Liam O’Brien Could Be Unlikely Hero for Mammoth in Playoffs – The Hockey Writers – Utah Mammoth

In the playoffs, anyone can be a hero for your team. Of course, you’ll rely on the big names to carry you through the 16 wins to hoist the Stanley Cup. However, sometimes, it’s the depth guys who randomly take off running and become key parts of some big moments.

There are quite a few examples over recent history. Devante Smith-Pelly, who scored seven goals, including three in the Stanley Cup Final, helped the Washington Capitals win their first Stanley Cup. His career high in the regular season was eight goals. Carl Gunnarsson, a depth defenseman, only scored one goal in the 2019 Stanley Cup Final, but that one goal came in overtime in Game 2, helping the St. Louis Blues win their first game of the series and eventually the Stanley Cup. Usual healthy scratch Joel Kiviranta scored his first three goals in Game 7 in a second-round matchup against the Colorado Avalanche, including the overtime winner to send the Dallas Stars to the Western Conference Finals.

The biggest example of this is Fernando Pisani of the Edmonton Oilers. Before the playoffs, he became a key depth piece for the Oilers, producing 37 points in 80 games, the most points he had ever and will ever produce in a single season. In the playoffs, Pisani took it to a whole new level, putting up 18 points (14 of which were goals) and helping his team reach Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final. The forward would only score one more goal in the rest of his playoff career.

For the Utah Mammoth, Liam O’Brien probably isn’t going to pop off for 14 goals in the postseason. That’s just not his game. However, he has and will likely continue playing a key role for the Mammoth that could help them best the Vegas Golden Knights.

Big Impact in First Playoff Game

After seven seasons of splitting time between the American Hockey League (AHL) and the NHL, O’Brien joined a rebuilding Arizona Coyotes team in hopes of finding a permanent job in the NHL. In 2023-24, O’Brien had a standout season, producing 14 points in 75 games. His five goals, nine assists, and 14 points were all career highs. So were his 75 games. It earned him a three-year deal as the team moved to Salt Lake City.

In two seasons with Utah, O’Brien hasn’t matched any of those totals, scoring his first goal since the final game in Arizona this season. What he has been for the Mammoth is a consistent physical threat, able to come into the lineup whenever he needs to. He appeared in 10 more games this season than he did last season, scoring three goals.

It wasn’t expected at first for O’Brien to play a lot of games in the postseason. That all changed in Game 1 between the Mammoth and the Golden Knights. The Golden Knights bullied the Mammoth all night long, winning 4-2 and recording 51 hits compared to 31. The bottom six in particular didn’t help as hits were 22-11 between the two teams.

With tempers rising and physicality expected to pick up in Game 2 after Nic Dowd threatened Logan Cooley, the time had come, and O’Brien was inserted into the lineup. Despite playing on the Capitals and Avalanche before, it was the forward’s first-ever playoff game.

“I think the playoffs fit my game well,” O’Brien said. “I wasn’t too worried about it. From watching even the first game, just seeing the way it was and everything, I was pretty pumped up for it. I was excited for it, and I was happy to get the chance to get in there and be in the fight.”

That ended up being true. O’Brien’s ice time ended up being cut down significantly due to the number of penalties throughout the game. However, in only 6:54 of ice time, O’Brien led the entire Mammoth in hits with five. He was tied for first among all skaters between both teams as well.

“I just wanted to be physical and have a presence,” O’Brien said. “That was the main goal. That’s what I did too.”

Liam O’Brien led the team in hits in Game 2 with five in 6:54 of playing time.

Talk about making an impact in your playoff debut.#TusksUp

— Chase Beardsley (@ChaseBeardsley_) April 22, 2026

It was the reason why O’Brien was brought into the lineup, and it worked. He played his role and stood up for his teammates. It must’ve been a wakeup call for his teammates as well because the Mammoth managed to beat the Golden Knights in that category, out-hitting them 39-33 and beating them overall 3-2, evening the series.

It’s no surprise that the Mammoth chose O’Brien to come into the lineup. The forward was fifth in hits this season with 115 despite only playing 38 games. His physical style of playing was what made him such an attractive player back when the Coyotes were a young, rebuilding team. It’s what the Mammoth desperately needed in Game 2. It’s something he is really proud of all these years later.

“I’ve always excelled at that ever since I was young,” O’Brien said. “I’ve always been someone who played physical, whether I was young and still playing on the power play and all that didn’t matter, I was always like a very physical player. At this level, that’s my role, and that’s what the team needs from me, and I enjoy doing it.”

The Mammoth Need Some Tuna in Game 3

Head coach André Tourigny said after Game 2 that it wasn’t right to see the fourth line of O’Brien, Kevin Stenlund, and Brandon Tanev play limited ice time, with O’Brien and Tanev playing under 10 minutes. Especially because every time they were on the ice, they stood out and really had a presence.

All three players have played a good defensive game. O’Brien, as mentioned, was massive for the Mammoth in Game 2. Stenlund, as usual, has been deployed to win critical faceoffs and to kill penalties. Tanev, although struggling in his first season with the Mammoth, has played a big physical role throughout the year. Tourigny thought they were a really good line, especially in Game 1.

“They have hits on good players on the other side, they had push with the puck while they made into the breakout intro zone,” Tourigny said. “They made good decisions. They had an impact. I talked about it after the game, with the number of penalties and the flow of the game; their ice time was not as much as usual. It’s unfortunate, because they played well.”

Alex Kerfoot played with Stenlund and Tanev in Game 1, and while he played decently, there’s no arguing that O’Brien brings more of a physical presence, a perfect match for the fourth line. To see O’Brien back on his line made Stenlund happy, especially because of how hard he plays.

“He brings simplicity and hits and has hard battles,” Stenlund said. “He’s a good player. I’m excited to have him back.”

Game 3 is expected to follow suit in Game 2, going up another notch in physicality. With that said, expect O’Brien to be back in the lineup on Friday. In front of a Delta Center crowd, especially with the fans praising the forward’s play on social media, if O’Brien lays a massive hit, expect them to go insane.

For O’Brien, Game 3 will be the same business as Game 2. The Mammoth need to bring speed and physicality. The line of Cooley, Dylan Guenther, and Kailer Yamamoto needs to bring the same play as the prior two games. That means O’Brien will need to protect his younger teammates and send a message with his usual style of play.

“I want us to play a lot as we did in Game 2,” O’Brien said. “I think we bring that speed. We bring the same physicality that we did. I think we had a lot of guys that were physical, guys that normally aren’t physical, that were throwing their bodies around. If we bring that to Game 3, we’re going to have success.”

While he won’t breakout offensively like Pisani or Smith-Pelly, O’Brien might be an unlikely hero should the Mammoth win this series. His play in Game 2 alone was a big reason why the Mammoth won the game. O’Brien’s physicality will be massive against the Golden Knights, who will continue to give their opponents everything they’ve got. Who knows? In the playoffs, anything can happen. Don’t be surprised if the forward who has worked hard all season to show he continues to be a big presence in the lineup, potentially chipping in a big goal.