In the most crucial time, the Utah Mammoth are playing their best hockey. Weighed down with injuries, the team managed to find a way to win their third game in a row on Saturday. While it was against the last-place team in the league, and it took a shaky start for the Mammoth to start scoring, the team found a way to produce in bunches and once again score six-plus goals for the third straight game.
If there was any doubt that the Mammoth were in danger of losing the first wild card or a playoff spot, it’s pretty much gone as the team now sits five points ahead of the LA Kings and has reached 40 wins. Here are some takeaways from the 7-4 win over the Vancouver Canucks.
A Keller Instinct
For the first time in a long time, Clayton Keller is not leading this team in goals and won’t finish the season as the leader in that category. However, that doesn’t mean that he has been slacking on scoring. In case anyone needed a reminder, it was the Mammoth captain’s goal scoring that won his team the game on Saturday.
Lawson Crouse dropped the puck back after entering the offensive zone to Keller late in the first period. Keller floated towards the center of the zone and fired a quick wrist shot that beat Nikita Tolopilo to give the Mammoth their first lead of the game, up 2-1.
🚨 Captain Kells for the lead!
2-1, Utah. pic.twitter.com/jCRYjLkjp2
— Utah Mammoth (@utahmammoth) April 4, 2026
Keller’s second goal came on the power play. Dylan Guenther unloaded his one-timer, which the captain deflected in. However, it seemed like Keller’s stick was above the crossbar, meaning it was a high stick. The refs immediately called it off, but after league review, it was found that the forward’s goal did count, resulting in a restored lead for the Mammoth.
It looked pretty obvious through replays that Keller’s goal would count. However, when he scored it, he wasn’t that confident of it counting.
“It was one of those ones where I tipped it and my stick raised after,” Keller said. “I think I tipped it before, and then my stick came up. That’s why they were saying on the bench, why it was good.”
Count it ⏱️
Second of the night for #9! pic.twitter.com/xxPZHEFogm
— Utah Mammoth (@utahmammoth) April 5, 2026
With less than a minute to go in the game, Keller finished off the hat trick in the easiest way possible, depositing the puck into an empty net to finish off the regular-season sweep against the Canucks. The hat trick was the forward’s third career hat trick. Keller is also the second player to accomplish the feat against the Canucks, with Nick Schmaltz scoring one himself earlier this season.
When asked about his hat trick, Keller was quite modest about it, complimenting the plays that set up each goal instead of anything else. However, he did emphasize how much better his team has gotten at being more consistent and how fun it’s been to play with them.
“It’s something that we’re stressing on is that we want to get better every single day, every single game, and learn from our mistakes,” Keller said. “It’s not an easy thing to do. We really put a lot of time and effort into it. We play for one another, and I think that’s the biggest thing. We’re a tight group, and it’s fun coming to work every single day with these guys. There are lots of ups and downs, and it’s a fun time of the year right now.”
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You can’t blame Keller for thinking about his team first. Not just because he’s always been a team-first kind of guy, but also 13 different players on the team produced a point on Saturday. That’s a big showing of the team’s depth.
“It’s huge,” John Marino said. “Just contributions up and down the lineup from everybody, and then Spicy Tuna (Liam O’Brien) is able to come in and contribute too. He did awesome. It was awesome to see that too. It shows how close this group is and how everyone helps out.”
Speaking of O’Brien, the veteran forward played a huge role in helping the Mammoth win their game on Saturday. Call it one of the spicy reinforcements for the team.
A Spicy Reinforcement
It had been exactly two months since O’Brien had been in the Mammoth’s lineup. Other healthy scratches like Brandon Tanev and Kailer Yamamoto had been inserted into the lineup in that time, but O’Brien stayed in the press box, waiting.
With an injury to Jack McBain, it was finally time for the man nicknamed Spicy Tuna to return to the lineup. As Alex Kerfoot moved up to the third line, O’Brien made his return to the lineup on the fourth line with Tanev and Kevin Stenlund.
Head coach André Tourigny sent out the fourth line quite a bit, especially when the Mammoth needed some energy. At the end of the day, O’Brien racked up 10:21 of ice time, the sixth highest in his season so far.
It was in the third period that O’Brien really impressed in his return. Nate Schmidt flung the puck into the offensive zone, and Tanev showed off his speed by beating a Canucks player for the puck. Tanev quickly stopped and slid a backhand pass to O’Brien. The forward then cruised to the net and slid the puck in on his backhand for his third goal of the season.
Turbo to Spicy Tuna for a back-handed beauty!
6-4, Utah. pic.twitter.com/tkAb9MZGrl
— Utah Mammoth (@utahmammoth) April 5, 2026
Again, O’Brien’s contribution on Saturday shows how deep a lineup the Mammoth have. Yes, O’Brien isn’t an everyday player, but when needed, he can provide great energy and even chip in some offense. It’s great for the team, especially when they run into injuries.
