Talk about ending March the right way. Heading into a hostile environment in Crypto.com Arena, the Utah Mammoth’s 74th game of the season was a big one. The LA Kings were hungry for points, trailing the Nashville Predators by a single point in the standings for the second wild card spot. The Mammoth, looking to regain more of a cushion against the Predators, needed points as well.
With the Predators losing to the Montreal Canadiens, it was the Kings who had the momentum. What followed was a complete shutdown of a hungry team by the Mammoth, playing some of their best hockey to secure win 37 and restore a five-point lead for the first wild card spot. Here are some takeaways from the 6-2 win on Saturday night.
The Mammoth scored a total of six goals on Saturday. Four of those six goals were scored by two players. The pair of players is a tandem you probably would’ve never expected.
Logan Cooley is a guy you can usually count on to score goals, but as of late, he’s been a little cold. Before scoring against the Washington Capitals on Thursday, he was on an eight-game goal drought, not a common thing to see from the forward this season. That goal Cooley scored against the Capitals must’ve reawakened his scoring touch because he was looking like himself again on Saturday.
His first goal came from a smart play by Mikhail Sergachev, who passed the puck to him through a hard shot that rebounded off the boards behind Darcy Kuemper. From there, it was an easy goal for Cooley.
The second goal came on the power play. It was a beautiful move by Cooley as he faked out Joel Edmundson, forcing the defenseman to be on the backside of his body while he went straight for the net. He put the puck behind Kuemper while he was falling to give the Mammoth a 3-1 lead. That goal got Cooley to the 20-goal plateau for the third straight season, an impressive accomplishment considering the injury he suffered this season.
Top shelf where mom keeps the cookies! 🍪 pic.twitter.com/SpUzRAK2BY
— Utah Mammoth (@utahmammoth) March 29, 2026
The power play. Yes, we can write a whole book about how the Mammoth’s power play has been worse than it should be. However, Saturday’s power play looked like a whole different beast. They dominated, controlling the play. At one point, they had the Kings’ penalty kill unit trapped inside their zone for almost the entire opportunity. It truly was a big factor in their win.
Nick Schmaltz scored another power play goal late in the second period. Overall, the Mammoth went two for three on the man advantage. Truly remarkable.
“We had a shot mentality,” Sergachev said. “Everything started with a shot, and then it opened up. Our elite players made some elite plays and paid off. So simplicity is the key.”
Related: From Frustration to Stability: Michael Carcone Earns Extension with Mammoth
Speaking of Sergachev, he had quite a game. He produced four assists, a career high in a single game. The blueline, in general, had a great game as they kept the lead safe the entire game. More on that later.
Let’s talk about the other guy who had a multi-goal game. Alex Kerfoot. It hasn’t been a season that has met his expectations. He’ll tell you that himself. Limited to only 25 games due to injury, Kerfoot has had to refind his game after being away for so long.
His performance against the Kings is probably an indicator that he’s refound it. His second goal in particular was one to like. Waiting for his teammates in the offensive zone, Kerfoot patiently kept the puck and waited. Finally, he found a chance, and it was right at the net as he snuck a shot right past Kuemper.
What a beauty! Second of the night for Kerfy! 🤩
4-1, Utah. pic.twitter.com/UZVuAbL5zH
— Utah Mammoth (@utahmammoth) March 29, 2026
Kerfoot has been around the league for a while. He’s played 48 postseason games. Never once has he made it past the second round. On top of that, the last time he played playoff hockey was back during the 2022-23 season. Having to go through a rebuild and then a major injury can be taxing. However, Kerfoot wants to play meaningful games, and it’s what drives him to keep being the best he can.
“This is what I want to play for,” Kerfoot said. “I want to play in these important games down the stretch. I want to be good in the playoffs. You never want to start the season missing 50 games, being on the sidelines. It’s tough coming back into it. I think I can still get better. I think that I’ve still got more to give. I want to give more to the team. It’s just about going out there and doing it.”
Jack McBain was the other goal scorer, scoring an empty net goal. It was a great performance by the Mammoth’s group of forwards. It’s pretty cool that the two multi-goal scorers couldn’t be two different people. One is a young top-six forward, while the other is a bottom-six veteran. Yet, it’s a sign of how deep this Mammoth team can be when they’re clicking.
Confidence Found Around the Net
When I say the Mammoth found confidence around the net, I don’t mean they got confident putting in rebounds. It’s actually on the other side of the ice where everything got better.
For the past two games, head coach André Tourigny has had to take the starting goaltender out midgame because of a poor performance by the whole team. It hasn’t just been the goaltender’s fault. The defense hasn’t done them any favors.
There was no such conversation on Saturday. Karel Vejmelka had a pretty solid game, making 29 saves. The defense in front of him didn’t let a lot of quality shots come his way either. It was a great two-way relationship on show. Vejmelka has a great performance, the blueline helps out.
