3 Takeaways From Mammoth’s 6-2 Win Over Canucks

This is Peterka’s third straight season with 20 goals, his first one with the Mammoth. He now has 38 points in 56 games. While he likely won’t get past the 68 points he had last season with the Buffalo Sabres, Peterka has still been a big offensive weapon for the Mammoth. He’s been great, especially recently, now with four points in his past three games.

We’ll get to the other player who hit the 20-goal plateau in a second, but let’s talk about the two players who assisted on Peterka’s goal. Yamamoto, of course, has been on a fantastic run of points. He now has six points in his past three games and has 17 points in 34 games. His setup on the goal was great and really displayed his resilience and determination. 

Marino is now in the midst of the best season of his NHL career. It wasn’t just the one assist he picked up tonight. He assisted on the first Mammoth goal and also Lawson Crouse’s tip-in goal in the second period. His three-point night now puts his season totals at 28 points in 56 games, surpassing his previous season high in the category, which he set back in his 2019-20 rookie season with 26 points.

“I think Marin’s (Marino) was solid in his game,” head coach André Tourigny said. “His puck decision was good and made really good plays, produced, all of it.”

It’s not just points where Marino has really thrived. His plus-minus rating has also been incredible this season. He is currently a plus-37, which is third best in the NHL as of right now behind only J.J. Moser and Nathan MacKinnon.

Some people aren’t fans of the plus-minus stat line. Whatever your thoughts are about it, what it does show is that Marino has been on the ice for a significant number of goals for his team. He has also not been at fault for a lot of goals against. He has really been an anchor on the blueline for the Mammoth and has chipped in quite a bit of offense as well, now second on the team when it comes to points produced by a defenseman.

“He’s a great player,” Nick Schmaltz said. “I think he’s very underrated. He’s got a lot of poise with the puck. He wades off defenders and makes a lot of good plays in the middle of the ice. Super great player, and I’m very happy to see him having success.”

While it was a great night for Marino and Peterka, there was one player who had an even bigger and more impressive night. Let’s talk about the other Mammoth player who hit the 20-goal mark.

Hats Off to You, Nick Schmaltz

Last season, Schmaltz didn’t have a single goal until the end of November. While his 2024-25 campaign ended with his highest point totals of his career (63), it was still a disappointing season with the feeling that if he hadn’t started so cold, Schmaltz legitimately might’ve been a 70-point guy for the first time in his career.

This season, it’s been a brand new Schmaltz as he chases down his career highs. We’re now 56 games into the season, and barring anything crazy happening, he will set a new personal best in points, goals, and likely assists.

Part of the reason why he’s already at 51 points is that he’s already hit the 20-goal plateau, which he achieved with his first goal on Monday. Schmaltz rushed into the Canucks zone and passed the puck to Marino. Marino passed it back to Schmaltz, who put it into the back of the net for goal number 20.

Yet, it wasn’t even the biggest accomplishment of the game for Schmaltz because goal number 20 wasn’t his last goal of the game. Later in the first period, the forward won a faceoff in the Canucks zone. Sean Durzi retrieved the puck and moved up, feeding Schmaltz a pass. From right in front of the net, he scored his second goal of the game off a quick wrist shot.

Up 5-2 after two periods, the Mammoth kept pushing for goals. A couple of minutes after the halfway point of period number three, Crouse was able to poke the puck past a Canucks defender, sending Schmaltz and Keller on a two-on-one rush. Keller held onto the puck for a second and then made a quick pass to Schmaltz, who put it into a wide-open net for his third goal of the game.

Schmaltz’s hat trick against the Canucks was the third of his career, with his last one coming in October against the San Jose Sharks. Schmaltz’s play was a big reason why the Mammoth won, and his hat trick is a big reward for how well he did on Monday.

“I think there were a lot of great plays by some guys finding me,” Schmaltz said. “There was a fortunate bounce on one of them. But I was super excited to get a hat trick and help the team win.”

Schmaltz also got an assist on the third Mammoth goal of the game, making it a four-point night for him. It is one of his most productive games since his seven-point night against the Ottawa Senators back in 2022. 

With four points in his pocket, Schmaltz now has 51 points. However, what’s more impressive is that with his first goal alone, Schmaltz has hit the 20-goal plateau for the fifth straight season. That’s not a feat a lot of people can say they’ve done.

“It’s obviously great to see when Schmaltzy (Schmaltz) gets four,” Mikhail Sergachev said. “It’s a big night, and we’re all happy for him.”

