An overtime winner at the Wasatch Front. A classic, if you ask me. The Utah Mammoth once again prevailed in overtime in a big game against an opponent desperate for points. While it felt like a ping-pong match for most of the game, the Mammoth were able to overcome their opponents in overtime despite a late goal for the win, helping them reach 80 points.
The LA Kings, hungry for points, did get a point in the wild card race, but it was the Mammoth who stepped one foot closer to the playoffs with the win. Here are some takeaways from the 4-3 overtime win for the Mammoth on Sunday night.
The Sheriff Strikes Twice
Last season was a disappointing one for Lawson Crouse, as he only tallied 12 goals, breaking his three-season streak of hitting the 20-goal plateau. This season, Crouse has had a resurgence, getting back to his regular self. He’s now at 37 points, closer to the 40-plus points he had produced in his prior two seasons.
Crouse is also at 19 goals now, one away from hitting the 20-goal mark. It’s all thanks to the effort he had in Sunday night’s game against the Kings.
It was the man nicknamed the Sheriff who struck twice in the first period that got the Mammoth into this game. In the first 10 minutes, John Marino did a great job at keeping the puck on his blade, heading behind the net. Once in position, Marino slid the puck to Crouse, who instantly shot it into the back of the net to make it 1-0.
Crouser leads off scoring at the @deltacenter! pic.twitter.com/IuyJFrM4W4
— Utah Mammoth (@utahmammoth) March 23, 2026
While the Kings would respond less than a minute later, Crouse wasn’t done yet. Halfway through the first period, Alex Kerfoot slid a puck across the zone to Crouse, who unleashed a quick shot to make it 2-1.
Crouse’s goals involved him getting close to the net and having the Mammoth open lanes for them to score. Something that the Kings are known for battling against. Yet on Sunday night, the Mammoth did a good job of finding an open lane of traffic, letting someone like Crouse to use his good shot to beat the goaltender.
“It’s easy when you get rewarded when you go to the net, but you have to do it consistently,” Crouse said. “Just because you go one time and you score, it doesn’t mean it’s going to continue to happen. You’ve got to just build on repetitions and repetitions and going there, and then eventually good things start to happen. It was a nice night for that.”
Second of the night for Lawson Crouse! pic.twitter.com/DuixdVBp1b
— Utah Mammoth (@utahmammoth) March 23, 2026
The two goals put Crouse at 19 goals in the season, only one away from beating the 20-goal plateau and four goals away from his career high, one he reached in the 2022-23 season with the Arizona Coyotes. Quite impressive, considering that a year ago, Crouse only scored 12 goals.
The first period, in general, was a good one for the Mammoth. They outshot the Kings 15-12, the only period they would end up outshooting their opponents. The Mammoth played great defense despite giving up two goals, but they looked like the better team.
Related: Nick Schmaltz Committed to Mammoth With 8-Year Extension
“I loved the urgency, and I loved the intensity of our game,” head coach André Tourigny said. “That’s a heavy team on the other side. It was important for us to be (competitive) in our battles. I think that in the first period we had an unbelievable pace and we got the momentum. (Los Angeles) retaliated twice after we scored; it was a little bit unfortunate, but I really liked our first period.
Yet the Mammoth stuck with it, going into the third period. It was a late-time goal from a player who had committed to the core of this group recently, who helped to finish this one out.
Big Nick Ends It in Overtime
Just a couple of weeks ago, Nick Schmaltz inked an eight-year extension with the Mammoth. It was a big contract, one that included a no movement clause. Ever since then, Schmaltz hadn’t produced at the same rate he had scored at before the extension.
Fans on social media were beginning to point out the fact that maybe the Mammoth had made a mistake resigning the forward amidst a contract season to a big extension, especially with an eight-game goal drought on the line. However, the forward proved that it wasn’t the case on Sunday, especially with his big goal in overtime later on.
While his overtime winner might be the main highlight going forward, his first goal of the game was truly one for the ages. Heading to the front of the net, Schmaltz batted it towards Darcy Keumper. Kuemper made the initial save, but it was Schmaltz who didn’t give up on the play and put it midair just to swat it into the wide-open net to give the Mammoth the lead once again.
NO QUIT IN NICK! 🔥
Schmaltzy makes it 3-2, Utah. pic.twitter.com/ajlOhaO33g
— Utah Mammoth (@utahmammoth) March 23, 2026
That lead wouldn’t last the whole game. Artemi Panarin would score three minutes before the conclusion of the game to force the match into overtime. Dallas Stars fans were watching closely, especially because their opportunity to clinch would depend on the Mammoth winning in any fashion.
