was one to forget. Not to mention, the team turned the puck over quite a bit during those final 20 minutes.

“In the third, I think they had a really good push,” Tourigny said. “I like the way we managed it defensively, in the sense of without the puck, but we turned the puck over a little bit too much when we were protecting the lead. We were a little bit too safe, like our game in general, when it comes to the physicality, balancing the hits, but trying not to draw penalties.”

Luckily, Karel Vejmelka once again bailed them out, making 19 saves, including 12 in the third period. Having your goaltender make minimal saves only to flip the script and throw him back into the fire in the final 20 minutes isn’t good. However, Vejmelka was on his usual game on Wednesday.

“It wasn’t easy,” Vejmelka said. “In the first two periods, we dominated those guys, but they had more pressure in the third, and we played a really good job defensively. I needed to do a couple of good saves. It’s a big team win.”

It can’t be told enough that in order to win a hockey game, you need to be solid for the whole 60 minutes. In the past, the Mammoth have had a poor second period sandwiched between good first and third periods. On Wednesday, it was a good first 40 minutes, followed by a collapse in the third.

Yet, Tourigny didn’t feel any panic. In the final minute, part of that was helped by Kevin Stenlund’s empty net goal. However, it was mainly because of the way Vejmelka played, combined with some solid defensive play by the Mammoth’s blue line.

“We dominated for two periods, and you arrive in the third and they have a push,” Tourigny said. “I didn’t feel any panic. I felt guys were trying to do the right thing, not necessarily having success at it, but they were doing the right thing, and we defended really hard. So it was tough for them to get to our net front, but when they did, Veggie came big.”

It was a really risky game by the Mammoth, and one they can’t get away with forever. Relying on Vejmelka will eventually be exposed by a better team, which is what happened last season. 

However, a win is a win, and it gets the Mammoth back to .500. It was also the first game back at Delta Center, which makes the Mammoth 2-0-0 in home openers. Players like Peterka also got to live out the Utah treatment, which made them really happy.

“The crowd throughout the whole game was unbelievable,” Peterka said. “It started with the anthem in the warm-ups. Then, throughout the whole game, when we needed energy, we for sure got it from the crowd.”

It was another successful home opener for the Mammoth. While there’s a lot to change and fix in the coming days, it is a win, and it’s a win in front of the Mammoth faithful. You can’t complain about that.

“It’s always fun to play again in front of our fans,” Vejmelka said. “It’s so much fun. I enjoy every minute on the ice. It’s really special to be back home, and I really appreciated all that support.”

The Mammoth will next play the San Jose Sharks on Friday. The Sharks are 0-1-2 this season and are coming off a 5-1 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes. The two teams faced off three times last season, with the Mammoth going 2-0-1 and winning the most recent game 2-1 in January.