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<\/p>\nWith the postseason positioning hanging in the balance, the Utah Mammoth delivered one of their most complete performances of the season, overpowering the Los Angeles Kings in a decisive 6-2 victory. The win strengthens Utah\u2019s grip on the first Wild Card spot, extending their cushion to five points over the Nashville Predators and six over the Kings in a tightening Western Conference race.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a battle for the playoffs and they\u2019re right behind us, and it was kind of a four-point game for us and it\u2019s huge,\u201d alternate captain Mikhail Sergachev shared post-game. \u201cBut I like our composure today. They scored a couple big goals, they had the push in the third, we stayed with it and we just kept playing our game and it paid off.\u201d<\/p>\n
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From puck drop, Utah looked locked in. Crisp execution, sustained pressure, and cohesive play across all four lines fueled a strong start and carried throughout the night. It was Utah’s first-ever win as a team at Crypto.com Arena, formerly known as Staples Center.<\/p>\n
\u201cUnbelievable commitment from the boys,\u201d head coach Andr\u00e9 Tourigny said.\u201c They were engaged, intense, our gap was phenomenal. The (defense) played a hell of a game, all of them. All six (defensemen) played really, really solid. (I) liked the way we played in our zone and obviously that generated offense for us. Our forecheck was really good, especially early in the game, and our special teams were elite as well. It was a great night.\u201d<\/p>\n
Utah wasted little time taking control, building a 3-1 lead in the opening frame behind two goals from Logan Cooley and another from Alexander Kerfoot. Cooley\u2019s performance marked his third consecutive 20-goal season, a milestone he reached in just 46 games this year. He also became the sixth Mammoth skater to hit the 20-goal mark, underscoring the team\u2019s offensive depth\u2014currently the best in the league in that category.<\/p>\n
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Kerfoot matched Cooley with a pair of goals, adding another in the second period. The veteran forward continues to find his rhythm after returning from injury in late February, now riding a four-game point streak with three goals in his last three outings. Despite appearing in just 26 games this season due to injuries, Kerfoot\u2019s versatility remains a major asset.<\/p>\n
\u201cI will say in the last week, he really improved,\u201d Tourigny explained. \u201cI think his drive to the net, he has a better net presence, he wins big face offs for us. (Kerfoot) is a guy who (is) a little bit of a Swiss army knife, or he can do everything. He\u2019s a good offensive player, he has poise with the puck and creates possession, but as well is super reliable defensively, really good reads, super smart, and he has the intensity. We\u2019re fortunate to have him and that kind of depth.\u201d<\/p>\n
Special teams played a defining role in the outcome. Utah capitalized twice on three power-play opportunities, with Nick Schmaltz adding his 27th goal of the season on the man advantage. The Mammoth power play has now scored in three straight games and recorded multiple goals in consecutive contests.<\/p>\n
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\u201cWe had a shot mentality,\u201d Sergachev said of the power play. \u201cEverything started with a shot and then it opened up, and our elite players made some elite plays, and it paid off. So, simplicity is the key I think.\u201d<\/p>\n
Defensively, Utah was just as sharp. The penalty kill turned aside both Los Angeles opportunities\u2014coming just 41 seconds apart midway through the second period\u2014and has now gone 15-for-16 over the last seven games. Combined with steady goaltending from Karel Vejmelka, the Mammoth consistently shut down any chance of a Kings comeback.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think our PK was solid,\u201d Tourigny shared. \u201cWe didn\u2019t make a lot of mistakes. Seriously, it was really good. You could see the guys were on a mission. They had poise with the puck on the PK; they were very quick at applying pressure. Did a really good job. And on the power play, I think you could see the aggression. It\u2019s a word I use a lot but it\u2019s exactly that. We attacked quickly; we had fire in our eyes. Just a funny thing in the third on our power play, the guys were rolling and the second unit they went \u2018wow, they\u2019re fun to watch, they should stay there.\u2019 So, that was pretty cool for them to say that.\u201d<\/p>\n
After recent struggles with protecting leads, Utah showed maturity when the Kings pushed in the third period. Rather than unraveling, the Mammoth remained composed and disciplined, ultimately sealing the game when Jack McBain buried an empty-net goal with just over six minutes remaining.<\/p>\n
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\u201cWe have a couple meetings a couple days before and talked about it, and we (knew) what we\u2019re going to do,\u201d Sergachev explained. \u201cWe\u2019re just a young team. Sometimes emotions get the best of us like last game. We talked about it and today when emotions were getting the best of us, we settled it down, leaders, coaches, and it worked.\u201d<\/p>\n
Vejmelka turned aside 29 of 31 shots to earn his 33rd win of the season, providing timely stops at even strength and during key penalty kills.<\/p>\n
Sergachev delivered a standout performance, recording the first four-assist game of his career. He now has seven assists over his last two outings, setting a new personal best in assists while matching his career-high in total points. His impact has not gone unnoticed by teammates.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s elite,\u201d Kerfoot said. \u201cWhen he\u2019s going, he can do everything. He can skate, he can make plays offensively, he can shut guys down defensively. He\u2019s physical. He can do it all and when he gets the power play going like they were tonight, they were clicking. Made a great play to (Cooley) on that first (power play) goal. When he\u2019s going, our team is at our best and he was great tonight, and he\u2019s been great for the majority of the year.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Utah now heads into a four-day break before a crucial road swing through Seattle and Vancouver, with just eight games remaining in the regular season.<\/p>\n
\u201c(The break is) important at this time of the year,\u201d Tourigny said. \u201cI will say it\u2019s a different break than others in a sense (that) we need to take it really seriously (and make sure) we manage it right. We have a really important game coming back. It\u2019s a team who\u2019s chasing us, who has a game in hand. So, it\u2019ll be important for us to be ready against Seattle, but first let\u2019s make sure we manage the break the right way.\u201d<\/p>\n
Brandon Tanev skated in his 600th NHL game, becoming the sixth player in Mammoth history to reach the milestone. Among active undrafted forwards, he ranks 12th in career games played.<\/p>\n
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Cooley continues to maximize his opportunities, recording his fifth multi-goal game of the season despite appearing in just 46 of Utah\u2019s 74 contests. He has three goals in his last two games, including two on the power play.<\/p>\n
Utah has seen multiple players step up offensively against Los Angeles this month, with four different skaters recording multi-goal performances in March\u2014Lawson Crouse and Schmaltz on March 22, followed by Cooley and Kerfoot in this matchup.<\/p>\n
Cooley\u2019s early-career scoring pace places him in elite company. He becomes just the fourth active American-born player to record 20 goals in each of his first three NHL seasons, joining Patrick Kane, Auston Matthews, and Jack Eichel.<\/p>\n
The Mammoth showcased their depth once again, with four different goal scorers\u2014Kerfoot, Cooley, Schmaltz, and McBain\u2014and 10 players registering at least one point. Four players posted multi-point games: Kerfoot, Cooley, Sergachev, and Clayton Keller, who added two assists.<\/p>\n
The Mammoth are on the road for their next two matchups. They take on the Seattle Kraken on Thursday at Climate Pledge Arena. Coverage begins at 10 p.m. ET.<\/p>\n
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