“The problem was everybody, and the success is everybody,” Tourigny said. “We help Veg (Vejmelka) today by not giving a ton of quality shots, but he was rock solid when we did give quality, because you will, it’s a mistake. It’s impossible not to give any quality looks in the game, then your goalie has to be sharp and come tall, which he did.”
When it’s a two-way relationship, that’s when the best comes out of everyone. It’s something Sergachev emphasized when asked about the situation.
“He (Vejmelka) made some key stops, and he played unbelievable,” Sergachev said. “Pulling or not pulling the previous game, it doesn’t matter. We’re all for Veggie and V (Vítek Vaněček), and they’re all for us. They do their jobs. We do our jobs. Sometimes it doesn’t work, sometimes it works, but most of the time, if they keep playing like that, we’re gonna win more than we’re gonna lose.”
Trust matters, and on Saturday, it was a complete unit out on the ice for the Mammoth. They played as one and in an ironic twist of events, chased Kuemper out of the net come the third period, forcing Anton Forsberg into play.
Now the Mammoth can’t have any more stretches of Tourigny, having to switch his goaltender midgame. As Sergachev mentioned, when they play as they did on Saturday, they’re going to win games. Reverting is only going to add more losses.
Lessons Learned
Give credit where credit is due. The Mammoth really did go back and learn a thing or two from their mistakes on Thursday.
A huge problem with Thursday’s loss is that the physicality got way out of hand. The Mammoth embraced it in a completely chaotic way, and it cost them the game. The Capitals capitalized on a shorthanded and immature opponent. You could tell Tourigny was absolutely not happy after that loss. Do you want to guess how happy he was on Saturday?
The Kings tried hard to force the Mammoth off their game with physicality. Yet the Mammoth didn’t budge. They were mature and kept cool. It was a great look from the team.
“We learned a little bit,” Tourigny said. “The guys stayed with it. There’s a time to fix those things, and there’s time to get the two points, and ideally, you can do both in the same game. Tonight, I like our composure, and I like the way we answer the bell.”
It’s not like the Mammoth allowed the Kings to beat them up either. They instead delivered a more responsible form of physicality. They finished clean checks, and they didn’t go after their opponents after the whistle when they were mouthing off. It was a smart way to play.
In the past two games, the Mammoth have held a 3-1 lead. On Thursday, as mentioned, they embraced their physical side and allowed the Capitals to slip back into the game. On Saturday, they kept collecting and chose to add to their lead instead. It’s a big win to learn from the prior game’s mistakes. On Saturday, that win translated on the scoreboard.
“We don’t want to get carried away and put ourselves in a situation, especially when you’re up,” Kerfoot said. “You don’t want to get involved in as much of that. You don’t want to make the game a special teams game. You don’t want to give the other team any life from any extracurricular activity. It was a focus of ours. We learned from it. We did a great job. There’s going to be more moments of intense emotions down the stretch, and we’ll learn from it and keep doing a better job.”
With the win, the Mammoth now restore a five-point gap between them and the Predators for the first wild card spot. They also stopped a Kings team that is chasing them in the standings from getting any momentum. That is big for the Mammoth.
To make life even better (or make life even worse for Kings fans), in the American Hockey League, top goaltending prospect Michael Hrabal picked up his first pro win in his first pro game with the Tucson Roadrunners against, guess who? The Kings’ AHL team, the Ontario Reign. An organizational sweep.
Your first look at Michael Hrabal in a Roadrunners jersey as he leads Tucson out for warmups. #TusksUp #LetsGoTucson pic.twitter.com/nY7ILs188U
— Chase Beardsley (@ChaseBeardsley_) March 29, 2026
Now, the Mammoth get a well-deserved four-day break from games. It’s needed. The team has played every other day ever since the Olympic break. Not only do the players get to relax and recover a little bit, but they also get to see their families.
“It’s like a much-needed break,” Sergachev said. “You want to stay in it, but we’re gonna have some time to practice, tweak a couple of things, and maybe relax for a little bit and enjoy some time with the family and recharge and go back at it. I think that’s very important.”
However, just because the Mammoth are on break doesn’t mean they can put their guard down. There are eight games left in the season. A very important one awaits them after the break in the Seattle Kraken, who trail in the wild card race but have two games in hand over the Mammoth.
There will be time to relax and be with family over the next four days, but the final eight games could mean everything for the Mammoth. A win could mean a playoff spot clinched. A loss could remove the cushion that the Mammoth just put in between them and the other teams in the west.
For now, refocusing on this week, the team has earned a break, especially with the big win over the Kings. However, managing the break the right way will be a true test for the Mammoth as the end of the season draws near.
“It’s a different break than others in the sense that we need to take it really seriously, making sure we manage it right,” Tourigny said. “We have a really important game coming back. It’s a team that’s chasing us. They have games in hand, so it will be important for us to be ready against Seattle. First, let’s make sure we manage a break the right way.”
The Mammoth will play the Kraken on Thursday. The Kraken are 32-29-11 and are coming off a 3-2 shootout loss to the Buffalo Sabres. These two teams last met in January when the Mammoth, who currently lead the season series 2-0, won 6-3.
