Sebastian Cossa #33 of the Utah Mammoth defends the net against Ivan Barbashev #49 of the Vegas Golden Knights in the second period of their preseason game at T-Mobile Arena on September 24, 2026 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Golden Knights defeated the Mammoth 5-4 in overtime. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
(Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY – Battling through a wave of injuries and adversity, the Utah Mammoth ultimately came up short against the Vegas Golden Knights.
Despite a commendable late push in the third period, Vegas’ depth and experience proved to be too much for Utah to overcome enroute to their third-straight loss.
The injury bug continues to wreak havoc on Salt Lake City’s professional sports teams, as the Utah Mammoth placed two more players on injured reserve ahead of Wednesday’s matchup against the Vegas Golden Knights.
Already without Logan Cooley (day-to-day), Dylan Guenther (injured reserve), John Marino (injured reserve) and Nate Schmidt (injured reserve), Utah struggled to keep pace with the star power of its opponent over 60 minutes.
Lots of injury updates:
Logan Cooley will not play tonight (upper-body) and is listed as day to day.
Dylan Guenther will not play tonight (upper-body) and has been placed on Injured Reserve (IR). He will miss approximately 2-4 weeks.
The Mammoth have recalled forward Daniil But from the Tucson Roadrunners.
Defenseman Nate Schmidt has been placed on IR retroactive to 11/5.
Forward Kailer Yamamoto has been activated off IR and will play tonight.
— Cole Bagley (@BagleyKSLsports) November 12, 2026
The Mammoth were outshot 28-17 in Vegas and endured an offensive onslaught in the second period, when the Golden Knights found the back of the net three times in just five minutes.
Vic on the power play just hits different 😤 https://t.co/L1thrlUsSt
— Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) November 12, 2026
“There are no mistakes, only happy accidents.”
– Victor Olofsson, probably 😂 https://t.co/ZEH1Xocucy
— Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) November 12, 2026
Goal of the year candidate from Barbie??? 😮💨 https://t.co/xYND320St4
— Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) November 12, 2026
Despite a commendable effort to cut the deficit to one goal midway through the third period, Utah’s hopes of a comeback were quickly dashed when Brett Howden scored just 60 seconds later, sealing a 5-3 victory for Vegas.
Coming off three straight losses and defeats in four of their last five games, Utah needs to find answers quickly.
Not to the extent of sounding alarms or writing off the season, but the Mammoth will need to dig deep to stay afloat during what figures to be a difficult stretch of hockey.
With John Marino and Dylan Guenther both sidelined for the next few weeks and no established timeline for Nate Schmidt’s return, Utah faces an uphill battle at both ends of the ice.
Over their last five games, Utah has been outscored 22-14, outshot 135-126 and registered a .841 save percentage in net.
That’s simply not good enough.
However, the Mammoth don’t need to reinvent themselves at this point.
The season is far from over, and every team in the league experiences a rough stretch at some point over the course of an 84-game season.
That said, Utah will need several players to step up if they hope to navigate this adversity successfully.
Sebastian Cossa and Karel Vejmelka need to find another gear and get their save percentages as close to .900 as possible. At this point, even .890 or .880 would be a welcome improvement.
As captain, Clayton Keller will also need to elevate his game, even amid what’s been a career year, particularly if Schmaltz is forced to miss significant time after sustaining an injury against Vegas.
This is also where veterans such as Anders Lee and Vincent Trocheck can make their presence felt. They weren’t brought in solely for their on-ice ability, but also for their experience, leadership and voices in the locker room.
Now is the time for them to step up.
“Guys play hard, they go down,” Lawson Crouse said following the loss. “But we believe in everyone in our locker room, and it’s that ‘next guy up’ mentality.”
A season in the National Hockey League rarely comes without adversity, whether through injuries, slumps or stretches of difficult hockey.
But more often than not, those are the moments that define a team.
It may still be early, but it’s time for the Mammoth to show what they’re made of as there’s still plenty to play for.
Now returning to the Delta Center for a five-game homestand, Utah has a favorable opportunity to get back on track and fully embrace the ‘next guy up’ mentality.
The Utah Mammoth will begin a five-game homestand as they welcome the St. Louis Blues to the Delta Center on Thursday night at 7 p.m. MST.
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.
