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

“We’re doing a better job shooting the puck,” Schmaltz said. “A lot of times we look for the perfect play, and it’s not there, but I think we’re shooting pucks and then making plays off of that. We got to get an intact mindset, and we’re doing a really good job of recovering loose pucks and keeping possession time.”

Schmaltz almost got another power play goal in the third period, but it was waived off due to goaltender interference. A couple of minutes later, it was the second unit that got redemption for the disallowed goal. Lawson Crouse shoveled the puck at the net, and Michael Carcone tapped it in to get the Mammoth’s sixth goal of the game.

Overall, the Mammoth went three for six on the power play. That’s back-to-back games for the team with multiple power play goals. At the best time possible, the Mammoth have found out how to score on the power play, and it has been a huge reason why they’ve won their past two games.

Confidence is what JJ Peterka credits for the recent success of the man advantage. You can see it from the team as well. They’re getting a lot more possession time because of bold and smart plays, and through that, they’re getting more shots and goals.

“We’re out there making plays, getting opportunities, and just shooting more,” Peterka said. “That’s the main factor right now.”

With the success comes the reward. As of right now, the Mammoth have rocketed up in the league in power play success rate. They’re now 22nd in the league with a 19.2% success rate. That is a nine-spot improvement. Not too shabby.

Heading into the playoffs, the Mammoth will need every weapon they have to win some games and hopefully some series. Even though they’ll likely go through the Pacific Division, everyone starts anew in the postseason. Having that momentum on the power play will surely help it succeed when it matters most as well.

Eye in the Sky

Hunter Cherni doesn’t get enough credit for the job he does for the Mammoth. Once in a while, he’ll get a mention. It’s happened ever since the Arizona Coyotes days. Thursday was his yearly big game and more proof that he’s one of the best video coaches out there.

After Cooley got the Mammoth on the board, they had all the momentum and needed it to tie up the game. Despite this, it seemed like the Kraken were the ones who scored next as Jacob Melanson tipped in a Ryan Lindgren shot. With the score now 3-1, it looked like the Mammoth had put themselves back in a hole.

However, Cherni saw something immediately that ended up changing the whole game. The Mammoth challenged the play for goaltender interference. After review, the refs sided with Cherni and the Mammoth, and the score went back to 2-1 Kraken.

Head coach André Tourigny and his coaching staff don’t like taking credit for wins. It is the players who are going out there and executing their vision. However, even after Melanson’s called-off goal, Tourigny had to give credit to Cherni.

“I like to keep the credit on the players, but this one, you need to give some credit to Hunter and his group,” Tourigny said. “I think they did a really good job. As much as the one we challenged and the one we didn’t challenge in the sense of I think that was the right call. Good job by them.”

Cherni went back to work after the Mammoth’s fifth goal. Cooley wristed a shot to the net, which gave Guenther a rebound opportunity that he easily tapped in. However, it seemed like the goal wasn’t going to count. The officials called it off for goaltender interference.

The Mammoth quickly challenged it. It was a big call. If the Mammoth lost the challenge, it would send the Kraken to the power play, giving them life only down by two goals with plenty of time left on the board.

The risk, however, paid off. The official call was overturned, and Guenther’s goal counted, making the score 5-2 Mammoth. 

Everyone on the Mammoth bench knew how much the win depended on a successful challenge. In the end, it helped seal the win for the Mammoth, and it was a big-time play for the team.

“It’s a pretty ballsy call for up for two with however much time left, and if they’re wrong, they get a power play,” Schmaltz said. “It’s a big play, and to go up 5-2, it sealed the deal for us. That’s big time.”

The Mammoth went two for two on coaches’ challenges during Thursday’s game. They are now eight for nine in the season. Cherni and the video staff have once again helped the Mammoth win some big games. While sometimes, it takes big wins like these for the video coaches to be noticed, it’s showing of how important their position is. To do it on a nationally broadcast game is even more impressive. If Thursday’s first star could be named to anyone, it would go to Cherni and his staff, and there should be no debate on that.

Lockin’ It Down

Heading into the game, there were some big things at stake for the Mammoth. If they won, their odds of making the playoffs would jump to 97.7%, and their odds of getting the first wild card spot in the Western Conference would improve to 91.8%, a 6.8% jump. If they lost, that percentage would fall to 75.6%, still a good number but nowhere as good as 91.8%.

