The Utah Mammoth have been perfect against the Minnesota Wild this season, who currently hold the third playoff spot in the Central Division and are a top-five team in the NHL this season. They’ve also been perfect against the Buffalo Sabres, who are currently first in the Atlantic Division. The Mammoth have even managed to pull off a win against the Colorado Avalanche, a team that has only lost in regulation 10 times in 62 games.
Yet the Mammoth have lost all three of their outings against the Chicago Blackhawks, the fourth-worst team in the NHL, who sit at the bottom of the Central Division with 59 points. With the team earning only one of the six available points in those three games, including during their game on Monday night, the Mammoth are in a deficit in the standings at a crucial point in the season. Here are some takeaways from the 3-2 overtime loss against the Blackhawks.
Dylan Guenther Hits 30 Goals
The first period was the most productive period for the Mammoth, and that was partially because of the team’s best goal scorer, Dylan Guenther.
Barrett Hayton kicked things off for the Mammoth halfway through the first period. A Nick DeSimone shot was tipped in front by the forward to put his team up 1-0. It was his ninth goal of the season.
Andrew Mangiapane scored his first goal as a Blackhawk to tie things up minutes later. Getting a goal before the end of the period would be a huge momentum booster for the Mammoth. That’s where the team’s number one goal scorer came in clutch.
With under four minutes left in the period, the Blackhawks regained the puck and started heading out of their own zone. However, Nick Schmaltz darted in and finessed the puck away from Alex Vlasic, quickly passing it to Clayton Keller. Keller, now on a two-on-one, dished the puck to Guenther, who shot it past Drew Commesso to put the Mammoth up 2-1.
What a feed from Kells to Gunner!
2-1, Utah. pic.twitter.com/SljAWBBN1E
— Utah Mammoth (@utahmammoth) March 10, 2026
The goal put Guenther at 30 goals in the season, the first time he’s hit that plateau. It’s also tied him for the franchise record for most goals in a single season, set by Keller last season. He’s now at 55 points in 62 games. Guenther has been fantastic, to say the least, this season. He’s now been heavily relied on to come up big in big moments, and for the most part, the forward has lived up to expectations.
His goal scoring might be the reason why his name has made headlines consistently, but Guenther has become a complete overall player. Something that head coach André Tourigny has said numerous times, and something Guenther himself thinks he’s grown at ever since breaking into the league.
“That’s what’s gotten me into the league: being able to score, and I think that I’ve rounded out my game and become a more complete player, but that’s still what I’m good at, and it’s nice to contribute that way,” Guenther said.
As mentioned, Tourigny mentions Guenther’s overall play and how he’s more than just a goal scorer every time he’s asked about the forward. It was no different on Monday.
“What I like about Guenther this year is that he has more ways to do it,” Tourigny said. “It’s not just his shot. He has more than that, and he’s playing good lately since the start of the trip. I like his game.”
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Guenther is now only five points away from tying his career high in points, which he set last season. With 18 games left in the season, barring anything dramatic, he’ll more than likely do it. On top of that, as of right now, this season is set to be the first time the forward finishes as a plus in the plus-minus category.
The stats don’t lie. Guenther has improved significantly this season as an overall player. At only 22 years old, he will keep growing as the years go by. The fact that this is only Guenther’s fourth season in the league shows that he’ll be a special part of the Mammoth for a long time.
The (Chelsea) Dagger in Overtime
The Guenther goal was the peak of the game for the Mammoth. Most of the next 40 minutes for the team wasn’t a great display of good hockey. It led to André Burakovsky scoring his first goal since the beginning of January, and the Blackhawks outshooting the Mammoth in that span 17-16.
The Mammoth struggled to get any shots on the board and spent minimal time in the offensive zone. At a point in the third period, the team only had one shot in the first 13 minutes. It was nothing like the competitive hockey played in the first period.
“We had a good start, but I think we could not sustain the pressure,” Tourigny said. “The most important thing was our simplicity. I think we complicated things offensively that allowed them to cut plays and to counterattack, and that’s what I didn’t really like…We finished the third period strong with a good forecheck. That’s the way we should have played for the full 60.”
As Tourigny mentioned, the Mammoth did look good in the final couple of minutes, giving Commesso a full workload. However, they couldn’t put home anything as the game headed into overtime.
In the extra period, the Mammoth looked decent. However, defensive holes showed up early. Frank Nazar nearly capitalized on a breakaway, but the puck rolled away from him as he approached the net, squandering a great chance for the Blackhawks.
The writing on the wall came for the Mammoth when Schmaltz took a tripping penalty, leading to a Blackhawks power play. On the man advantage, Nazar redeemed himself after the failed breakaway attempt with a wristshot that found its way to the back of the net, ending the game and giving the Blackhawks the win.
IT’S A NAZAR LASER!! 🚀
Frank Nazar rips it home for the @NHLBlackhawks in @Energizer overtime! pic.twitter.com/kVU0WZXpPT
— NHL (@NHL) March 10, 2026
“Not our best game,” Guenther said. “We just kind of feed into their hands for whatever reason. They’re really good transitionally and a little bit stubborn. We didn’t have enough shots, but we got a point. It’s still important to get points, and it puts us in a good spot going into the last game.”
It was a disappointing result, especially given how well the Mammoth have played on this road trip. This game was by far the easiest game for the team on the trip. Somehow, it was the best game the Mammoth have played against the Blackhawks all season long.
Remember ‘24
During the 2024-25 season, the Mammoth dominated the Blackhawks. Out of the eight available points, the Mammoth got seven of them, losing to their opponents only one, which ended in overtime. This season it’s been a complete 180.
As mentioned, Monday’s game was the best performance by the Mammoth against the Blackhawks this season, but that’s not saying much. There’s the infamous 4-0 loss a week ago and also the 3-1 loss at the beginning of the season, both games ones to forget for the Mammoth.
Why do the Mammoth thrive against great times like the Wild and Sabres but struggle against a bad team like the Blackhawks? Well, the main reason is that the Mammoth continuously play down to their opponent.
Yes, the Blackhawks are a young, scrappy, hardworking team that has fast and skilled players like Nazar and Connor Bedard, but the Mammoth are a better team overall. They have fast and skilled players as well. However, the Mammoth, for some reason have struggled to shut down those players, allowing them to score and set up their teammates for goals.
“They play fast, and they bury their chances too,” Guenther said. “I think just playing in their hands a little too much.”
Someone who can’t be blamed for this loss is Vítek Vaněček. He played phenomenally and, like his last appearance against the Philadelphia Flyers, he made some massive saves to bail his team out.
Going forward, the Mammoth don’t have a lot of time to regroup. They play the Wild in less than 24 hours on Tuesday night. Luckily, the loss wasn’t horrible, and they’re still riding a four-game point streak. They’ll need all the momentum going into a post-trade deadline Wild team, who look incredible. One point was all the Mammoth could get on Monday. They need to make sure they get two on Tuesday and put the loss to the Blackhawks behind them.
“We didn’t play our A game, but we found a way to get a point on the road,” Tourigny said. “Now we have a big game tomorrow, and we need to get more points, but I think we cannot discredit the guys to find a way at the end to dig deep and close the game and get that big point. We’d have loved to have a second point, but the team on the other side, they played us hard.”
The Mammoth faceoff against the Wild on Tuesday night. The Wild are 37-16-11 this season and are coming off a 3-2 shootout loss to the Avalanche. These two teams last met in February, with the Mammoth winning 5-2. They lead the season series 2-0.
