There couldn’t have been a better response from the Utah Mammoth on Wednesday. After a horrendous outing against the San Jose Sharks on Monday, the team needed a big win against the Anaheim Ducks. That’s exactly what happened as the Mammoth scored seven goals to break a four-game losing skid.
Head coach André Tourigny alluded to big changes on Monday. Changes came, sparking a massive resurgence in the Mammoth’s play on Wednesday. Here are some takeaways from the team’s 7-0 win.
Return of the Veg
The Mammoth resigned Karel Vejmelka last season to a five-year extension for a reason. They knew how good he could be, especially when he started every game but one from the middle of February to the end of the season.
This season, Vejmelka has struggled. He has a .891 save percentage and is letting in an average of 2.73 goals per game. It’s nowhere close to the numbers he had last season, and the Mammoth have struggled because of that. It hasn’t helped that his partner, Vítek Vaněček, hasn’t performed much better.
After letting in three goals early during Monday’s game, Vejmelka was yanked. It was perhaps his most disappointing outing of the season. Heading into Wednesday’s game, the goaltender desperately needed a bounce-back game.
He got it against the Ducks. Vejmelka made 27 saves on 27 shots for his first shutout of the season. They weren’t 27 easy shots either. He made some really good saves on players like Mason McTavish to earn the shutout.
The win does help improve Vejmelka’s season stats. He now has an 11-7-2 record this season.
Related: Ripping Off the Band-Aid: Mammoth’s Terrell Goldsmith Makes Return to Hockey After Long Recovery
What may have been the best part of Vejmelka’s shutout was the entire team desperately trying to get it for him towards the end of the game. The Mammoth could’ve easily given up and coasted with the score being 7-0. However, the team kept playing hard for Vejmelka to help him get his seventh career shutout.
“At the end of that game, you’re playing for Veggie (Vejmelka), trying to help him out,” Ian Cole said. “He’s been so great for us. Everyone did it all game long. Forwards were doing it, D were doing it. Everyone who ended up in a shot lane was able to get a block. It’s a great team mentality.”
It’s great to see Vejmelka back in the win column and getting his first shutout since January. Consistency does need to follow him, though. He needs to get back to how he was playing down the stretch last season. Only then, when he can string together good performances across multiple games in a row, will the Mammoth have a chance to put together some wins.
The Mammoth Go Duck Hunting
For a lot of people in Anaheim on Wednesday, Disneyland was the happiest place on Earth. How can you beat those delicious churros and Cars Land? Well, for the Mammoth, the happiest place on Earth was Honda Center, where they had their own entertainment: scoring seven goals on the Ducks.
The 7-0 win was the largest goal differential the Mammoth have had in a win this season. It is also the second time they’ve scored seven goals in a single game this season.
It’s hard to choose where and who to start with. Why not start with Lawson Crouse, who scored two goals in the last game and scored early in this one?
Getting the puck behind the net, Michael Carcone quickly passed it to Crouse, who promptly put it into the back of the net. The veteran forward is now at 12 points, which is only six points less than his season totals from last season. We’re just barely a quarter into this season.
No quit in this line!
— Utah Mammoth (@utahmammoth) December 4, 2025
🚨 Crouser gets his third goal in two games! pic.twitter.com/bztJxYeSzv
Cole was a standout during the game, too. He had the pass to Dylan Guenther halfway through the first period that got the young forward behind the Ducks’ defense with the puck, which he tucked into the net on a silky move.
The veteran defenseman got one of his own in the second period after roofing it into the back of the net. The game turned out to be Cole’s second multipoint night of the season and the first in over a month.
Cole had a new partner on the blueline on Wednesday. It was a face that was very familiar to playing with him. The return of Maveric Lamoureux was a welcome one for Cole. The duo had played together throughout parts of last season. The veteran was happy to see the young defenseman back in the NHL.
“He’s a good hockey player,” Cole said. “It’s great to have him up. We’re very fortunate to have a lot of options on our back end, a lot of really good hockey players. I thought he did great tonight. I thought he handled a highly skilled team well over there in Anaheim.”
Speaking of youngsters, Daniil But became the third player to make his NHL debut with Utah against the Ducks. While he didn’t produce any points, he still played well on a line with Logan Cooley and Guenther.
Here’s Daniil But’s rookie lap! #TusksUp https://t.co/1KEt3JhsOL
— Chase Beardsley (@ChaseBeardsley_) December 4, 2025
The call-up of But was also a good morale booster for the Mammoth team. Seeing your young teammate make their NHL debut is always special. When they played well, like But did, it’s an even better feeling.
“He’s a great kid,” Cole said. “We’re so thrilled for him, and to be honest, I thought he played great. He’s big, he’s fast, he’s skilled, he knows what he’s doing offensively, defensively, and he’s a very responsible player for it being his first NHL game. I think the future is really bright for him.”
Just like most, if not all, players who make their NHL debut, But was very happy to play in the league for the first time in his life. Despite not being extremely fluent in English yet, he did manage to say how good it felt to be wearing a Mammoth jersey.
“It feels like a dream,” But said. “I don’t understand yet where I am, and I need to keep going.”
Both But and Lamoureux were called up in an attempt to spark some change in the Mammoth lineup. Tourigny was pleased with what he saw out of both of the young players despite them only being with the team for around 24 hours.
“I liked their play,” Tourigny said. “I think Buter (But) had a few good plays with the puck. He executed at a high level, and he worked hard defensively. There’s stuff we will clean up with him in terms of how we want to play. Focus was not on that. We wanted to play with instinct, which he did, and he did a good job. Lammy (Lamoureux) played solid. He was simple, strong physically. I liked his game.”