Lo and behold, the Mammoth won the game, pretty much securing a playoff spot and the first wild card spot in the conference. They also did their opponents a favor by virtually knocking the Kraken out of playoff contention. The Kraken are now four points back of the San Jose Sharks for the second wild card spot.

It was a big and successful night for the Mammoth. Despite the Kraken desperately needing the win and catching them off guard in the first period, the Mammoth showed resilience and determination, going on to score six unanswered goals to take down their opponent.

“We were a little bit rusty at the beginning, but I think we were better,” Tourigny said. “It was not a Picasso. It was not the best game we played, but we found a way. You cannot always expect to play your A-game every night…It’s not the way it happens. You need to be able to pull it and win games when your game is not as sharp. I think we did tonight. Special teams were huge. The guys stayed with it. We had soul. We had spirit on the bench.”

The penalty kill, as Tourigny said, was massive as well. They kept the Kraken power play scoreless on all three opportunities, including during a late Kailer Yamamoto penalty. 

The power play and coaches’ challenges, as mentioned, were integral to the win. However, the biggest part of the win was the fact that the Mammoth stuck with it throughout the night despite a sloppy start.

Having four days off was great and huge for the Mammoth. However, it can put a team at a disadvantage, especially with a team like the Kraken playing some intense hockey as of late. It showed with Jordan Eberle scoring less than a minute into the game. Thanks to Karel Vejmelka and some big saves, including when he robbed Berkly Catton with his glove, the score was only 2-0 towards the end of the first.

It was towards the end of the first that the Mammoth started to wake up. Before you knew it, the power play was producing and tiring out the Kraken. When they thought they had momentum, the Mammoth shut it down with challenges and their defense. Even on five-on-five, the team kept getting better, which led to Peterka’s goal.

“We were sloppy in the first half,” Schmaltz said. “We were just not executing. We were throwing pucks away. We weren’t moving our feet. As the game went along, we started playing with a little more pace and started getting some extended o-zone time, tiring them up, and making them play defense, which is always tough.”

The Mammoth didn’t play their best game as they did in Southern California a couple of days ago, but they did find a way to win. Ultimately, that’s what matters.

It was truly a win that everyone contributed to. The power play, penalty kill, goaltending, offense, defense, and coaching. Each of those things played a big part in the 6-2 final score. It was a team and character win. One that showed the Mammoth can overcome adversity.

“You need to praise and give credit to the guys,” Tourigny said. “They dug deep, and they found a way. We had a few big block shots, a big battle, and a good goal at key times. Big kills. Our penalty killing did a really good job at key moments. That is a character win.”

Tourigny mentioned blocked shots. There is one bit of concern from Thursday’s game. Jack McBain blocked a hard shot in the second period and went limping to the locker room. He didn’t return to the game. Losing McBain could be a big blow for the Mammoth. The forward is a big leader and one of the more physical players on the team. It’s the Mammoth’s sandpaper and one they don’t want to lose long-term, especially with the playoffs around the corner.

With two more points in their pockets, the Mammoth now have 84 points, five more than the Sharks, who hold the second wild card spot. A couple more points should lock up a playoff spot and the first wild card spot. That’s big for the Mammoth as they complete the regular-season sweep over the Kraken.

However, just like usual, business needs to roll on as usual. There are still seven games left in the season. No time for celebrating just quite yet. Clinching time is getting close, and the team knows it. Especially after outscoring their opponents 12-4 in the past two games, the confidence is sky-high, and the hunger to get an X next to their name has never been stronger. The win over the Kraken just continues to build that which creates momentum as the regular season wraps up.

“We’re in a really good spot right now, and we just gotta keep pushing,” Peterka said. “I think the road trip is really important for us. Big game in Vancouver, but we just gotta keep pushing.”

The Mammoth will wrap up their road trip on Saturday when they take on the Vancouver Canucks. The Canucks are 22-45-8 and are coming off a 5-2 loss to the Minnesota Wild, which guaranteed them last place in the NHL, giving them the best odds to win the draft lottery. These two teams last met in February, where the Mammoth won 6-2. They lead the regular season series 2-0.