Anaheim Ducks center Ryan Poehling (25) reacts after the Anaheim Ducks scored their second empty net goal to take a 4-1 lead late in the third period of an NHL game against the Utah Mammoth at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Friday, March 20, 2026 (Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News).
(Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News)
SALT LAKE CITY – Upon returning home after a successful two-game road trip, the Utah Mammoth came up short against the Anaheim Ducks at Delta Center on Friday night.
While the Mammoth generated more dangerous chance than their opponents, the puck simply refused to bounce their way which resulted in a narrow loss.
After the hockey gods blessed the Mammoth in Vegas with some friendly bounces and a few extra posts in their favor, they were not as kind to Utah on Friday night against Anaheim.
Despite starting the game red hot with 14 total shots in the first and a goal less than two minutes into the contest, Utah’s puck luck stopped there as they were unable to score through the next 58 minutes of play.
“I think our push was great; we just didn’t finish,” Mikhail Sergachev explained. “We had a lot of chances, a couple of breakaways, a couple going against the goal in front of the net, and we didn’t finish.”
“That was the difference in the game.”
Who doesn’t love a Gunner one-timer?? pic.twitter.com/lrnGqtABfW
— Utah Mammoth (@utahmammoth) March 21, 2026
To be clear, it wasn’t a lack of effort that lost Utah the game against Anaheim as they ferociously pressed the Ducks for most of the night with 30 total shots.
Rather, it was their inability to finish as several pucks sailed over the net, the power play was a dud (0/3), Lukas Dostal (29 saves) was magnificent, and Jacob Trouba somehow summoned his sixth sense on the backdoor to rob Clayton Keller of an empty net.
Trouba with the BIG stop! #FlyTogether pic.twitter.com/MeBKjgIORS
— Anaheim Ducks (@AnaheimDucks) March 21, 2026
Crouse nearly blew the roof off the Delta Center pic.twitter.com/LQzkg2V5uN
— Cap’n Cook 🏔️ (@JazzePinkman) March 21, 2026
“We got in the box a little bit too much and we did not find a way to score enough,” Head coach Andre Tourigny explained.
“We had great opportunity for whatever reason didn’t go in. I would’ve loved more traffic. More taking the eyes of the goalie away [but] give credit to Anaheim to block a lot of shots.”
As Tourigny pointed out, Utah sat in the box far too much (five total penalties) and couldn’t finish the vast majority of their Grade A scoring chances.
While they didn’t give up a goal on the PK, they were still at a disadvantage for nearly 10 minutes.
Who knows what might’ve happened if they could’ve limited their time in the box.
Additionally, while the puck movement certainly looked pretty and Crouse nearly sent the crowd into an all-out frenzy with his deke midway through the third, the puck never crossed the line.
Unfortunately for Utah, it was just one of those nights where the final score (4-1) was not indicative of the actual effort as the puck simply refused to bounce their way.
While Utah’s power play has been a paralyzing issue all season long, it’s been especially concerning over the past two weeks.
Dating back to March 7 in Columbus, Utah has only managed to score twice on 18 total opportunities (11%).
Unacceptable.
No other way to put it.
To add insult to injury, things only went from bad to worse against Anaheim as the Mammoth not only failed to score on three power play opportunities, but they also allowed a shorthanded goal which shifted momentum in favor of the Ducks.
“All in all, today on the power play, we didn’t win enough faceoffs, didn’t recover enough loose pucks, a few turnovers that cost you the momentum,” Tourigny explained.
“You need to execute, you need to win your faceoffs, you need to win loose puck battles…those things make the difference.”
🚨 Poehling shorty!!! 🚨
Poehls hits the jets and ties this game! #FlyTogether pic.twitter.com/5ewizNNDa7
— Anaheim Ducks (@AnaheimDucks) March 21, 2026
If Utah does in fact reach the playoffs, they need to use the postseason as a rebirth on the man advantage.
Not that they suddenly need to be operating at 30 percent, but close to 20 should be the bare minimum.
If an opposing team commits four or five penalties, Utah MUST punish them.
If an opposing team opens the door to tie the game with just minutes to go like Anaheim did, Utah MUST seize the moment.
Like Tourigny pointed out, Utah failed to perform the small tasks that make all the difference when attacking on the power play.
That kind of effort won’t fly in the playoffs and could restrict them from making some serious noise if they clinch a spot.
The Utah Mammoth will continue their four game homestand against the Los Angeles Kings on Sunday night at 7 p.m. MT.
The game will be available on Mammoth+.
All Mammoth games will also be broadcast live on the KSL Sports Zone (97.5 FM/1280 AM).
