Nick Schmaltz #8 of the Utah Mammoth celebrates a goal during the third period of the game against the Columbus Blue Jackets at Nationwide Arena on October 03, 2026 in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Jason Mowry/Getty Images)
(Photo by Jason Mowry/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY – Embarking on a five-game Eastern Conference road trip, the Utah Mammoth picked up right where they left off with a dominant win over the Columbus Blue Jackets to remain a perfect 2-0.
Continuing to flex their red-hot special teams play, the Mammoth lit the lamp three times on the man advantage to fuel a 4-1 victory on the road.
The Utah Mammoth’s power play appears to have undergone a complete transformation this season as the top unit built on their stellar opening night performance with three more goals against Columbus.
“I thought we continued what we did in the first game,” Nick Schmaltz said. “We were really fast, tough to defend. We didn’t let them change. We hemmed them in.”
“I think we tired them out, honestly.”
As Schmaltz explained, Utah’s success on the power play was due to their lightning-fast approach as each player refused to hold onto the puck for more than a few seconds.
Combining that with their ability to swiftly go tape to tape and effectively get into the teeth of the defense with or without the puck, Utah broke down the Blue Jackets with ease on three of their four power play opportunities on Saturday night.
“I feel like that’s how a lot of chances are started of quick puck movement,” Logan Cooley explained. “Making sure that we’re connecting on those passes and our D are jumping up in the play being more creative. When we’re doing that, we’re a tough team to stop off the rush and it allows us to break them down in zone.”
“More chances start to come off rebounds and guys in front of the net. When we continue to that, that’s when other plays open up. That’s when we start to bury our chances.”
Sergy cinema 🤌
1-0, Utah. pic.twitter.com/BN1aKYhcqj
— Utah Mammoth (@utahmammoth) October 3, 2026
Automatic! 💥
Gunner makes it 3-1, Utah. pic.twitter.com/C641JbkSOA
— Utah Mammoth (@utahmammoth) October 4, 2026
When coach says everyone has to touch the puck before you can score again.
pic.twitter.com/TBEbnAjIOt— Cole Bagley (@BagleyKSLsports) October 4, 2026
For the majority of last season, Utah had one of the worst power play percentages in the National Hockey League.
Why?
They played far too perimeter and consistently refused to shoot the puck.
Rather than actually attacking the net, it was more of a monkey in the middle approach as they could keep the puck away from their opponents yet struggled to get quality shots on frame.
Fast forward to the first two games of 2026-27, and thus far, Utah has looked spectacular with five goals on seven chances (71 percent).
How?
By simply attacking and utilizing their speed to immediately dissect defenses.
“They don’t hang around,” Head coach Andre Tourigny said. “They attack. They shoot.”
“The mindset is the right one right now.”
Now, it’s important to not get too far ahead of ourselves as the Mammoth have only played two games against inferior competition.
However, what’s encouraging is that the changes seem to be fairly sustainable.
Not that they will boast a 70 plus percent power play all year, but the fact that they’re playing with as much confidence and seem to understand what it takes for them to be successful is incredibly promising early on.
In addition to a red-hot power play, the Utah Mammoth witnessed a handful of personal achievements during their 4-1 victory over Columbus.
Beginning with Clayton Keller and Nick Schmaltz, the inseparable duo reached new individual scoring heights on Saturday as Keller recorded his 600th point on a assist to No. 8 while Schmaltz registered 500 with a power play goal.
Congrats, Captain!
Kells tallies his 600th career @NHL point with an assist on the Schmaltz goal. pic.twitter.com/8Y9lWYiPTA
— Utah Mammoth (@utahmammoth) October 3, 2026
Congratulations, Schmaltzy‼️ pic.twitter.com/8mJmm0HFtC
— Utah Mammoth (@utahmammoth) October 4, 2026
As for Sebastian Cossa, Utah’s newly acquired goaltender registered a victory in his first NHL start with 17 saves on 18 shots.
Despite not facing a flurry of pucks, Cossa still played well and calmly gave his team a chance to win the hockey game.
“He was great,” Schmaltz said of Cossa. “He looked super calm in there. He was definitely a calming presence. He didn’t overreact to anything.”
“He just looked steady in there. Huge congrats to him. He played a hell of a game.”
Now equipped with backup goaltender they can trust, Cossa will raise Utah’s ceiling as he’s able to alleviate some of the pressure on Karel Vejmelka.
The Utah Mammoth will continue their five-game road trip against the New York Rangers on Sunday at 4 p.m. MDT.
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.