It wasn’t just the Stars fans that went to sleep happy; it was the Mammoth fans as well. After getting the puck away from the Kings, Kevin Stenlund sprung Schmaltz on a two-on-one with Mikhail Sergachev. Schmaltz went in toward Kuemper, putting the puck past him and into the back of the net for the overtime winner.
Schmaltz wins it in overtime!!! 🤯🔥 pic.twitter.com/H27BzcYY0P
— Utah Mammoth (@utahmammoth) March 23, 2026
It was a big game winner, perhaps one of Schmaltz’s more important goals in his career. The forward knew the Kings would have a big push in the third period, especially being down a goal. However, he and his team were able to weather the storm for the most part, forcing the Kings into overtime, securing the Mammoth a point.
“They had a push there in the third, we knew that was going to happen,” Schmaltz said. “At this time of year, I feel like every game’s super tight, so we didn’t really hold our heads down when they tied it up, we just took it to overtime. Huge two points for us.”
Despite the late Panarin goal, the Mammoth did not waver. Rather, they continued pushing. While the Kings outshot them 14-12 in the third period, the Mammoth continued pressing, leading to the momentum they had in overtime.
The resilience shows the determination the Mammoth had to win this game, especially forcing it into overtime. With only 11 games left, every point matters. Getting two is bigger than getting one. Despite the late goal, it didn’t affect the Mammoth. It was rather a sign that this team won’t give up, especially when it comes to getting all the points they can.
The way (Los Angeles) scored their third goal, we all know,” Tourigny said. “The way our team reacted, that, for me, showed how determined we were and that we were in the right place in our mindset. Right away on the next shift, it’s like ‘OK, let’s play hockey.’ It did not shake us, did not put doubt in our heads. Obviously, it’s not what we wanted. But it did not have an effect on us, where we were deflated. We pushed back, and we had opportunities after. I think that showed how determined we were in the game.”
A Playoff Push
Thanks to the Schmaltz overtime winner, the Mammoth are now at 80 points in the season, a five-point lead over the Nashville Predators, who currently own the second wild card spot in the Western Conference.
There’s no doubt that was a big win for the Mammoth. Although they couldn’t close it out in overtime, the Mammoth swiped a valuable point out of the clutches of the Kings, especially with the Kings being right outside the playoff line with 73 points compared to the Predators, who own the second wild card spot with 75 points. It’s a prelude to the Mar. 28 game where these two teams face off again.
“This is a team that’s right on our heels, and we face them two times within a week,” Crouse said. “Great start tonight. Got to follow up with it.”
Sunday’s win was a big win for the Mammoth. Obviously, it gives them some room between them and the Kings, but it was also a testament that these players can thrive in big-time situations.
The playoffs are a different animal, but to see players like Schmaltz and Crouse step up in big moments despite having limited playoff experience is big. It shows how competitive they are and how much they want to get into the playoffs.
“Guys are super competitive,” Schmaltz said. “Everyone wants to push their team into the playoffs, so guys are fighting for their lives out there. It’s a lot of fun, a lot of competitiveness, a lot of stuff after the whistles, but it’s a heck of a lot of fun out there.”
Sunday’s game wasn’t really a game where you could judge on what went wrong and what went right. The penalty kill killed off the Kings’ only power play, while the Mammoth didn’t do anything on their lone opportunity. A lot of stats were pretty even, which isn’t surprising considering how desperate the Kings were for points.
Yet, it was the resilience of the Mammoth and the fact that they kept fighting despite Panarin tying the game late and Nate Schmidt exiting the game early due to illness that kept the team going throughout the whole game.
With the Mammoth losing the prior game at home to the Ducks, there was no other choice. Sunday’s game had to be a must-win, especially with the Kings hunting down a playoff spot. They did it successfully, staying levelheaded while the Kings scored.
“It’s really important,” Tourigny said. “We all know L.A. is fighting to catch up (to us). It’s a really important game. We have two games against them this week. We lost the last game at home. It’s important for us, where we take a lot of pride in that. But it was a big game. They’re heavy. They play a helluva game. They’re competitive. They’re tough to play against. They put a lot of pucks on the net. You need to be hard around the net. I’m really proud of the way we responded.”
With that, here we are. The final 11 games of the season for the Mammoth. A stretch of games where the Mammoth play the Kings again. Sunday was a big win for the Mammoth. However, make no mistake, the season isn’t over yet.
The Mammoth will next play the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday. The Oilers are 34-28-9 this season and are coming off a 5-2 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning. These two teams last met in October, where the Mammoth lost 6-3.
