Mammoth kick off 2026 with 7-2 win on Long Island

The Utah Mammoth’s New Year’s resolution was obvious: score more goals. With a 7-2 win over the New York Islanders on Thursday, they did exactly that. Their win keeps the franchise a perfect 5-0-0 in the state of New York. They’ll have the chance to extend that record on Monday with a visit to Madison Square Garden, where they’ll face the New York Rangers.

**Quick Catchup**
Utah Mammoth: 7
New York Islanders: 2

When the Mammoth failed to register a shot on net in the first 14 minutes of Thursday’s game, fans didn’t expect them to finish with seven goals on the board. But the floodgates opened in the second period: four goals total, three of them in Utah’s favor.

They opened even wider in the third, with five total goals, four belonging to the Mammoth. Dylan Guenther registered his first NHL hat trick, adding an assist to tie his career high in points. Nick Schmaltz, Clayton Keller, and Mikhail Sergachev each managed three points.

Thursday was also Karel Vejmelka’s first game back since an injury held him out of the lineup in Denver two days before Christmas. He made 20 saves on 22 shots, including all 10 the Islanders fired before the Mammoth had their first shot.

Utah’s penalty kill was also noteworthy. They killed off an entire double-minor toward the end of the second period, maintaining the 3-1 lead the Mammoth had at the time. They did allow one power-play goal on a bid from rookie sensation Matthew Schaefer, but it came when Utah had already built a large enough buffer to win comfortably.

“The score doesn’t reflect the game for me,” said Mammoth head coach André Tourigny. “They’re tough to play against, but I think we earned it.”

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### Tidbits and Takeaways

#### They Call Him ‘Gunner’
Anyone who follows the World Juniors knows how clutch Dylan Guenther is in early January. He showed that again on Thursday and is now on pace for a 40-goal season.

Since the move to Utah, Guenther has been lights-out against the Islanders. This outing increased his totals to six goals and seven points in three games, adding to an overtime winner in the team’s visit to UBS Arena last season.

He stated in his preseason press conference that he wanted to diversify his scoring rather than relying on the power-play one-timer that created most of his goals last season. It hasn’t all been smooth sailing, but the stats speak for themselves — the adjustment is working.

“I don’t want him to get ahead of himself so I won’t get ahead of myself either. I have such a high regard for Gunner, for what he can do,” Tourigny said. “The big thing for him is to make sure he keeps the right mindset.”

Guenther wouldn’t take all the credit, though. “I’ve probably had a lot of two-goalers, actually, so it’s nice to get another one. But, I mean, [Lawson Crouse] and [Barrett Hayton] made really nice plays on all of my goals, so I wouldn’t have scored three without them.”

Utah fans can rest easy knowing that they have Guenther’s services secured until the end of the 2033 season at an extremely manageable $7.1 million per year.

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#### Is a Sleeping Giant Waking Up?
Last season, Utah’s power play was the 10th-best in the NHL. This year, it’s dropped to 25th. But the Mammoth struck twice with the man advantage on Thursday. Both power-play goals came from the first unit, which has struggled more than the second group in recent weeks.

Tourigny pointed out the momentum change that resulted from his team’s power play in the first period. At that point, the Mammoth hadn’t put a single shot on net and had instead fought off 10 from the Islanders. The power play allowed them to sustain puck possession in the offensive zone for the first time all game, and although they didn’t score on that initial attempt, their five shots helped flush out whatever fatigue came from celebrating New Year’s in New York.

“That power play sparked us. We had several good looks and built our confidence,” Tourigny said. “From there, we were a much better team, and for the rest of the game, we were a good team.”

Guenther attributed that success to working harder and winning more puck battles and face-offs. Utah won all 14 draws on the power play, which is significant given that Bo Horvat — who operates at a stellar 57.6% in the face-off circle this season — is among the Islanders’ top penalty killers.

Considering the number of one-goal games the Mammoth have lost, an extra power play goal every few games could be exactly what they need to start winning more consistently. The personnel hasn’t changed much since last year, so these players know their capabilities are high.

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### Half-Season Standings

With 41 games in the books, Utah’s season is halfway over. That’s usually not the case by this time of year, but a three-week break for the Olympics means the schedule has been more condensed than normal.

At this point, a tiebreaker has the Mammoth on the outside looking in when it comes to the playoffs. By no means are they out of the race, and stringing together a few consecutive wins could put them where they need to be.

The key for Utah will be consistency. Looking at the Central Division leaders, they’ve all had many winning streaks of three to five games this season, and their losing skids rarely last longer than two games.

The Mammoth have had their moments, but it’s often been a one-step-forward, two-steps-back situation.

The thing working in Utah’s favor going forward is the schedule. The Mammoth have squeezed the first 41 games into an 85-day span, while the second half will be played over 105 days due to the Olympic break.

Utah has played 24 of its road games but only 17 at home, meaning the Mammoth will have home-ice advantage more frequently the rest of the season.

According to Tankathon, Utah has the 16th-hardest schedule remaining in terms of the opponents they’ll face. While that’s tougher than the San Jose Sharks, Nashville Predators, and Los Angeles Kings — all competing for the same wild card spots — it’s not as daunting as the schedules facing the Calgary Flames, St. Louis Blues, Chicago Blackhawks, and Winnipeg Jets.

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### Goal of the Game: Crouse’s No-Look Pass to Guenther

Tourigny referred to Lawson Crouse as an unsung hero in this game, so let’s sing him some praise. This goal wouldn’t have happened without Crouse’s ability to go hard in the corner and the presence of mind to make a good play.

If you aren’t confident that the pass can reach the right guy, you can’t make it — that would put your team at a disadvantage going the other way. Perhaps he wouldn’t have attempted it last season, but this time he had the right amount of confidence, and it paid off greatly.

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The Utah Mammoth are showing signs of strength halfway through the season. With players like Guenther heating up and improvements on special teams, the Mammoth look ready to make a push for the playoffs in the second half of the campaign. Fans should keep an eye on their upcoming games, especially their showdown against the New York Rangers on Monday.
https://www.deseret.com/sports/2026/01/01/utah-mammoth-beat-new-york-islanders-7-2-dylan-guenther-hat-trick/

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