SALT LAKE CITY – Karel Vejmelka put on quite a performance in his final tune-up before heading to Italy, making several spectacular saves in a 4-1 Utah Mammoth win over Detroit.
The Mammoth (30-23-4, 64 pts) is hosting the Detroit Red Wings (33-19-6, 72 pts) at the Delta Center on Wednesday, February 4.
Utah wins the hockey game 4-1.
That was a statement victory against a very good Eastern Conference team.
Felt like Utah was sending the rest of the league a message about their intentions to make the playoffs this season.
Game 7 mentality. Non-negotiable win.
— Cole Bagley (@BagleyKSLsports) February 5, 2026
Utah maintains a slim lead for the top spot in the Western Conference Wild Card, one point ahead of the Seattle Kraken and two points in front of the Los Angeles Kings.
Detroit’s 72 points are the fifth-most in the league as the Red Wings hold a two-point lead over Tampa Bay for second in the Atlantic Division.
Karel Vejmelka is the first goaltender off the ice.
That indicates he should start against Detroit.#TusksUp #LGRW
— Cole Bagley (@BagleyKSLsports) February 4, 2026
Per Tourigny, no changes to the lineup against Detroit.#TusksUp #LGRW
— Cole Bagley (@BagleyKSLsports) February 4, 2026
Coach Tourigny on Kerfoot & Cooley’s progress:
“They’re progressing well.”
“They’re not day to day yet because you can see the color of jersey (non contact) but it’s coming.”
— Cole Bagley (@BagleyKSLsports) February 4, 2026
Lines from today:
Keller – Schmaltz – Crouse
Peterka – Hayton – Yamamoto
Carcone – McBain – Guenther – But
Tanev – Stenlund – O’Brien
Cooley (non-contact)
Kerfoot (non-contact)Sergachev – Durzi
Schmidt – Marino
Cole – DeSimone
Määttä#TusksUp #LGRW— Cole Bagley (@BagleyKSLsports) February 4, 2026
Forward Daniil But has been assigned to the Tucson Roadrunners.
Nothing unexpected here. Utah wants him to keep playing during the Olympic break.
He’s expected to play tonight for Tucson.
— Cole Bagley (@BagleyKSLsports) February 4, 2026
Keep the energy 🆙 tonight, Utah fans! pic.twitter.com/9cfw9dOPKN
— Utah Mammoth (@utahmammoth) February 5, 2026
Great night to have a great night 👏#TusksUp | @ZionsBank pic.twitter.com/ahhRAl988M
— Utah Mammoth (@utahmammoth) February 5, 2026
SEAN DURZI SCORES 57 SECONDS IN AND UTAH LEADS 1-0!!!!!!!!!!!!
— Cole Bagley (@BagleyKSLsports) February 5, 2026
Fellas came out hot! 🔥
Sean Durzi gives Utah an early 1-0 lead. pic.twitter.com/0sEC5yJc5L
— Utah Mammoth (@utahmammoth) February 5, 2026
Another Detroit power play after Crouse is slashed.
5 on 3 for 42 seconds.
1P: 12:10 | 1-0 Utah
— Cole Bagley (@BagleyKSLsports) February 5, 2026
NICK SCHMALTZ SCORES FROM THE LOW SLOT AND UTAH LEADS 2-0!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
— Cole Bagley (@BagleyKSLsports) February 5, 2026
Nick Schmaltz stayed hot, following up his second hat-trick of the year with a 5-on-3 goal to give Utah a 2-0 lead. It was Schmaltz’s 23rd goal, equaling a career-high he set in 2021-22 with Arizona.
We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again…
🗣️ NICK SCHMALTZ SCORES! pic.twitter.com/wTBTbgWaDV
— Utah Mammoth (@utahmammoth) February 5, 2026
Crazy play. Detroit attempted to dump the puck into the O-zone but it took a wild bounce and ended up in Utah's net.
However, the puck hit the curved glass out of bounds and will NOT count.
2-0 Utah
— Cole Bagley (@BagleyKSLsports) February 5, 2026
Gibson absolutely robs Crouse from the low slot with his glove.
