We’ve got ourselves a series. Game 4 was a pivotal one for the Vegas Golden Knights and the Utah Mammoth. For the Golden Knights, this was a must-win; otherwise, they would go down 3-1 in the series, which is pretty much a death note. For the Mammoth, if they lost Monday night’s game, they would let their opponents back into the series.
It would’ve been a disappointment if all of that didn’t set up a good game. In nearly 80 minutes, we got a four-goal comeback, a disallowed overtime goal, and an overtime winner scored with 51 seconds left by Shea Theodore to win it for the Golden Knights 5-4, sending the series back to Las Vegas tied at two a piece. It’s a brand-new series heading into Game 5. Here are some takeaways from Monday’s game.
They’ve Come All the Way Back
What did we say after Game 3? The Mammoth cannot get outshot by an insane amount again, especially to start the game. What happened? Another slow start seemed like it doomed the Mammoth.
Pavel Dorofeyev scored the opening goal just a little over a minute into the game, his first of the playoffs. Brett Howden scored a beautiful shorthanded goal right before the end of the first period to make it 2-0. Cole Smith opened the second period with a goal of his own to make it 3-0. It seemed like the Golden Knights had finally figured out how to score in bunches, and it seemed the Mammoth would fall on their own sword, defeated by the issue that had plagued them in Game 3.
“It’s just the mentality,” Ian Cole said. “They have a good team. If we can control the puck in the O-zone, hang on to that and generate more chances, that’s good for us. Putting more pucks on that is obviously key.”
After that Smith goal, it seemed like something had changed for the Mammoth. They started taking shots and stopped being too fancy with the puck, something that they had done throughout the first period, which didn’t allow them to get shots, and what do you know, more shots equaled more opportunities to score.
Nick Schmaltz scored first, knocking in a Lawson Crouse shot. It was his first goal of the series and his first-ever playoff goal. Seconds later, Cole scored from near the top of the faceoff circle to get the Mammoth within one goal of the Golden Knights. Mind you, the Delta Center was going insane.
Two goals in 29 seconds! 🤯 pic.twitter.com/6IfVqguNma
— x – Utah Mammoth (@utahmammoth) April 28, 2026
The Mammoth fans in attendance didn’t reach their peak there because, less than two minutes into the third period, Michael Carcone scored from inside the faceoff circle to tie the game up at three. Carcone had missed a wide-open net earlier in the game, one he should’ve had. The game-tying goal was certainly a redeeming one for him.
Clayton Keller continued the Mammoth’s scoring with a shot off a defender right in front of Carter Hart to give the team their first lead of the game. It was his first playoff goal of the series as well, as the first line had one of their best games of the playoffs.
Captain Keller! Captain Clutch!
4-3, Utah. pic.twitter.com/9mcHXYjUuR
— x – Utah Mammoth (@utahmammoth) April 28, 2026
Shots in the second period were 11-10 for the Mammoth. Shots in the third, although favoring the Golden Knights, were 10-8. That’s way more than the three the Mammoth had in the first. It was truly in the second and third periods where they finally found their game.
“We started to play our game, using our speed and just being simple, and let the rest take care of itself,” Keller said. “When you play fast and get pucks and recoveries, the other plays open up. We have a great forward group, lots of skill, and the rest just takes over.”
It’s a style of play that made the Mammoth really dangerous in the final two periods and gave them some really good chances to start overtime. Going forward, though, the Mammoth have to have better starts. What if they got more shots to begin the game? What if Carcone scored into that wide-open net? They could’ve won this game, but that poor first period cost them.
“We had a slow start to the game and didn’t play our best, but in the second period, we came back, our fans were rallying and brought us back into the game, and we came back,” Mikhail Sergachev said. “We just got to fix the start, and I think we’ll be fine.”
It wasn’t just the poor start, though. Similar to Game 3, the Mammoth played a mainly defensive game in the final couple of minutes while having the lead. The Golden Knights are not to be toyed with like that; they will pounce on a team that leans back and defends. The difference between Game 3 and Game 4 is that the Mammoth had a multi-goal lead in the earlier game; they did not on Monday.
What happened? Howden scored his second of the game off a tip from in front of the net, and the game was all tied up.
“It wasn’t our best,” Sergachev said. “We had some times where we could have made plays. We opted for punting and chipped it out. We played a little too simple. We’ve got to be more on it and talk to the puck carrier and help him out.”
All tied up at four, this game headed to overtime, the first time a game in this series has gotten that far. With massive stakes on the line, the next goal would decide what the future of this series would be.
Shea Theodore, the Overtime Hero
Sudden death overtime in the playoffs is the best hockey there is. It’s fast-paced, it shows the fans at their best, and it basically keeps everyone on their feet until the very end. It’s only fitting that the fans at the Delta Center would get to witness that in only their second home postseason game in history.