“We have a deep lineup, and anyone who steps in is a great player and someone who knows our systems well and can contribute,” Keller said. “Obi (O’Brien) and Desi (Nick DeSimone) stepped in tonight. They’re great for us, and just two great teammates, great guys, if they’re in the lineup, if they’re not, they’re the same person. They come to work every single day, and it’s great to see them in the lineup and contribute.”
DeSimone was the other player who stepped into the lineup due to an injury to MacKenzie Weegar. He, too, played great on a pairing with Ian Cole. This season, the defenseman has played a career high of 38 games and has looked really good whenever in the lineup. Unfortunately for the defenseman, when Weegar was acquired, he was pushed out of the lineup.
In Saturday’s game, DeSimone proved that even though he hadn’t played a game in nearly a month, he is still that same productive defenseman from before the trade deadline. Despite only playing 15:51, the lowest among the six Mammoth defensemen, he registered an assist and finished the game as a plus-one.
“Everyone on the team can’t say enough good things about Desi (DeSimone),” Marino said. “He’s been doing it the whole year, in and out of the lineup. When he comes in, you know he could play 20 minutes and make it look pretty easy. He’s super undervalued, and we’re just glad he’s on our team.”
Undervalued is certainly a word that can be applied to DeSimone. He’s better than an extra defenseman. Despite only playing 38 games this season, he’s had one of the better seasons among Mammoth defensemen.
A shoutout has to go to the aforementioned Yamamoto. He was the one who got the ball rolling for the Mammoth, scoring his 11th goal of the season. It is the most goals he’s scored since the 2021-22 season. When you speak about undervalued, Yamamoto is another player who can fit under that label. His overall play and production have certainly earned him an extension.
Oh hot yam! 🍠🔥
Tied up, 1-1. pic.twitter.com/NCMXDH3rTk
— Utah Mammoth (@utahmammoth) April 4, 2026
Overall, it was a good night for the Mammoth’s top six, but it was an even better night for the Mammoth’s depth. Despite O’Brien and DeSimone appearing in their first games in a month, they fit in seamlessly and really helped power the team to the win. It cannot be expressed how important depth is, and this game was a big representation of that.
“It’s (depth) so important,” Tourigny said. “It’s not just having that, but it’s having guys you trust. Both of those two guys, we trust them. They played it right the way. They’re good pros. They stay ready, however long they didn’t play. They jumped in, and it was a must-win for us. I think they contributed so great.”
98.9% Odds
98.9%. That is the probability of the Mammoth making the playoffs after their win over the Canucks. It is almost impossible for the team to miss the playoffs at this point. This three-game road trip against the Kings, Seattle Kraken, and Canucks was massive for getting the odds to that point. It’s all thanks to the Mammoth’s play to get six points.
Especially with the amount of injuries the Mammoth have faced, it’s an impressive stretch of wins they’ve rattled off in the past week. All three wins being on the road, too, is impressive. Winning in enemy territory can be hard. For the Mammoth, playing on the road is a treat.
“I love being on the road,” Keller said. “We spend so much time together, playing lots of cards and having dinners. It’s just super fun. I think it brings the guys closer together. Sometimes at home, you’re at the rink, and then you’re home and see each other the next day. It’s good to be on the road and spend that time with each other.”
It showed on Saturday that this team is enjoying its time playing together. When 13 different players are producing points, it shows a well-connected team.
For the Mammoth, even though entering this game, they had a high chance of making the playoffs, other teams around them are still winning. Every game is still a must-win. Six points can make all the difference in playing Game 83, aka playoff Game 1.
“Everybody’s winning, so we need to win this,” Tourigny said. “At the end of the day, we want to play Game 83, and to do that, you need to win games. You’re not going in because anybody let you in. You need to keep winning games. It’s not over. There’s a lot of hockey left, and we have to keep winning.”
As six games remain in the season, it’s hard to imagine that the regular season is almost over. It seems like it’s only been a couple of days since the Mammoth’s horrible November and December, where it was hard to envision this team in the playoffs. Some 40-something games later, and here we are. Just a couple of points away from clinching a playoff spot.
It’s been a crazy season. The power play has, at times, been horrible. The offense, at times, has dried up. There have been other things that have gone wrong for the Mammoth throughout the season. Now, here we are. The team is playing its best hockey. The power play has improved; all four lines in the forward group are rolling, and goaltending has been decent. The Mammoth are showing they’re a playoff team, and their 7-4 win against the Canucks, which is the third straight win where the team has scored six or more goals, is supporting that.
“There are ups and downs throughout the whole season, but we’re pretty confident that we know we’re a playoff team,” Marino said. “We know we belong in the playoffs. It’s something that’s been building here for a while, in the culture and the organization.”
It’s a big two points. Now, the Mammoth get rewarded with a two-day break. One that they’re hoping allows injured players to return to the lineup, along with giving some rest to the healthy players. After their final long road trip, it’s well deserved.
The Mammoth will next play the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday. The Oilers are 39-29-9 and are coming off a 5-1 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights. These two teams last met in March when the Mammoth lost 5-2. They’ve lost both games so far in the regular season series.
