3 Takeaways From Mammoth’s 3-2 OT Loss to Islanders

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It was a heartbreaker of a game for the Utah Mammoth on Friday. With a 2-1 lead late in the third period, the Mammoth managed not just to lose the lead off a controversial call but also to lose the game in overtime to one of the hottest rookies in the NHL. After a massive comeback against the Buffalo Sabres on Wednesday, it was a disappointing outcome for the Mammoth against the New York Islanders, losing 3-2 in overtime.

The loss is the first the Mammoth have suffered in overtime. They have also failed to win back-to-back games since their seven-game win streak. Despite the negatives, there were still a little bit of positives within the game. Here are some takeaways from Friday’s game.

The Kids Are Alright Again

A couple of weeks ago, the second line for the Mammoth was unstoppable. The “kids line” featuring Logan Cooley, JJ Peterka, and Dylan Guenther was producing at an unreal rate. All was good. The Mammoth were on a seven-game win streak, Cooley had just signed an extension, and Guenther was on a five-game point streak.

Then, everything stopped and dried up. The Mammoth stopped winning consistently, and the line went games without producing a single point. Head coach André Tourigny had a decision to make. So, he switched up the lines, putting Cooley on the first line with Nick Schmaltz and Clayton Keller, and put Barrett Hayton as the second line center.

Even then, the production wasn’t coming. Down 2-1 at the end of the second period on Wednesday against the Sabres, Tourigny decided to make another big change. He placed Peterka on a line with Jack McBain and Lawson Crouse and put Michael Carcone on a line with Hayton and Guenther. It worked early on as Peterka scored in the third period and helped the Mammoth win 5-2.

The chemistry from that game continued into Friday’s game. Around 13 minutes into the first period, Crouse slid the puck to Peterka, who deflected it into the back of the net behind David Rittich to tie the game at one.

The third line has really been feeling it even before Peterka joined their line. Both Crouse and Carcone were providing consistent offense. Now with Peterka instead of Carcone, the line has gained more speed, and the German forward has done a good job at adjusting to how Crouse and McBain play their game.

“Yeah, you know, I feel like JJ (Peterka) has jumped into our line perfectly,” Crouse said. “I think with myself, Bainer (McBain), and Carcs (Carcone), we created an identity of how we wanted to play. JJ (Peterka) is complimenting that right now…He’s doing a great job, and obviously reaping some rewards and getting some goals here.”

Related: Roadrunners Report: The “Kids” Are Alright, Ingram’s Return to the Desert, & More

Peterka wasn’t the only former player from the young second line who scored on Friday. Right before the period ended on a five-on-three opportunity, the top power play unit was applying some good pressure on the Islanders’ penalty kill. Thanks to some great passing, Guenther was able to sneak to his usual shooting spot on the faceoff circle to the right of Rittich. Once he got the puck, he unleashed his usual lethal shot, and the rest was history.

The goal gave the Mammoth the lead for most of the game. If it wasn’t for a weird goal by the Islanders in the third period, it would’ve been the game-winning goal. 

Despite the power play goal, the Mammoth failed to capitalize on any of their other man-advantage opportunities. While their penalty kill completely shut down the Islanders’ power play, going one for six on the power play is not good. It ended up coming back to bite the Mammoth late in the game.

“Big goal on the power play for sure,” Tourigny said. “Our power play had the opportunity to separate us during the game, and we didn’t. That’s unfortunate, because I think that was a key moment. On the flip side, the PK came up big. I think on the power play, we had a few good looks where the hole was there and the opportunity was there. We need to get clutch.”

Despite the failure of the power play, it was good to see two-thirds of the former second line get back on the scoresheet. The Mammoth are hoping Cooley is the next player to get going, as the young center only has two points in his past five games, a far cry from his nine points in four games at the end of October.

A Controversial Call Sets Up a Game Winner

Despite a great first period, the Mammoth lost some steam in the second period and looked like they were just hanging on in the third period. Still, Karel Vejmelka was helping their lead stay alive. With less than seven minutes remaining in the game, it seemed like the Mammoth might’ve actually held on and won.

Then, Tony DeAngelo wristed a shot on net. The puck rebounded off Vejmelka and right to Jonathan Drouin. Drouin kicked the puck, and it went into the net for an Islanders goal. However, the Islanders’ forward clearly kicked the puck into the net, which usually means that the goal is waived off.

Unfortunately for the Mammoth, upon review, the puck glanced off Nate Schmidt’s stick and into the back of the net. According to NHL rule 49.2, part ii, a kicked puck that deflects off the stick of any player (besides the goalie) shall be ruled a good goal. Therefore, because it touched Schmidt’s stick, it was a good goal, tying up the game for the Islanders.

