Utah Mammoth players celebrate around right wing Clayton Keller (9) after he scored the game-winning goal to defeat the Edmonton Oilers 6-5 in overtime of an NHL game held at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, April 7, 2026 (Isaac Hale, Deseret News).
(Isaac Hale, Deseret News)
SALT LAKE CITY – The Stanley Cup Playoffs are coming to John Stockton Drive as the Utah Mammoth clinched their first ever playoff berth by beating the Nashville Predators and San Jose subsequently losing to Anaheim.
We are IN ‼️ #TusksUp | @Delta pic.twitter.com/uZYkgKPO6h
— Utah Mammoth (@utahmammoth) April 10, 2026
There’s nothing quite like playoff hockey and the state of Utah will get their first taste of the postseason later this month as the Mammoth delivered on their preseason promise.
After defeating the Predators 4-1 in regulation, the Mammoth got some much-needed help from the Anaheim Ducks who defeated San Jose 6-1 to officially punch Utah’s ticket.
Stomped on Smashville 🦣 pic.twitter.com/iQ6DvrWYEL
— Utah Mammoth (@utahmammoth) April 10, 2026
Ducks dub!!!#FlyTogether pic.twitter.com/Ns3ZxPcpLd
— Anaheim Ducks (@AnaheimDucks) April 10, 2026
“There’s a special glow at this time of year,” Nate Schmidt explained. “I love our groups mentality the last couple of weeks. Teams don’t just go away. You have to win games this time of year to separate yourself and we put ourselves in a good position.”
As Schmidt mentioned, spring hockey is just different.
With playoff implications on the line, every game, every period, every shift just means more as players leave everything they have on the ice to qualify for a spot in Lord Stanley’s coveted tournament.
But as a team who was on the outside looking in a year ago, taking a leap this season required collective growth and maturity.
According to Schmidt, Utah’s overall mindset and dedication to consistency is what made the biggest difference.
“I would say it’s that, the mentality of, hey guys, we’re a good enough team to do this and then the belief in doing it.” he said.
“The consistency to be able to do it every day is not easy. It’s not easy in this league. … it’s the consistency of having it throughout the whole season. That’s what I’ve liked the most out of our last couple of weeks.”
After clinching a postseason berth, Utah will most likely face the winner of the Pacific Division as the top wild card team.
If the playoffs started today, Utah would face Edmonton as the Oilers currently hold the top spot with 90 points.
However, with four games left, Anaheim trails them by just a point (89) while Vegas trails by two.
The remaining few games will determine their first-round opponent, but rest assured, playoff hockey is coming to Salt Lake City.
The Utah Mammoth will conclude their three-game homestand against the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday afternoon at 3 p.m. MST.
The game will be available on Mammoth+.
All Mammoth games will also be broadcast live on the KSL Sports Zone (97.5 FM/1280 AM).
