Mammoth defeat Predators, clinch 1st playoff berth in 2nd season

SALT LAKE CITY –- Nick Schmaltz and Dylan Guenther each had a goal and an assist for the Utah Mammoth in a 4-1 win against the Nashville Predators at Delta Center on Thursday.

Utah also clinched a berth in the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time in franchise history in just its second season when the Anaheim Ducks defeated the San Jose Sharks on Thursday.

“I think we have a very good team,” Mammoth coach Andre Tourigny said. “The guys are getting older, more mature, and they learn from what happens. The GM does a great job to improve the team every year. It's easy now to look back and see we started from scratch. It's a privilege when you start the process where you start. It's not every time you have that much runway, so I feel fortunate and try to keep improving every year for the next.”

Clayton Keller had three assists, and Lawson Crouse and Kailer Yamamoto each scored for the Mammoth (42-30-6), who have won five straight. Logan Cooley had two assists, and Karel Vejmelka made 29 saves.

Utah is five points ahead of the Los Angeles Kings for the first wild card from the Western Conference.

“We were a bit too careful and a bit too passive (in the second period), but we got back in the third with way more aggression, moving our feet, better breakouts, and building more speed and scoring big goals at key moments,” Tourigny said. “So very happy and very proud of the boys and the way they reacted in the third.”

Erik Haula scored the lone goal for the Predators (37-32-10), who finished a six-game road trip 3-2-1. Juuse Saros made 21 saves.

Nashville is one point behind the Kings for the second wild card.

“I thought the mindset wasn't quite right to start the game,” Predators coach Andrew Brunette said. “We had a heck of a road trip, playing good hockey. Even tonight, we did enough to at least get something out of this game and unfortunately, we didn't. Mindset has to be to get something on Saturday.”

Yamamoto put the Mammoth up 1-0 at 14:26 of the first period, tapping in Dylan Guenther's centering pass through Saros' pads as he crashed the net.

Schmaltz made it 2-0 with a power-play goal at 5:35 of the second period. Keller fed a back door pass across the crease to Schmaltz, who buried the puck at the left post past the right skate of Saros.

"I think I’ve always tried to be a very unselfish player,” Keller said. “It's just part of my game. I want to get my teammates involved and give them good looks.”

Crouse pushed the lead to 3-0 at 3:03 of the third period. Keller fed a cross-ice pass to Crouse in the right circle, where his one-timer deflected off Nashville defenseman Brady Skjei before going in off the left post.

“We started the game pretty well,” Crouse said. “And then obviously, let it kind of get away from us a little bit in the second period. But a huge answer back in the third and we got rewarded for doing so.”

Guenther extended it to 4-0 at 6:05 when his one-timer from the left circle off a pass from Keller ramped up and in off Predators defenseman Ryan Ufko.

Haula cut the deficit to 4-1 with a power-play goal at 10:22. Zachary L'Heureux slid the puck through Vejmelka's pads as he attempted at the left post and Haula backhanded it into an open net from the crease.

“I don't think we played our best tonight,” Nashville forward Ryan O'Reilly said. “We didn't play that playoff style that we've been having success with … We kind of had a little momentum there and didn't capitalize on it, which maybe could have sparked us. We didn't build the game the way we needed to.”

Utah joined a list of teams in the post-expansion era (excluding teams that joined in 1967-68) to reach the postseason within its first two NHL seasons. The Oilers and Golden Knights both went two-for-two, while the Hartford Whalers (now Carolina), Quebec Nordiques (now Colorado), Atlanta Flames (now Calgary) and Kraken all qualified once.

“I think we've been playing meaningful hockey for a while now," Crouse said. "So, these are the games we want to be in. These are the games that we want to get up for. So it's been a lot of fun.”

Predators captain Roman Josi was a late scratch before the game and is listed as day to day with an upper-body injury. 

“He's impossible to replace,” Brunette said. “I thought the kids played well. (Oesterle) came in and gave us some good minutes and Ufko's getting better every game and it's nice to see (Wilsby). There is more ice time for them. I thought they handled it pretty well.” 

NOTES: Keller (15 points; four goals, 11 assists) and Guenther (12 points; five goals, seven assists) each extended their point streaks to six games and have combined for 27 points over that stretch. ... Schmaltz extended his point streak to six games (five goals, four assists). ... Cooley has 11 points (six goals, five assists) in a six-game streak. ... Keller is just the third American in the NHL’s modern era (since 1943-44) to captain a franchise to its first-ever Stanley Cup Playoffs berth. The others: Ron Langway (Washington in 1982-83) and Dave Christian (Winnipeg in 1981-82). ... Mammoth defenseman Mikhail Sergachev has 11 assists in his past six games. ... Predators forward Luke Evangelista left the game with 1:36 left the game in the third period after getting his face hit into the boards by Sergachev. Brunette did not have an update on his status after the game.