Filthy pass from Keller down low.
He’s already had a couple saucy dishes tonight. One of the best facilitators in the league.
— Cole Bagley (@BagleyKSLsports) February 5, 2026
Utah back to full strength.
Great coverage on the PK as Utah covered space well, blocked shots, and utilized active sticks. https://t.co/lskg2npKsv
— Cole Bagley (@BagleyKSLsports) February 5, 2026
Great start for the Mammoth as they were ready to play right from puck drop.
In addition to two goals, they dictated a lot of the pace as they got pucks in deep, won those battles, and suffocated the net front. https://t.co/9yJBkBYazZ
— Cole Bagley (@BagleyKSLsports) February 5, 2026
Detroit is called for tripping.
Utah with their third PP of the night.
2P: 17:27 | 2-0 Utah
— Cole Bagley (@BagleyKSLsports) February 5, 2026
Utah is passing with absolute precision tonight.
So many dangerous chances.
Sergachev hit the bar at the end of the power play and then Peterka missed an open net on the backdoor.
— Cole Bagley (@BagleyKSLsports) February 5, 2026
Dylan Guenther to the box for a hook.
Good penalty to take. Likely saved a goal.
Detroit to the PP.
2P: 5:09 | 2-0 Utah
— Cole Bagley (@BagleyKSLsports) February 5, 2026
Diving glove save by Vejmelka on the PK.
WOW. That’s one of his best this season.
— Cole Bagley (@BagleyKSLsports) February 5, 2026
Hooking penalty against Schmidt…that one was weak. Forward closed down his arm to trap 88's stick.
Detroit to the PP.
2P: 0:58 | 2-0 Utah
— Cole Bagley (@BagleyKSLsports) February 5, 2026
Another huge save by Vejmelka right at the buzzer.
One-timer from the left side but he kicked out his pad to keep it out. That one should’ve gone in.
2-0 Utah through the middle frame.
— Cole Bagley (@BagleyKSLsports) February 5, 2026
DYLAN GUENTHER BEATS GIBSON LOW AND UTAH EXTENDS THEIR LEAD TO 3-0!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
— Cole Bagley (@BagleyKSLsports) February 5, 2026
Get Guenther'd 😎👏
🚨 3-0, Utah. pic.twitter.com/06mTAptien
— Utah Mammoth (@utahmammoth) February 5, 2026
Guenther’s team-leading 25th goal gave the Mammoth a 3-0 lead just over four minutes into the final period.
Larkin scores on the power play.
Detroit pulled Gibson for a 6-on-4 and Utah was just outnumbered in front of the net.
3-1 Utah with 4:08 left. https://t.co/QdSQdLYw6y
— Cole Bagley (@BagleyKSLsports) February 5, 2026
Gibson to the bench.
Extra attacker on for Detroit again.
Roughly 3 minutes left.
— Cole Bagley (@BagleyKSLsports) February 5, 2026
CLAYTON KELLER SCORES ON THE EMPTY NET AND UTAH LEADS 4-1!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
— Cole Bagley (@BagleyKSLsports) February 5, 2026
Winner winner wings for dinner 🍽️🍗 pic.twitter.com/0QIdu3FHc2
— Utah Mammoth (@utahmammoth) February 5, 2026
The NHL schedule heads into a three-week break with the Milan Cortina Winter Games kicking off this week. Utah returns to the ice when the Colorado Avalanche come to town on Wednesday, February 25.
Follow the entire 2025-26 Utah Mammoth schedule here.
The Smith Entertainment Group’s (SEG) streaming platform will also continue to carry all Mammoth games on SEG+ in 2025-26.
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.
All Mammoth games will be broadcast live on the KSL Sports Zone (97.5 FM/1280 AM). Occasionally, KSL NewsRadio (102.7 FM / 1160 AM) also airs Jazz games.
Brian Preece is a sports.ksl.com insider covering Locals in MLB and the Salt Lake Bees. Follow Brian’s Bees and Beehive baseball here. Find Brian on X, Instagram, and BlueSky at @bpreece24.
