3 Takeaways From Mammoth’s 4-2 Loss to Rangers

Less than 24 hours after another display of dominance over the Columbus Blue Jackets, the Utah Mammoth lost their first game of the season on Sunday to the New York Rangers. Having less than 24 hours between games is rough. However, head coach André Tourigny would probably call that an excuse, especially with some of the glaring issues the team had.

There were some good things that happened against the Rangers, but ultimately, as the score says, there was more bad. Here are some takeaways from the Mammoth’s 4-2 loss to the Rangers.

Why Dylan Guenther’s Near Collision With Injury Matters

Late in the second period, the Mammoth nearly had a nightmare happen. Dylan Guenther took the puck towards the glass when Will Cuyle shoved the forward head first into the boards. Guenther managed to position himself in a way where he wasn’t injured. However, it was clear to everyone this was a dangerous hit.

Will Cuylle shoved Dylan Guenther into the boards head-first 😬 (via SEB) https://t.co/OOF5ro9oRu

— TSN (@TSN_Sports) October 4, 2026

Mikhail Sergachev, Anders Lee, and MacKenzie Weegar immediately all went after Cuyle for the hit. Guenther skated away unharmed. However, the hit bore a lot of resemblance to another incident last season.

That would be the Logan Cooley knee-on-knee collision with Alexey Toropchenko against the St. Louis Blues last season. It was a purposeful and dirty hit that could’ve seriously injured Cooley. While it didn’t, the motive was still clear.

The last thing anyone wants to see is a star player being hurt. Hits along the boards like the one Cullye delivered to Guenther could seriously injure them and even end their careers. It’s a reason why you don’t see them more often. Cullye didn’t directly agree that it was a dirty hit and didn’t get any major penalty, as Guenther wasn’t injured.

Another thing that mattered about this whole situation was that the Mammoth stood up for their teammate. Jack McBain ended up fighting Cullye and got some good punches in. He was the one who fought Toropchenko last season as well. That’s something everyone on the team loved to see.

“It’s huge,” Vincent Trocheck said. “Something that I’ve always thought was a big thing for team morale is sticking up for each other as a group of five whenever you’re on the ice. Baner going in there was part of that.”

The hit on Guenther has started to make rounds all over social media, and while there’s disagreement to if it was dirty or not, there are two things everyone can agree on. The first is that no one wants to see players hurt. The second is that the Mammoth have made it known that you can’t mess with one of their players without seeing pushback.

“The guys care,” Andrew Peeke said. “Guys want to protect each other and care for one another, and ultimately, want to win games. When you have a fight like that, sticking up for your teammate, that makes its way around the bench, and the guys feel that and respect that.”

Odd Man Out

The biggest issue with the Mammoth’s game on Sunday was the amount of odd-man rushes they gave up. It is ultimately the reason why they lost the game.

The red flags started early with a Rangers three-man rush going all alone against Karel Vejmelka. The goaltender made every stop possible on that opportunity, keeping the Rangers from scoring. 

While Vejmelka did his best, he couldn’t stop everything. With the game tied at one, the Mammoth allowed yet another odd-man rush for the Rangers. Vejmelka saved the first opportunity, but a rebound chance for Gabe Perreault found its way into the back of the net.

“We were a little sloppy on some execution things,” Peeke said. “We made Veggie have to stand on his head. He kept us in the game, and we couldn’t get one there at the end. We put too much pressure on in that game.”

None of the other three goals were scored on odd-man rushes by the Rangers, but Vejmelka did have to stay busy with the Mammoth, allowing numerous chances like the one Perreault scored on. That is an issue they have to patch up immediately. Allowing that many chances like that isn’t just bad for the score; it shows a lack of patience. 

“We were impatient,” Tourigny said. “Instead of reloading quickly or being above, we were forcing things…There’s no forgiveness. Don’t get me wrong, our reload is one of our strengths. If we have the hard aggressiveness we want to play with, if we don’t reload properly, that will cost us. There’s a little bit of mental fatigue there, and we’ll learn from that.”

There were some other careless plays by the Mammoth, like Lee’s failed clear attempt that led to the Vladislav Gabrikov goal and Peeke running into Vejmelka instead of winning the puck chase, which turned into a JT Miller goal. However, the odd-man rushes were the biggest glaring issue and need to stop, especially against a very fast team like the New Jersey Devils.

A Competitive Loss

Make no mistake, the 4-2 loss wasn’t a bad one. In reality, it was a 3-2 loss with the fourth goal being an empty-netter. Yet, the Mammoth did a lot of things right on Sunday night.

Once again, they outshot their opponents. Every single period, the Mammoth tallied more shots, including in the third period, when they really attacked Igor Shesterkin with 15 shots compared to nine the Rangers threw at him. The second period might’ve been the most resilient period for the Mammoth, though, as they really connected, which eventually led to Nick Schmaltz scoring a power-play goal off a rebound opportunity on a Clayton Keller shot. 

Making ’em pay where it counts. 👊 Schmaltzy makes it a 1-1 game. https://t.co/WYcwTOXVCW

— Utah Mammoth (@utahmammoth) October 4, 2026

“We came to the realization we need to play simple,” Peeke said. “We need to get on their D-core and forecheck and work the offensive zone. Once we did that, we were successful. Obviously, we weren’t able to do it enough at the end of the day.”

At the end of the day, though, the third period, despite the 15 shots, saw the Mammoth not having good puck management and execution. The aforementioned turnovers that led to odd-man rushes killed any opportunity the Mammoth had of winning.

It was a pretty even game for the most part. However, at the end of the day, those few chances the Mammoth gave up made all the difference.

“They were good on the forecheck,” Trocheck said. “They had a lot of pressure, and our execution wasn’t there. We turned a few pucks over that ended up in the back of our net. Overall, I thought it was a pretty even game. The puck went their way a couple more times.”

The physicality, the response to players being knocked down, the power play scoring for the third straight game, and Peeke getting his first goal as a Mammoth were all big highlights. Those are things that will typically allow them to win hockey games. 

🚨 Peeke tallies his first with the Mammoth! We’re within one. https://t.co/2R9bsaj7h7

— Utah Mammoth (@utahmammoth) October 5, 2026

Yet the Rangers currently look like one of the best teams in the NHL, and to beat the best, you have to be your best selves. While the Mammoth played a solid game, impatience was the main key to the Rangers’ win.

“In the third, we gave up on the main rush, and we forced the play,” Tourigny said. “They took the lead that way. It’s more the mindset. We got impatient. That’s something we have to address. Love the physicality, the toughness, Baner, great game. Love the way we responded when Gunnar got hit from behind. Lee, Weegs, and Sergey did a really good job. There’s a lot of positives.”

The Mammoth will have a day worth of rest before returning to action on Tuesday against the Devils. The Devils are 1-1-0 this season and are coming off a 6-0 loss to the New York Islanders. These two teams last met in January where the Mammoth lost 4-1 in Newark.