The win streak had to end at some point. Seven games in a row was impressive, but it couldn’t last forever. The end came at the hands of the defending Western Conference Champions, the Edmonton Oilers.
It was a tough game to lose for the Mammoth, considering they held two different leads throughout the game, including a 2-0 one. It’s hard to be mad considering the Mammoth won seven straight before the loss, and three of them were on the road before their game against the Oilers. However, there are still some things to note from the game. Here are some takeaways from the 6-3 loss on Tuesday night.
Barrett Hayton Scores In His 300th Career Game
With all the noise coming from Nick Schmaltz and Clayton Keller, you’d assume Barrett Hayton has been a part of their monstrous production. While he’s been on the ice during those elite plays, it hasn’t shown on the scoresheet. Before the Mammoth’s game against the Oilers, Hayton had only one point during the road trip.
Tuesday’s game was a special one for Hayton as it was his 300th career NHL game. After the injuries he’s been through, to get to that number is a special achievement for the forward. It turns out, he would make his career game a special one.
After the Oilers scored two quick goals to make it a 2-2 game, the Mammoth needed a response. Mikhail Sergachev dumped the puck behind the Oilers’ zone, where Stuart Skinner went to retrieve it.
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Unfortunately, Skinner would make a critical error by underestimating how fast Schmaltz would come for the puck. Schmaltz grabbed the loose puck, and Skinner tried desperately to get back into position. However, it was too late as the puck was passed to Hayton, who fired it into the empty net.
300th career @NHL game 🤝 Haytes scoring pic.twitter.com/pPppI8TJVE
— Utah Mammoth (@utahmammoth) October 29, 2025
“Schmaltzy (Schmaltz) was in on the fore check there,” Hayton said. “Obviously, it’s tough. A puck on the yellow with a lot of pressure on a goalie. I think it kind of bounced, and he made a smart play, found me out front.”
The goal ended up being Hayton’s second of the season and his fourth point. While he hasn’t been as impactful on the scoresheet as his linemates, he’s been noticeable during those opportunities for the Mammoth. Finally, he gets rewarded in his milestone game with a goal he might never forget.
A Second Period That Got Away
Don’t let the loss make you think the Mammoth didn’t play hard. In fact, during the first period, they were the better team.
Halfway through the first period, Logan Cooley continued his torrid point streak with a goal off a nice shot. JJ Peterka tallied one of his own off a perfectly placed shot above Skinner’s shoulder. The Mammoth outshot the Oilers 9-4. It was a great period.
“Coming out with the first period like that, I thought that was one of our best periods of the year,” Hayton said. “Playing just on top of them, playing with a lot of pace, playing our game, you need to play that way against a dangerous team like that.”
Then, in the second, the hard work that the Mammoth were putting in came undone. The Oilers scored quickly to start the period, and despite Hayton responding with a goal of his own, the Oilers struck three more times to take a commanding 5-3 lead by the end of the period.
A lot of those goals were caused by bad rebounds or pucks left behind by the Mammoth. The Oilers also dominated shots-wise, outshooting their opponent 15-5.
It was a complete team effort for the Oilers. Obviously, the big names like Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl helped contribute, but it was a complete group effort with guys like Mattias Ekholm and Ty Emberson getting on the board. The Mammoth just couldn’t contain the Oilers, and they paid for it.
“In the second, we didn’t stay with what we had to do, and we went away a little bit,” head coach André Tourigny said. “Our focus was not as good, and we paid for it. In a certain way, if we use that the right way, that will be positive for us, because that will help us to grow. That’s always the objective. You win or you learn. You don’t do anything else. Today will be a learning experience.”
There are some good lessons to learn from the game, indeed. Keeping your foot on the pedal has been one of the things that the Mammoth need to continue to work on, but defending against guys like McDavid is one of the toughest things to do in hockey, especially just a day removed from a back-to-back against the Winnipeg Jets and Minnesota Wild.
The third period was better for the Mammoth as they outshot the Oilers 9-6 and had some decent chances, but it was too late at that point. Funny enough, it ended up being the first game where the Mammoth were outshot this season (25-23). While it won’t be the last one, the team will definitely remember the second period as one that eventually cost them the win.
Win Streak Snapped At Seven
The longest winning streak in franchise history is officially over at seven games. In those seven straight wins, the Mammoth took down four straight teams that made the playoffs last season, including the Colorado Avalanche, who at the time were still looking for their first regulation loss.
Right now, the team is frustrated and mad that they dropped the last game of the road trip and couldn’t head into this mini break of theirs on an eight-game win streak. However, it’s impossible for a team to go 82-0-0. While the players want that to happen, they know it’s not realistic. After a loss to cap off a good stretch of games, you just have to focus on the good and build off of there once again.
“That room is disappointed and frustrated, and it’s definitely not the way we wanted to end this road trip,” Hayton said. “We’ve got to flush it in the next day and understand that this last stretch has been a lot of good and a lot to build on. We need to get that mindset back.”
The Mammoth have put themselves in a good spot. They roll into the mini Halloween break with an 8-3-0 record, sitting in first place in the Central Division. They’re also back at home for a game before heading on the road, so it’ll be nice for the team to get some time with their families again.
The game against the Oilers is over. It’s in the books. It makes no sense to dwell on what is set in stone rather than focus on what’s next. What’s next is a new opponent, and now you have to take what you learned against the Oilers and put it to work in this next game. Losses like this happen, but the takeaways and lessons from the game are what Tourigny is excited to see in the next game.
“I’m really confident,” Tourigny said. “I’m extremely confident in our group and the maturity of our group. We were not expecting to win the rest of the way, and we knew adversity would happen, and it’s part of the growth. I like the fight in our guys.”
It’s certainly a tough game to lose, especially because of the way the Oilers came back. However, with seven wins in their back pocket and some valuable lessons to work on in practice before the next game, the Mammoth shouldn’t take this loss hard. It could be the loss that ultimately sparks another win streak. One that could be longer.
The Mammoth will not play again until Sunday, giving them a four-day break. On Sunday, they’ll take on the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Lightning are 4-4-2 and are coming off a 5-2 win over the Nashville Predators, although they will play the Dallas Stars before heading to Salt Lake City. The two teams split the two games they played against each other last season, with the Mammoth losing the most recent outing 8-0.
