Was Mammoth’s Game 1 loss a missed opportunity?

The Utah Mammoth played their first playoff game in franchise history, and it did not disappoint. While it’s clear there’s already a hatred between them and the Vegas Golden Knights, the Mammoth also impressed because, for the better part of Game 1, they were playing with the experienced Vegas team. However, despite leading for most of the game, Utah fell short and lost 4-2, with the Golden Knights taking a 1-0 series lead.

Was this a game the Mammoth could hang their hats on for the effort they put in? Or was it a missed opportunity for them to steal a game in Vegas after leading for so long? Cole Bagley joined Daily Faceoff Live to talk about the Mammoth’s playoff debut and how they played well despite the lack of experience on the team.

Cole Bagley: Lawson Crouse said there’s no reason for Utah to hang their heads. That was their playoff debut, and a lot of guys were making their initial playoff debut. And even guys like Crouse and Schmaltz and Keller, their only playoff experience was back in the bubble during the COVID playoffs, and they only played five games.

So for Utah, I think it was a good initial game, an opportunity to get their feet wet. And yeah, they obviously would have loved to have won that game and stolen the first one. But I think the fact that they showed that they can skate with those guys, that they can compete with those guys, and at the end of the day, it was only a one-goal game, I think is a huge positive. And I think that’s the way that Utah’s looking at it. I’ll be surprised and somewhat shocked if this series doesn’t go the distance, at least six games, and it may very well be decided in seven.

You can watch the full episode here…