Chicago Blackhawks right wing Ilya Mikheyev scores a goal past Utah Mammoth goaltender Vitek Vanecek (Matt Marton-Imagn Images)

Blackhawks, Ilya Mikheyev Seal 3-1 Win Over Mammoth

Originally posted on The Hockey Writers
By Brooke LoFurno | Last updated Oct 13, 2025 11:35 PM ET

The Chicago Blackhawks and Utah Mammoth squared off at the United Center for their first meeting of the season.

This game was a big one for both sides. As division rivals, the Blackhawks were looking for their first win of the season after starting 0-2-1. Meanwhile, the Mammoth were looking to keep their winning ways against their division foes, as they had recently come off a 3-2 overtime win against the Nashville Predators.

The Blackhawks came away with their first win of the season with a 3-1 score.

Game Recap

The first period wasn’t all that entertaining for either side. Colton Dach drew an early power play for the Blackhawks on Dmitri Simashev that the Mammoth killed. The Mammoth also got an opportunity after Louis Crevier got a tripping penalty on Clayton Keller. The Blackhawks stopped it. Chicago’s Teuvo Teräväinen hit the post, which was probably the biggest moment of the period, next to the mini power outage at the United Center. Otherwise, shots were even at 6-6, and both goaltenders, Spencer Knight and Vitek Vanecek, were not heavily tested.

For Utah, the second period belonged to them. There was a long chunk of time where they pinned the Blackhawks in their own zone, but the Mammoth couldn’t take advantage. They had some scoring opportunities, including one from Nick Schmaltz that was stopped by Knight. But it was the Blackhawks who opened the scoring 1-0 with a goal from Ilya Mikheyev, and that was all they needed for the period. Utah outshot Chicago 13-3.

JJ Peterka evened the score 1-1 in the third period, but the Blackhawks’ power play, which had been struggling quite a bit, came through with 11 minutes left in the third period, with the goal by André Burakovsky. The Mammoth got another power play opportunity off a Connor Bedard hold soon after that, but they failed to convert on again as they went 0/3 on the power play. Then, the Mammoth’s John Marino took a high-sticking penalty with three minutes left in the game that sealed their fate. With the empty net at the end, Ilya Mikheyev added another goal to his night for the Blackhawks’ 3-1 win.

It wasn’t an overly thrilling matchup. The Mammoth outshot the Blackhawks 23-14, and it was a close game, but Spencer Knight and the penalty kill came up big for Chicago, and Utah couldn’t solve it.

What’s Next?

The Blackhawks will hit the road to face one of their bigger rivals, the St. Louis Blues, on Oct. 15. Meanwhile, the Mammoth will head back home to face the Calgary Flames on Oct. 15.