Schmaltz scores hat trick, Mammoth ease past Sharks

SALT LAKE CITY -- Nick Schmaltz had a hat trick and an assist, and Clayton Keller had a goal and three assists for the Utah Mammoth in a 6-3 win against the San Jose Sharks at Delta Center on Friday.

It was Schmaltz's second NHL hat trick and his first since Jan. 26, 2023, when he played for the Arizona Coyotes.

“I feel like I've had a lot of chances early on in the season here,” said Schmaltz, who did not score a goal in the first four games of the season. “Trying to shoot the puck more, take it to the net, be around the net more, and a couple guys made some great plays in open areas. It was fun to see a couple go in there for me.”

Liam O'Brien and Michael Carcone also scored for the Mammoth (3-2-0), who have won the first two on their four-game homestand. Karel Vejmelka made 18 saves.

“I'm extremely proud of the way the boys reacted in the [third period],” Utah coach Andre Tourigny said. “It was a lot of maturity, a lot of focus, and we played it the right way. We put the puck behind and we got rewarded early.”

Macklin Celebrini and Jeff Skinner each had a goal and an assist for the Sharks (0-2-2), who have allowed 22 goals so far this season. Yaroslav Askarov made 28 saves.

“I thought we had good energy on the bench heading into the third period,” San Jose coach Ryan Warsofsky said. “The guys in the dressing room, we were saying the right things, but we've got to start doing the right things.”

Schmaltz opened the scoring during a 5-on-3 power play at 9:39 of the first period. He buried a one-timer from the right hash marks off a short pass from Logan Cooley to give the Mammoth a 1-0 lead.

Schmaltz then made it 2-0 at 13:31, this time scoring from the left circle off a backhand pass from Keller.

“Since the start of the season he's been playing really good,” Tourigny said. “He’s had a lot of opportunities, reloads really well both sides of the puck. He's a threat. He's inside a lot. He has a lot of opportunities inside, so it was only a matter of time.”

Tyler Toffoli cut it to 2-1 on a power play at 5:23 of the second period, chipping in the rebound of Dmitry Orlov's shot at the left post.

Skinner tied the game 2-2 at 7:13. His backhand cross-crease pass for Celebrini hit the stick of Vejmelka and caromed up off the body of Ian Cole before deflecting into the net.

“We obviously need to find a way to play a full [60 minutes],” Sharks forward Barclay Goodrow said. “It was right there for the taking for us, and obviously they found a way to kind of separate themselves in the game.”

O’Brien, who was making his season debut, put the Mammoth back in front 3-2 at 16:09. Askarov couldn't settle a dump-in behind the net, and the puck bounced right onto the stick of O'Brien, who quickly spun and tucked a backhand into the net before the goalie could get back in position.

It was O’Brien’s first goal since April 17, 2024, when he also played for the Coyotes. He had two assists in 28 games for Utah last season.

“There's a little sense of relief,” O’Brien said. “It took longer than I wanted, but it felt good. I'm just happy we got the win, too.”

Schmaltz completed the hat trick 54 seconds into the third period. He took a backhand pass from Keller, who was behind the net, and beat Askarov blocker side with a one-timer to make it 4-2.

“Shoutout to my grandpa,” Schmaltz said. “He's watched me play two times now, in Arizona and here, and he's seen a hat trick both times. So, it's pretty cool and special to have him here.”

Carcone extended the lead to 5-2 at 3:25, scoring off the glove arm of Askarov following a turnover by the Sharks in their own zone.

Keller made it 6-2 at 11:32. Schmaltz skated into a drop pass from Keller in the high slot before making a return feed to Utah's captain, who beat Askarov glove side from the left circle.

Celebrini scored a power-play goal at 16:51 for the 6-3 final.

“We've been checking well, playing well away from the puck, but ultimately you got to score goals to win games,” Schmaltz said. “I thought we did a better job of that tonight, and hopefully it's a sign of good things to come.”

NOTES: Utah had scored eight goals combined in its first four games of the season. ... Defenseman Vincent Iorio made his Sharks debut after being claimed off waivers from the Washington Capitals on Thursday. He was minus-2 in 19:21 of ice time. “I thought he was pretty good out there today,” said Mario Ferraro, who played alongside Iorio. “Obviously, us as a pairing, we had a couple hiccups that we really do want to clean up, but for a guy that hasn't played too many NHL games (10), he looked pretty poised and came into the lineup and I thought he played pretty well.”