The other big standout of the game was JJ Peterka. It was a four-point night for the German forward in what was his best game as a Mammoth so far. Peterka scored two goals. Both came off fantastic passing near the front of the net from his teammates, one from Nick Schmaltz and the other from Guenther.
Passing masterclass leads to a Peterka goal!
— Utah Mammoth (@utahmammoth) December 4, 2025
🚨 4-0, Utah. pic.twitter.com/mfphTyMpfQ
It couldn’t have come at a better time for Peterka, as critics have started to arise, talking about the trade that sent the forward to Utah and how the Sabres might’ve won the trade. However, big offensive games from him, like Wednesday’s, are why the Mammoth traded for him. He now has 21 points in 28 games this season.
Looking at the offense from the Mammoth on Wednesday, it would be easier to say who didn’t produce a point during the game. Eight forwards and three defensemen got on the scoresheet. That includes goals from Liam O’Brien (who now surprisingly has two goals in nine games) and Clayton Keller.
As mentioned, heading into Wednesday’s game, Tourigny made major lineup changes based on Monday’s game against the Sharks. Out came Barrett Hayton and Brandon Tanev, who both made big mistakes, allowing the Sharks to score. In came Lamoureux, O’Brien, and But.
At the end of the day, the changes worked. It lit a spark that got the Mammoth going. The power play, which has been dreadful as of late, even scored. It was a great game from the whole team. You could’ve highlighted anyone. However, Tourigny decided to highlight the third line of Jack McBain, Carcone, and Crouse for their hard work and scoring the first goal of the game.
“It was everybody,” Tourigny said. “I cannot tell you one player where we’re not proud of tonight. I have to talk about Bainers’ (McBain) line, though. The way they played against their top line, and their efficiency on both sides of the puck. Their intensity, their awareness, urgency, and desire to do the job in those situations means a lot, and I think it sends the right message to the team, and it pushes everybody forward in the right direction.”
The offense was fantastic. It could be the best offensive showing we’ve seen from the entire team this season so far. When eight of your 12 forwards came up with a point in a single game, that’s a good sign of that.
A Response You Can’t Beat
There probably was no better possible response to the 6-3 loss on Monday than the 7-0 win the Mammoth put together on Wednesday. It was complete domination by the Mammoth in every category.
As mentioned, Tourigny sent a message to the Mammoth with the roster and lineup moves made on Tuesday and Wednesday. It’s safe to say the message was well received.
“It’s a really good team on the other side, really tough to play against, the poise they have with the puck, but we had numbers all the time and were above them,” Tourigny said. “So proud of the guys, the way they regroup and the effort. I think the message was clear and well-received.”
Tourigny said it best: that wasn’t the rebuilding Ducks on the other side of the ice. That’s a Ducks team that is leading the Pacific Division. The Mammoth dismantled them like they were nothing, pushing them to the point where Ducks head coach Joel Quenneville said the lone positive of the game for his team was that the game was over.
It’s a big win for the Mammoth. Not only is it a huge rebound from the Sharks game, and not only does it snap a four-game losing streak, but it also puts the Mammoth back above .500 and keeps them in a wild card spot.
“We came into this game with something to prove,” Cole said. “We had a we had a pretty rough meeting after the San Jose game, and guys knew that we needed to step up, and we did.”
It is a great win, but now the game is over. Everything is in the record books. It’s time to look forward. This doesn’t completely wipe out the four games before Wednesday. If the Mammoth want to make the playoffs, now is the time to start winning multiple games in a row.
You might look at their recent games and point out that they did win two games in a row a couple of weeks ago against the New York Rangers and Vegas Golden Knights. Yes, but that’s been their only multi-game winning streak since their long winning streak in October.
The Mammoth can’t expect to make the playoffs if they win two games in a row and then lose the next four consistently. Instead, it needs to be consistent winning, and Tourigny is well aware of that.
“We cannot get carried away,” Tourigny said. “It’s one game. It’s great. Feels good. We needed it, all of it, but at the same time, it doesn’t mean anything if we’re not showing up next game. We have to be ready.”
As big as this victory feels now, it will be nothing but a small blip three months from now when the Mammoth are grinding to clinch a playoff spot. This is nothing but a win, and the Mammoth need a lot of those to get to the postseason.
If the pressure to make the playoffs hadn’t been obvious enough already, O’Brien said on TNT’s broadcast postgame that this season is playoffs or bust for the Mammoth. The word is out there. It’s time to look forward and try to start an extended winning streak.
“This isn’t the end of the year,” Cole said. “We didn’t win a Stanley Cup, right? The season’s not over. This is one game. We didn’t like to say that after a bad game, we need to learn from it and move forward. Gotta do the same thing with this game. We got to learn from it. Got to improve and move forward. We’re going to get a good team in Vancouver in two days.”
Cole is absolutely right. This win could’ve been 20-0, and it still means nothing if the Mammoth lose to the Vancouver Canucks on Friday because it puts them right back at a .500 record. The Mammoth might’ve won the game, but they haven’t won a playoff spot. It’s all about Friday’s game now, and that mindset of winning as many games in a row needs to carry over into each game.
Next for the Mammoth will be the Canucks on Friday. The Canucks are 10-14-3 and are coming off a 3-1 loss to the Colorado Avalanche. These two teams met three times last season, with the Mammoth winning each game, including most recently in March by a score of 3-1.
