Mackie Samoskevich #11 of the Seattle Kraken scores against Karel Vejmelka #70 of the Utah Mammoth during the third period at Climate Pledge Arena on October 22, 2026 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
(Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY – Despite a commendable third-period push fueled by a pair of goals from forward Logan Cooley, the Utah Mammoth fell short on the road against the Seattle Kraken at Climate Pledge Arena.
Once again plagued by a struggling penalty kill, Utah was repeatedly punished by Seattle for making critical mistakes at inopportune times.
After two forgettable periods that left them trailing by two goals, the Mammoth came out swinging with purpose as the puck dropped for the final frame.
Led by Cooley, who scored twice in the first eight minutes of the third period to tie the game at three, Utah effectively suffocated the Kraken with a ferocious forecheck, traffic in front of the net and a relentless barrage of dangerous shots.
The Mammoth dominated the period, tilting the ice in their favor for much of the frame.
Power play goal for Cools! https://t.co/oFdpHPy3Mq
— Utah Mammoth (@utahmammoth) October 23, 2026
Cooley from the point! 🎯
Game is tied, 3-3. https://t.co/jSMyVXrcpq
— Utah Mammoth (@utahmammoth) October 23, 2026
However, following a complete breakdown by all five skaters on the ice with roughly six and a half minutes remaining, Utah’s shortcomings caught up with the team, as its late push wasn’t enough to overcome earlier mistakes.
“Obviously a frustrating night,” head coach Andre Tourigny said. “We did a lot of good stuff offensively, but we forced the play too much, and it’s disappointing… when we played with pace offensively, and we had a lot of speed, we had success.”
MACK ATTACK 😤 https://t.co/CFhZvaq99m
— Seattle Kraken (@SeattleKraken) October 23, 2026
Once again, the Mammoth struggled on the penalty kill, surrendering two goals to the Kraken to remain among the league’s worst units at 66.7 percent, ranking 29th.
Combined with a difficult night in goal for Karel Vejmelka (.818 save percentage), Utah found itself in a tough spot despite otherwise dominating several statistical categories. The Mammoth led in shots (36–23), hits (30–14), power-play opportunities converted (2-for-3) and faceoff percentage (56 percent), yet still suffered a 5–3 loss.
While the Mammoth remain atop the Central Division with 14 points, they’ll need to address several areas of concern. Vejmelka’s save percentage ranks 46th at .872, while his goals-against average ranks 32nd at 3.04.
It’s still a small sample size, but those numbers could come back to haunt Utah if they don’t improve soon.
The Utah Mammoth will host the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday night at 7 p.m. MT
The game will be available on SEG+.
All Mammoth games will also be broadcast live on the KSL Sports Zone (97.5 FM/1280 AM).
Cole Bagley is the Utah Mammoth insider for KSL Sports. Follow him on X. You can hear Cole break down the team on KSL Sports Zone and KSL 5 TV.
