Talk about a mammoth-sized win. Ever since Game 2, the Utah Mammoth’s first-ever postseason home game had been the main talking point of any media scrum. With a two-day break, the anticipation only grew stronger and stronger. Once Friday hit, there was no disappointment. The Utah crowd was loud to the point that the Mammoth bench had miscommunication.
Despite that, the Mammoth rode the energy and momentum to two massive periods, which eventually won them Game 3 in their series against the Vegas Golden Knights. Coming into the series, the Golden Knights were the favorites, but now, the Mammoth have certainly put themselves in a good spot. Here are some takeaways from the 4-2 win.
All (Penalty) Killer, No Filler
A big talking point going into this series was the Golden Knights’ power play. They finished the regular season as the sixth-best unit in the NHL. The power play also scored in each of the past two games of the series. It’s been a factor for the Golden Knights. If the Mammoth wanted to limit their opponent’s offense, having a penalty kill that completely shut the unit down was needed.
That’s what Game 3 brought. The Golden Knights had four power plays. The Mammoth’s penalty kill shut all four of those opportunities down.
“They have a lot of threats, and it’s just knowing the game plan and putting them in positions where we know we can defend,” Lawson Crouse said. “We do a lot of video, and things change constantly. They’re obviously doing the same. They’re trying to break our PK down and find ways to pick us apart. We’re doing the exact same thing. It’s about being detailed.”
When you look at the Golden Knights’ power play unit, there are some big names on there. Jack Eichel, Mark Stone, Tomáš Hertl, Mitch Marner, and Pavel Dorofeyev are all on the first unit. Those are some players who usually know how to score.
However, the Mammoth have done a great job all series long with silencing a lot of those players. Dorofeyev doesn’t even have a point. Hertl and Marner don’t have goals. A lot of those guys have played a lot throughout this series as well. Yet here we are with some of the aforementioned Golden Knights’ top guys combining for three points in the series.
We’ve gotten to the point where Golden Knights head coach John Tortorella admitted that the power play is something the team needs to look at before Game 4. Footage needs to be looked over, and something needs to change.
“That’s something that we have to look at,” Tortorella said. “I’ll give you that…We’ll see where it goes in the next game, but I liked one of them. I thought when Jack (Eichel) started shooting the puck a little bit more, and they made the puck work. It looked better. I think we’re just a little bit too deliberate, but we’ll look at the units as we look at the tape and see what we have the next game.”
During that power play opportunity, the Golden Knights did have some really good chances. However, it was Karel Vejmelka who stood tall. Facing 32 shots, he turned away 30 of them. He was massive on the penalty kill, and that’s where the success started for the unit.
“It starts with your most important player on the PK: your goalie,” Mammoth head coach André Tourigny said. “I think Veggie was rock solid; he made some key saves at key moments when our PK was tuned in. A few good block shots, a few good clearings. We were solid on our power play as well…We had great performances from our special teams come through.”
It was a great showing from both special teams, but especially the penalty kill. Tortorella was brought into this organization to help the Golden Knights out of ruts like this, so the biggest challenge for the penalty kill might not have even surfaced yet. We’ll see what happens in Game 4, but this is definitely a game the penalty kill can build off of.
The Top Line Takes Off
For the past two games, the top line of Nick Schmaltz, Clayton Keller, and Crouse has been criticized for their play. Before Game 3, the line combined for one point during the two games in Vegas. Finally, Friday night, the line connected.
Up 2-0 after the first period, it was the top line’s time to shine. It was Crouse who figured it out first. Schmaltz flung a shot towards the net, which Crouse deflected in to put the Mammoth up 3-0. The primary assist was Schmaltz’s first point of the postseason and his first playoff point ever.
Crouser cashes in! 💰
3-0, Utah. pic.twitter.com/MVc54dsNea
— x – Utah Mammoth (@utahmammoth) April 25, 2026
Five minutes later, Keller fed Crouse, who flung a wrist shot at the net to put the Mammoth up 4-0. That was Keller’s second point of the series, his first coming off of Guenther’s goal in the first. For Crouse, his second goal of the game tied the number of goals he scored in the 2019-20 playoffs, a series in which he played six more games before reaching that total.
All season long, players and coaches alike have spoken about how Crouse is one of the biggest leaders in the locker room. While Keller is the captain, Crouse is almost like a second captain. He’s a big heart and soul guy who brings everything the Mammoth could need. Physicality, scoring, you got it. Even a guy like MacKenzie Weegar, who just joined the Mammoth last month, had quite a few good things to say about the forward.
“He’s a great leader,” Weegar said. “He brings it all. He’s a guy that you look to down the bench when the game’s tight, and to calm everybody down. He had a great game. I think he’s been waiting for this moment for a long time, so I’m happy for him, and I know he’s going to continue to play a great game.”
