3 Takeaways From Mammoth’s 6-3 Win Over Sharks

It was Schmaltz’s second career hat trick and his first since Jan. 26 of 2023 with the Arizona Coyotes. For him, it was a great feeling to end his hat trick drought, especially in front of his family.

“It was awesome, especially in front of our home fans, and shoutout to my grandpa, he’s here,” Schmaltz said. “He’s watched me play two times now, in Arizona and here, and he’s seen a hat trick both times, so it’s pretty cool and special to have him here. Shout out to him.”

Schmaltz now has seven points in five games, tallying one more assist on Keller’s goal in the game against the Sharks. He leads the Mammoth in goals and points.

Head coach André Tourigny has liked Schmaltz’s hot start so far. As always, Tourigny sees of course the offensive side of his game, but also the defensive side of his game as well.

“Honestly, since the start of the season, he’s been playing really good,” Tourigny said. “He had a lot of opportunities. He reloaded really well on both sides of the puck. He’s a trap. Has a lot of opportunities inside. It was a matter of time. I had a chat with him yesterday, saying, yeah, just do the right thing when you have those numbers and scoring chances, it’s because you’re doing the right thing, and it will come. Today was the day.”

The game was one of the best in Schmaltz’s career. Despite some of the players around him having slow starts, like Keller, who only has one goal through five games, Schmaltz has proven he’s still a great player in the NHL and could get a massive pay raise in the offseason when his contract expires.

Liam O’Brien Cooks Up His First Utah Goal

It’s been a rough go for Liam O’Brien ever since the Mammoth hockey operations were moved up to Salt Lake City. In his final season with the Coyotes, he recorded 14 points, including five goals, both of which were career highs for the forward.

Last season in Utah, O’Brien only had two points in 28 games, both being assists. He retained his title as a fan favorite with the “Spicy Tuna” nickname going viral in the state.

Entering this season, O’Brien was placed on the non-roster injured reserve list and didn’t appear in the Mammoth’s first four games of the season. Ahead of the game against the Sharks, though, Tourigny opted to put in O’Brien over Kailer Yamamoto due to the Mammoth’s opponents being more of a physical team and to provide some sort of spark to a struggling bottom six.

It happened to be the right moment for O’Brien to come in, and he was on the ice at the right time as well. The puck went behind Askarov’s net, and he went to grab it. However, the puck got away from him, and O’Brien spun around and put it in on his backhand.

The goal was O’Brien’s first in Utah and his first since April 17 of 2024, the final game of the Coyotes. For him, it was just good to finally get a goal in his new home.

“There’s a little sense of relief,” O’Brien said. “It took longer than I wanted, but it felt good, and I’m just happy we got the win too.”

With the great amount of depth the Mammoth have now, O’Brien isn’t going to be an every-night player. However, he has proven that he can be a reliable player whenever he’s thrown into the lineup.

Between March and Friday, O’Brien only appeared in one game. He also sustained injuries throughout that time. Yet, he got thrown into a physical game against the Sharks and ended up having his best performance in a Utah jersey.

“I think for me, it was proving that I can be put in an uncomfortable situation,” O’Brien said. “Last year I didn’t play for almost two to three months, and they threw me in in Edmonton, at the last minute. I think it’s just proving that I can play in these situations, and I feel like I was okay tonight. I have another level for sure in my game, but as the game went on, I felt more and more comfortable.”

Another Shark Bite Avoided

Almost exactly a year ago, the Mammoth and the San Jose Sharks had their first-ever meeting, with the latter looking for their first win of the season. Coincidentally, it was also at the Delta Center. In the game, the Mammoth played a really good game in the first two periods, going up 4-1.

However, the Sharks came back in the third period, which eventually led to a 5-4 overtime win. It seemed like a similar outcome would happen during Friday’s game when Tyler Toffoli and Jeff Skinner scored within minutes of each other.

Fortunately for the Mammoth, they kept it together and kept pushing the Sharks. O’Brien capitalized on Askarov’s mistake, and from there, the team never looked back. Schmaltz completed his hat trick, and both Keller and Michael Carcone scored their first goals of the season.

It was a dominant first and third period for the Mammoth. In the first, the Sharks didn’t even get their first shot of the game until the 12-minute mark. In the third, they were outshot 11-5. Both of those periods showed how dominant the Mammoth can be despite a middling second period.

“I liked the first and the third,” Tourigny said. “I wasn’t in love with the second, but extremely proud of the way the boys reacted in the third. There was a lot of maturity, a lot of focus, and we played it right away. We put the puck behind, and we got a reward early. Great play by Keller’s line, putting the puck deep and going on the forecheck.”

The Sharks aren’t a slouch of a team either. They might currently be one of the bottom feeders in the Pacific Division. However, they have a good group of young and exciting players like Macklin Celebrini, Will Smith, Sam Dickinson, and William Eklund, along with a proven group of veterans like Toffoli, Skinner, and Barclay Goodrow.

The whole team, including Schmaltz, noticed the Sharks’ relentlessness in the second period. However, they figured it out in the third period and dominated the final 20 minutes of the game.

“The second period was tough for us,” Schmaltz said. “We were making soft plays and feeding their transition game. They got a high-end skill team. In the third, we talked about getting in behind them and working from below their goal line, and that’s where we wanted to exploit them, and I thought we did a better job of that, and we were able to pot a few more in the third.”

As mentioned, the Mammoth’s offense hasn’t been awake. Most of the goals and points have come from Dylan Guenther, JJ Peterka, and Cooley.

Despite that, the Mammoth have generated great chances in their opponent’s zone but haven’t put it all together to produce more often. That ended tonight for a couple of players, including the lethal line of Keller, Schmaltz, and Barrett Hayton. Everyone knew the goals would come. The Mammoth are hoping this is the kick starter for their offense to get going for the rest of the season.

“I like the way we have generated offense lately,” Tourigny said. “I have a ton of trust in our team. I know if we do the right thing, goals will come. I think what’s important is the win. Six goals are always great. But more importantly, the way we responded in the third period and we left no doubt, that’s the way.”

Tourigny is right. It’s a big win for the Mammoth as they get above .500. It also gives them a perfect home record across two games. Maybe the biggest thing of all is that it gives some sort of redemption value for the team in front of their fans from the last time the Sharks and Mammoth met in October. 

That loss last year really hurt the team and the fans. This time, the Mammoth avoided collapsing and proved themselves as the better team. A standing ovation from the crowd in the final 30 seconds, leading to their third win of the season, was their reward. That’s just about as perfect an ending you could ask for if you’re the Mammoth.

The Mammoth are now 3-2-0 this season. They’ll next face off against the Boston Bruins on Sunday as they finish their stretch of three games at home. The Bruins have a 3-2-0 record and are coming off a 6-5 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights. They’ll play the Colorado Avalanche before traveling to Utah. These two teams played each other twice last season, where they split the season series, with the Mammoth losing the most recent game 1-0.