The Mammoth controlled the overtime at first, getting seven of the first 10 shots. They had the better shots and chances as well. On top of all of that, they killed a penalty early in overtime with one of their best penalty killers, Kevin Stenlund, in the box. They played a really good game in overtime.
“I liked our game, I liked our play,” head coach André Tourigny said. “They had a shift before (the goal) where they had the momentum, but I thought we had good looks in overtime, we had good possession, we had speed. I like the way we played in overtime.”
Then came the momentum changer, and it came in the weirdest way possible. Dorofeyev was the last person to touch the puck as Kailer Yamamoto accidentally deflected it into the back of the net. It seemed like the Golden Knights had won.
However, after review, the play was clearly offside. Tourigny knew it right away. Golden Knights head coach John Tortorella, however, did not.
“I thought we won it the first time,” Tortorella said. “I was in the coaches’ room, pretty much celebrating. I was yelled back out that we’re not sure, and so that was a little weird for me.”
After that point, it felt like the Golden Knights had most of the momentum, even though you would expect it to favor the Mammoth. Finally, it all ended in the final minute of overtime. Karel Vejmelka stopped a puck, but Cole slid into him, making the goalie let the puck go, and his stick went flying with it.
The Golden Knights scrambled for the puck, and Theodore positioned himself in a good spot to receive a pass. Cole, desperate to stop the puck, slid right into Vejmelka and stopped him from making a save on Theodore as he scored the overtime winner.
NEVER GIVE UP
NEVER BACK DOWN pic.twitter.com/PuUSeD5WH2— Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) April 28, 2026
Despite being on both of the Golden Knights teams that went all the way to the Stanley Cup Final, Theodore’s overtime winner in Game 4 was the first of his career. It was a special moment for him, especially because it gave the Golden Knights new life in the series.
“Especially at the end, close to the end of the first overtime, you don’t really want to go to a second overtime, but it’s just a good feeling,” Theodore said. “It sucked having that one called back, but I felt like we kept our foot on the gas. I think scoring overtime winners is pretty special.”
A Brand New Series
With the series evened at two wins each, this series becomes a brand new one. A best of three. The winner of Game 5 on Wednesday will have the chance to end the series on Friday. Game 4 might’ve been the most important game for the Golden Knights specifically, but Game 5 has become the most pivotal game for both teams.
The Mammoth could’ve easily won Game 4 if a lucky bounce had gone their way. They didn’t necessarily play badly besides the poor start, and when they had the lead for a couple of minutes in the third period. However, one goal can change the trajectory of the series, and with the overtime winner and the series shifting back to their home rink, Game 5 will be one where the Mammoth might have to find momentum early.
“Each game is an individual game,” Cole said. “Right now, it’s the best of three. Obviously, unfortunate about the outcome, but not one that we can dwell on. We’ll look at it, we’ll try to figure out what we can do better, and move forward.”
A couple of notes. Tomáš Hertl only played around 11 minutes in Game 4. Mitch Marner still has zero goals in the series. Game 4 might’ve saved the Golden Knights’ series, but they desperately need to get those guys going. Dorofeyev was benched at points, but did get his first goal of the series. If the Golden Knights end up losing this series, Marner in particular will get a lot of the blame shifted on him.
For the Mammoth, JJ Peterka only played around 10 minutes. He was benched midway through the game and never played another minute. That could be an interesting plotline. If it’s an injury, does he come back for Game 5? If it’s a coaching decision, what does his role look like on Wednesday? He was on the ice for a pretty bad goal against, so we’ll have to wait and see what that looks like.
Then there are the big injuries for the two teams. William Karlsson is skating again, albeit in a non-contact jersey. Barrett Hayton has been skating in a full-contact jersey. Jack McBain is nowhere to be seen. Will any of these players come back? Lots of questions circle this series in such a short amount of time.
Again, it wasn’t a bad game for the Mammoth. There were quite a few points within the game where they were the better team. However, that’s the playoffs. The better team sometimes loses. One bounce can end it all.
“They had a great start, and I like the way we responded after their third goal,” Tourigny said. “Then we got in the box, and right away after, that’s where we started rolling and got back in the game a little bit. I’m proud of the way our guys responded to adversity. That was a hard-fought game. We know that how good they can be, and I think we respond well after the second half of the game.”
Game 5 is going to be a big game, and it’s all because of Game 4. An epic game that had so much in it from both teams ended in the final minute because of a few errors made in seconds. While walking towards the locker room, I overheard Mammoth fans disappointed about the result, but then say that was the best hockey game I’ve ever been to. Funny enough, even the Mammoth agreed that it was quite a good hockey game.
“We came back from 3-0,” Sergachev said. “We were up in the game, and it was a good playoff hockey game.”
The Mammoth will play the Golden Knights in Game 5 on Wednesday night at T-Mobile Arena. The series is tied 2-2.
Free Newsletter
Get Utah Mammoth coverage delivered to your inbox
In-depth analysis, breaking news, and insider takes – free.