With his contract expiring after this season, Schmaltz has once again probably increased his asking price. However, his hand in Monday’s win also gives the Mammoth yet another reason why they should consider resigning him.

That will more than likely be a conversation for another time when we get closer to the summertime. For now, Schmaltz needs to continue playing as he did on Monday. Not just the offense, though that does play a huge role in getting more money in free agency, but his general play as well. He made a lot of smart moves during the game to free up the puck and looked great out on the ice.

“I think Schmaltzy (Schmaltz) was really good everywhere,” Tourigny said. “He was good defensively, stripped pucks, and his body position was good.”

Playing as he did on Monday from here on out will only be beneficial to everyone. For Schmaltz, that means he’ll get more points and icetime, which means more money for him on his next contract. For the Mammoth, a highly productive Schmaltz gives the team a deeper player who can really help win. If he can continue that type of play, the other 31 teams in the league better watch out.

A Whale-Sized Win

In their past four games, the Mammoth have only gotten two points. Granted, those four games have all been against established teams that have been Stanley Cup contenders for the past couple of seasons. It’s fine to lose to those teams. They are hard to beat. However, it has allowed a couple of other teams to catch up to them in the wild card spot. Prior to Monday’s game starting, the Mammoth were out of a playoff spot.

However, the Mammoth didn’t just beat the Canucks. They blew them out enroute to a much-needed and valuable two points. The team looked like the Mammoth team, who were challenging and taking down tough opponents in the last homestand, where they went 6-0-1.

Of course, certain individuals having great nights like Schmaltz and Marino were a big reason why the Mammoth won on Monday. However, their two biggest mistakes that they’ve been running into recently seemed fixed on Monday.

That would be referring to the power play and penalty kill units. Those two things were a big reason why the Mammoth lost Saturday’s game to the Stars. On Monday, they looked much improved from just a couple of days ago.

Starting with the penalty kill, there were quite a few penalties the Mammoth got. It was a rough and physical game, and some calls were missed, like Evander Kane’s trip on Barrett Hayton right during the faceoff. However, the Mammoth killed all four of the Canucks’ power plays, going perfect on the penalty kill.

The power play has been a huge struggle for the Mammoth ever since Game 1. On Monday, it had one of its best outings. There were quite a few chances on the two opportunities the team had, but it culminated in Mikhail Sergachev scoring from the blueline during the Mammoth’s second man-advantage opportunity. Overall, the power play went one for two. Not too shabby after not scoring at all in the game prior.

“A big night for our special teams,” Tourigny said. “I liked our PK a lot, obviously our power play as well. Even on the first power play, the way we attacked. We had the intensity. We recovered loose pucks. I liked our special teams. We were really opportunistic. We found a way to score a big goal at a key moment early in the game and throughout the game.”

The other thing the Mammoth did well was have a great start. Notably, the team hasn’t done well in the opening couple of minutes, usually allowing a goal within the first 10. However, that didn’t happen on Monday with Schmaltz scoring first and the Mammoth having a 2-1 lead by the time the halfway point of the first period came around.

Overall, the Mammoth did a good job at starting strong and continuing that momentum throughout the game. Thoughts of past games were clearly on the minds of the team, with hopes of not repeating those same mistakes against the Canucks. Thanks to their strong efforts, that didn’t happen.

“The first one against Carolina, we obviously lost that game in the last three minutes,” Sergachev said. “And then for Dallas, we didn’t have a good start, and that’s what left a bad taste. But tonight we had a better start, and played better overall.”

With a valuable two points coming from the win, the Mammoth are back in a wild card spot with 62 points. However, as they look forward to the Olympic break, their final game won’t be an easy one as the Detroit Red Wings come to town, looking for points of their own as they chase the Tampa Bay Lightning down for first place in the Atlantic Division.

If the Mammoth can play as they did on Monday, they’ll be fine. They need to do well on special teams and defend well. Players will have to step up and get shots to the net. The team can’t have a rough start. If they can follow that recipe, they can beat the Red Wings. 

It’ll be a big game on Wednesday since the Mammoth won’t be in action again for another couple of weeks as players like Clayton Keller head to Italy for the Olympics. Not only will two more points keep the Mammoth at the top of the wild card race, but a win heading into a long break will be a big positive note as players disembark Salt Lake City for a nice and deserved break.

The Mammoth will play the Red Wings on Wednesday. The Red Wings have a 33-18-6 record and are coming off a 2-0 win over the Colorado Avalanche. These two teams last met in December when the Mammoth won 4-1 in Detroit.