LAS VEGAS – Following an incident late in the first period of game 1 against the Vegas Golden Knights, Utah Mammoth defenseman Sean Durzi was fined by the NHL Department of Player Safety.

Utah’s Sean Durzi has been fined $5,000, the maximum allowable under the CBA, for head-butting Vegas’ Rasmus Andersson.

— NHL Player Safety (@NHLPlayerSafety) April 20, 2026

Sean Durzi fined $5,000 by NHL

Amidst a heated game 1 of the Mammoth and Golden Knights first round playoff series, Durzi was fined $5,000 for head-butting Vegas’ Rasmus Andersson.

Utah Mammoth defenseman Sean Durzi has been fined $5,000 for head-butting Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Rasmus Andersson during Game 1. pic.twitter.com/Vy7y8KSYRi

— Cole Bagley (@BagleyKSLsports) April 20, 2026

Following a quick scrap along the boards that involved the likes of Kailer Yamamoto and Logan Cooley, Durzi inserted himself into the altercation and proceeded to headbutt Andersson.

Generally, a headbutt constitutes a five-minute major and a game misconduct.

However, Durzi only served two minutes for roughing and was not assessed a suspension.

Utah remained positive despite learning a harsh lesson against Vegas

Overall, there really is no reason for the Utah Mammoth to hang their heads after losing 4-2 in Game 1.

Sure, they would’ve liked to finish strong to steal the first game on the road, but Vegas is a really good team at the other end of the ice — an experienced group who won the Stanley Cup three years ago and plays a very physical, demanding style of hockey.

So, for Utah to have been right there and prove they can skate with Vegas is an accomplishment in and of itself.

“There’s a lot of positivity. … We’ve got to clean up a little bit of things defensively, but that’s playoff hockey,” Crouse said. “There’s no reason for us to be down on ourselves right now.”

The important lesson for Utah to learn from Game 1 is that Vegas is never going to go away.

Rather, they will impose their will for 60 minutes and even chase the game if they have to until they eventually wear down their opponent.

As demonstrated by their season-high 52 hits in Game 1, they’re ruthless and will play that way until they get what they want; that’s just their brand.

But as Crouse pointed out, there were a lot of positives to take away from Game 1.

In addition to leading for a good portion of the night, Utah also outshot Vegas 33-31, delivered 30 hits of their own and managed to go toe-to-toe with an experienced squad that many expect to make short work of the series.

If Utah can come back with a similar approach while cleaning up a few things and weathering those pushes by Vegas a little better, they’ll have a great chance to make this a competitive series that goes the distance.

What’s next for the Utah Mammoth?

The Utah Mammoth will face the Vegas Golden Knights in game two of the Stanley Cup Playoffs on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. MST.

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).

Cole Bagley is the Utah Mammoth insider for KSL Sports. Keep up with him on X here. You can hear Cole break down the team on KSL Sports Zone and KSL 5 TV.

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