Utah Mammoth center Logan Cooley (92) celebrates after scoring against the Vegas Golden Knights during the first period of an NHL game at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Monday, Nov. 24, 2025 (Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News).
(Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News)
LAS VEGAS – The moment Utah Mammoth fans have been dreaming of for the past two years has finally arrived.
Following a successful second season in Salt Lake City, the NHL’s newest franchise will officially make their postseason debut in the most coveted tournament in all of hockey.
The Stanley Cup Playoffs.
So, upon drawing the Vegas Golden Knights as their first ever playoff opponent, can the Mammoth make some noise and possibly advance to round two?
Absolutely, but that doesn’t necessarily guarantee it’ll happen or that conquering the Knights will be easy.
Let’s dive a little bit deeper to see how Utah matches up with Vegas and what could potentially be the deciding factor(s).
Of all the first-round playoff matchups, the Mammoth and Golden Knights may be one of the most even across the board.
In addition to a similar number of points, goals for, goals against, success at 5-on-5, goals surrendered at 5-on-5, expected goals and a handful of other underlying stats, this series seems poised to go the distance.
“Offensively and defensively, we’ll need to close really quickly,” Utah head coach Andre Tourigny explained. “They’re number one in the league in possession in the O-zone. We’re a good possession team as well. We’re pretty good at denying possession. They’re pretty good at denying possession as well.”
“It’s strength against strength. That will be interesting.”
MEDIA AVAILABILITY
“Our speed no doubt about it. Offensively and defensively. We’ll need to close really quickly… We’re a good possession team as well. We’re pretty good at denying possession. @utahmammoth André Tourigny on the team’s strengths pic.twitter.com/dwGvw0k1Ml
— Utah Mammoth PR (@UtahMammoth_PR) April 18, 2026
As for the season series, Utah bested Vegas two out of three times as they outscored the Knights 10-5.
Does that matter at this point?
Not really.
The playoffs are simply a different beast.
But it does offer some perspective that Utah had Vegas’s number during the regular season and they’re more than capable of beating them if the Knights aren’t at the top of their game.
Speed and youth will be the name of the game for the boys dressed in mountain blue during the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
“It’s our speed,” Tourigny noted. “No doubt about it.”
“If you look at how we create our possession, it’s different than them. … For us, it’s about creating speed. Moving the puck quick. Not letting them swarm us or closing quickly on us. Using our tools.”
As Tourigny pointed out, Utah creates the vast majority of their offense via speed and finesse.
Whether that’s generating off the rush or breaking down well-structured teams in the offensive zone, the Mammoth were a force all season as they ranked fifth in the NHL with 185 goals at 5-on-5.
But what’s the key to their offense?
When are they truly at their best?
When they combine their speed and finesse with an aggressive forecheck by getting pucks in deep, winning battles, properly reloading to the D, exposing gaps to find open shots and then cleaning up rebounds.
Crouser buries the rebound!
2-1, Utah. pic.twitter.com/1LTk2TRoeQ
— x – Utah Mammoth (@utahmammoth) April 17, 2026
World class skill, world class puck movement. pic.twitter.com/XLBSNEXSkm
— x – Utah Mammoth (@utahmammoth) April 15, 2026
We’ll be replaying this one for a while! pic.twitter.com/aAeHzF338Z
— x – Utah Mammoth (@utahmammoth) April 11, 2026
“I love the idea that our guys are quick, they’re fast, they’re in this time of year for the first time,” Nate Schmidt explained. “The youthfulness is gonna be something that I’m excited to see.”
“It’s really hard to play against us.”
Another key factor to consider is the depth of Utah’s roster.
Of the 707 points the Mammoth generated this season, 15 skaters had more than 20 points while nine surpassed the 30-point benchmark and seven had more than 40.
As for the Knights, only 11 surpassed 20 while just seven had more than 30.
Not a massive difference, but a testament to Utah’s depth as all four lines and the three defensive pairings have been able to produce.
The key to Utah’s success will be determined by their ability to play consistent hockey over the course of a seven-game series.
That means playing their style as often as possible, weathering every storm, playing with confidence and embracing the moment.
“We can put pressure on teams and continue to roll over them,” Schmidt said. “Let our speed dictate the pace and how we want to play.”
“It makes it hard. … We’ve shown that this year. When we want to do it and when we’re good at doing it, it’s tough to play against.”
When Utah has been at their best this season, it’s been a product of their ability to take over games regardless of what the other team does which is exactly how they rattled off five wins in a row to clinch a postseason berth.
Didn’t matter if they trailed by a goal or two in the first period against a number of different team.
After weathering those storms, Utah effectively re-established their game, regained confidence and completely took over in those contests by collectively outscoring their opponents 29-10.
However, as a young team, a lack of confidence could quickly result in their demise.
Generally, when the Mammoth came out flat this season and struggled to play with urgency, teams picked them apart.
That cannot happen if Utah wants any shot at winning the series.
Even if they give their all and still lose, that’s an easier result to live with as opposed to simply folding.
“You just play your game,” Mikhail Sergachev told KSL Sports. “Make them contain you.”
While beating Vegas will no doubt require a team effort, they’re several players on Utah’s roster than could be the difference between winning and losing.
To begin, a team’s longevity in the playoffs is often determined by the guy between the pipes.
For Utah, they’ll need Karel Vejmelka to be at his very best if they hope to contain the likes of Jack Eichel, Mitch Marner and Mark Stone.
“They have a couple of big guys, a couple of big bodies in front of the net,” Vejmelka told KSL Sports. “So, I need to be aware of traffic in front, find the puck early, and track the puck well.”
Despite starting in 61 games this season, No. 70 feels ready to carry the workload in the playoffs.
According to him, his daily routine has prepared him for this moment.
“I feel great, actually. I feel unbelievable on the ice & off the ice. I do my routine every single day to keep my body in shape. So, I feel great.”
For the year, Vejmelka posted a .897 save percentage and 2.75 goals against.
In his 38 wins, that number skyrocketed to .918 with 2.15 GAA while in losses it dropped to .862 with 3.71 GAA.
If Vejmelka wants to be an X-factor in this series, he’ll likely need to hover around .900 while staying below 3 GAA as often as possible.
Offensively, I’ve got Logan Cooley as the potential X-factor for the Mammoth.
Considering that we likely know what to expect from guys like Clayton Keller, Nick Schmaltz, Lawson Crouse and Dylan Guenther, Cooley feels like the player who could potentially take the series by storm.
In the 15 games Cooley scored in this season, Utah won 11 of those contests.
Additionally, in the 27 games where 92 registered a point, the Mammoth were victorious 18 times as opposed to the nine losses.
“Just play my game,” Cooley said in regard to how he can be an X-factor. “Do what’s made me successful. I’ll get some chances, play the game the right way and I expect the same out of myself, even in the playoffs.”
Yes.
Utah can beat Vegas.
While many may be writing Utah off, they have a real shot to make some noise, win hockey games and potentially advance to the second round.
Will that happen?
As I noted previously, Utah’s success will heavily rely on their ability to demonstrate maturity and consistently play their game over the course of a series.
If so, Vegas may be shocked by the talent, speed, and explosiveness of Utah’s game.
If not, the Knights could make short work of the Mammoth.
The Utah Mammoth will face the Vegas Golden Knights in round one of the Stanley Cup Playoffs on Sunday at 8 p.m. MT.
The game will be available on ESPN and SEG+.
All Mammoth games will also be broadcast live on the KSL Sports Zone (97.5 FM/1280 AM).