Now, of course, the Mammoth don’t really care who scores so long as they win the game. However, to see a guy like Crouse get two goals in a game is something every guy in that Mammoth locker room loves to see.
Tourigny has been one of those guys all season long who has called Crouse a big part of the locker room and one of the team’s most important leaders. It’s no surprise that he had some high praise for him post-game.
“I think what Crouser brings to the team, it goes above and beyond the goals,” Tourigny said. “Obviously, we can take as many as he wants, so that’s not a problem. But again, his definition of his role and the impact he has on his teammates and on the team. He’s way above just the production. Obviously, a two-goal game, great game. You talked about our penalty kill earlier, and he was a big part of it. He played a solid game. He was physical. He had a couple of good hits. He played rock solid.”
It was big to see the top line taking off for the Mammoth on Friday. It was much needed too. If the Mammoth wanted to continue winning games in this series, Keller, Crouse, and Schmaltz had to score eventually. Now, the trio has a combined six points under their belt. It’s still not great, but it’s an improvement. Just like the penalty kill, Game 3’s performance could be a big thing to build off of for Game 4.
A Game 3 Win Thanks to the Fans
Just as expected, the Delta Center was loud. Videos posted on social media won’t do it justice. Even the TV feed might not capture what it felt like in the arena. Fans recorded the sound to be up to 115 decibels. That is a similar level of sound to ripping a chainsaw up close to your ear.
Between the Tusky pregame show and Crouse’s wife, Claire, posting an awesome picture of her celebrating with the other wives on Instagram, it was an energetic and electric crowd that didn’t stop, even after the final buzzer.
Claire Crouse. The people’s princess. #TusksUp pic.twitter.com/dNDaiy0mAR
— x-SeeJoJazzandClub🏀🏒 (@SeeJoJazz) April 25, 2026
“Just seeing the towels, I took a quick look up, coming on the ice,” Guenther said. “That’s something I won’t forget. I think the first home game in the playoffs, seeing the towels, people standing, that was a cool moment.”
Weegar getting the first postseason goal ever in the Delta Center just sent the fans over the edge. It was well deserved, too. To see a guy who has really taken a step forward in the playoffs after joining the team a month ago get a big goal like that, it’s huge. Better yet, the goal was assisted on by two fan favorites: Kailer Yamamoto and Liam O’Brien, both of whom have been massive for the mammoth in the playoffs.
WEE got ourselves a goal!!
Weegar makes it 1-0, Utah! pic.twitter.com/P1O0932Zar
— x – Utah Mammoth (@utahmammoth) April 25, 2026
As mentioned, there was some confusion on the bench because of how loud it was. Line changes didn’t go exactly how they were planned. It will be an adjustment for Tourigny, but it’s a welcome one.
“Seriously, we had some confusion on the bench,” Tourigny said. “Guys did not know what was out. For people who know me, I can be pretty loud. Tonight, though, the crowd beat me, no doubt about it. So there are a few things we did as a staff to get better during the game to make sure there was less confusion.”
Perhaps one of the biggest takeaways from Game 3 was that the Mammoth won with only 12 shots. They scored four goals on 12 shots. Yes, the Mammoth offense had a really good game, but that might say more about the Golden Knights’ goaltending and defense. Carter Hart played really well in the first two games, but on Friday, he didn’t look good at all.
Ending the game with a .667 save percentage isn’t good at all. However, Tortorella reinstated his faith in Hart postgame, saying he never thought of pulling the goaltender.
Yes, 12 shots won the game for the Mammoth on Friday. However, that isn’t something that can continue to happen. The Golden Knights are great at blocking shots, but that doesn’t give an excuse for the Mammoth to put up that few shots. Every goal matters, and it’s a fact; more shots mean more goals.
“We missed the net a few times, and they blocked a lot of shots,” Guenther said. “That’s definitely a point of focus is to get traffic and shots at the net. When they go in, it’s nice.”
For right now, all that matters is that those 12 shots won the Mammoth the game. Talk about a story. First playoff game at home, an incredible crowd at an incredible volume, some well-deserved players get points, and a win in that game to take a 2-1 series lead. That is exactly how the Mammoth wanted this one to go.
Game 4 will be a massive one for the team. With a win, the Mammoth could push the Golden Knights to the brink of elimination. While we’re now two days away from that game and the Golden Knights shouldn’t be taken lightly (Tortorella was pretty calm postgame), the Mammoth have put themselves in a good spot with a big Game 3 win. It was definitely one that the Utah fanbase deserved.
The Mammoth will play the Golden Knights in Game 4 on Monday night at the Delta Center. The Mammoth currently lead the series 2-1.
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