“It’s an instinctual thing,” Schmidt said. “In hindsight, do I wish I would have pulled my stick back so they would have called it back? Yeah, but that’s gonna be really hard for me to do. You’re trying to get it out, then I almost step on Vejmelka in the process.”

The ruling surprised and angered quite a number of Mammoth fans. However, Tourigny knew what was coming.

Matthew Schaefer New York Islanders
New York Islanders defenseman Matthew Schaefer makes a pass against the Utah Mammoth (Rob Gray-Imagn Images)

“On the kicking, if the puck had crossed the goal line on the kick, that’s a no-goal,” Tourigny said. “We actually stopped the puck, shot it off the post and in, so it’s our doing.”

Again, if the Mammoth had scored on at least one more of their power plays, there probably wouldn’t have been a whole debacle on social media over it. Instead, the goal counted, and the two teams were sent to overtime.

The overtime was dominated by the Islanders. The Mammoth didn’t even manage a shot in the extra period. They were put out of their misery when Matthew Barzal slid a pass to rookie phenomenon Matthew Schaefer, who shot it home for the game-winning goal.

With the goal, Schaefer is the youngest player to score an overtime goal, beating out Sidney Crosby by 31 days. He also now leads all NHL defensemen in goals with seven.

It was the worst overtime performance the Mammoth had put on this season. Coverage was poor on guys like Barzal, who are known to generate plays like the one that set up the game-winning goal.

“We knew that Barzal and (Bo) Horvat would be coming over the boards at some point,” Crouse said. “When you don’t have the puck, it’s all about coverage, communication, and making sure you’re not getting tested. They’re two great players. I mean, Horvats got one of the better sticks in the league right now, and Barzal has incredible speed and skill and incredible passing and vision. It’s unfortunate.”

It really is unfortunate. Winning out on home ice would’ve created a good vibe heading off into yet another road trip. Instead, the losing stigma is still around the Mammoth. In the past eight games, the team has only two wins. Both are against the lowly Sabres.

Out on the Road Again

With the loss, the Mammoth finish out another short homestand. It was a disappointing one if you look at it. The game against the Sabres featured a poor first period and a poor first half of the second period. The game against the Islanders featured a bad second and third period, along with an abysmal overtime period.

Consistency continues to be an issue for the Mammoth. They can’t seem to play a full 60 minutes of hockey. Islanders head coach Patrick Roy said it best in his press conference. Just because you have a horrible first period doesn’t mean you can’t come back and win the game. The Mammoth showed they could do that on Wednesday.

However, the problem is they keep doing that, and if it’s not a terrible first period, it’s a poor third period. It’s hard to come back from a bad third period, especially if the opponent is winning, because that’s less time for your team to get it together. That was well exhibited in the eastern Canada road trip.

“I think it’s in between the second and third period of understanding the controllables,” Schmidt said. “I know the rest of the game goes on, but the idea that we’re comfortable in situations like this while knowing it’s going to be a grinding game is a good sign. I think the guys are starting to see this group as a unit that can pull it together. I know it didn’t work tonight, but I don’t see a panic in our game.”

Now the Mammoth are heading away from their fortress of solitude once again. They head to California for the next two games. They’re going to be tough games as well. Their first game will be against the Anaheim Ducks, who have been playing extremely well to start the season as they lead the Pacific Division. Their game after that will be against the San Jose Sharks, who have been a scrappy team this season and have been known to give the Mammoth problems in the past.

It’s been reiterated time and time why the Mammoth need to be consistent. Now, it’s starting to show in the standings. The Colorado Avalanche and Dallas Stars are starting to pull away from them in terms of points. The Winnipeg Jets and Chicago Blackhawks are right behind them. Even the wild card battle is a bit of a mess with the Sharks, Seattle Kraken, and Vegas Golden Knights all in there right now.

Yes, we’re only about a quarter of the way through the season, but the Thanksgiving checkpoint is coming up. It’s important for the Mammoth to be in a playoff spot at that point. Whether they are or aren’t will depend on this California road trip. At least one win is needed. Two would be a massive boost for the team. If they play how they did against the Islanders on Friday, the worst-case scenario is likely, and it won’t bode well for the Mammoth.

The Mammoth will play the Ducks on Monday. The Ducks are 11-5-1 this season and are coming off a 6-3 loss to the Detroit Red Wings. They’ll play the Minnesota Wild before Monday’s game. The two teams played each other three times last season, with the Mammoth losing two of them. They did win the most recent matchup in March by a score of 3-2. 

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