^{Utah nets a power play goal, 2 empty nets, and most importantly a win to close the homestand}

Tonight, the Seattle Kraken came to town, the first of three meetings between the teams this year. Seattle was just dealt a blow to their lineup, with Jared McCann ruled out, and likely out for some time, after being injured a game ago against the LA Kings. Utah understands what it’s like to lose a top scorer and major piece of your offense, ruling Logan Cooley out for 8 weeks with a lower body injury. Both clubs came in struggling – Utah with a 3 game losing streak, and Seattle has lost 7 of their last 8.

Seattle has an especially potent 5v5 defensive scheme, allowing only 55% of their goals 5v5. Seattle, however, also has trouble scoring 5v5 – barely 50% of their goals come with both teams at full strength. Both teams rely in special teams in opposite ways; Utah has a poor PP and strong PK – Seattle the opposite.

With both teams needing to build on positives, what would we expect tonight?

FIRST PERIOD:
Unsurprisingly, the first 5 minutes of the game saw a total of 11 total shot attempts between the teams as Seattle and Utah were extremely deliberate back and forth. Nate Schmidt had some really solid defensive plays for the Mammoth early, cutting off Mason Marchment as he tried to split 4 Utah players, as well as solid positioning to prevent several Kraken chances. Meanwhile, Dylan Guenther had a pair of shots blocked, as Utah had just one shot on goal in the first 2 minutes – their second shot came after the 10 minute mark.

Seattle got the first power play of the game, on a penalty taken by Olli Maatta on Matty Beniers. The delayed penalty saw 6 on 5 play for nearly 30 seconds, but Seattle did not get zone entry or a shot.

Mikhail Sergachev and Ian Cole stepped up with some big blocks during the Seattle advantage, Lawson Crouse forced offensive zone time against Seattle to kill some time, and only one shot made its way through to Karel Vejmelka – though there was a dangerous pass through the crease that saw Lawson Crouse break his stick to disrupt.

Utah’s second shot of the period was saved by Philipp Grubauer, starting in net for the Kraken. Barrett Hayton, after laying a solid hip check to let Utah take possession, was robbed right in front from a dish by former Kraken, Kailer Yamamoto, returning after a 2 game hiatus. Clayton Keller followed shortly thereafter with a wide angle shot, also turned away by Grubauer.

At the 7 minute mark, Michael Carcone had a bad turnover deep in the Mammoth zone. Jamie Oleksiak snapped a shot from the far circle that Vejmelka was easily able to turn aside. On the Utah push, Sean Durzi fed a pass from behind the net out to Sergachev at the top of the circle, but his slap shot was snagged by the Kraken netminder.

Utah would then get their first kra… crack at the power play after Adam Larsson interfered with Yamamoto in the slot. During the delayed call, 6 on 5 saw some of the best puck movement on that configuration we’ve seen all year. Keller fed across to Durzi, who had a wide open look, but Durzi took about a second to get set, allowing Seattle to recover and get the whistle.

The power play lost the faceoff, and in the attack, Keller made a fantastic spin move at the line to keep puck possession and pressure the Kraken. Unfortunately, nothing of note happened for the PP1 unit, but the PP2 unit got some really good looks. After a stellar keep by Durzi off a clearing attempt, his blast hit Grubauer and a juicy rebound lay right outside the crease. Daniil But, still searching for his first, got to the rebound, but was denied.

The rest of the period was uneventful, with Seattle getting just a single shot off – Eeli Tolvanen’s shot that hit the post – and the teams went to break scoreless.

Utah led the shot clock 11-9 after 1.

SECOND PERIOD:
The second period had far more action than the first, an unusual turn for Seattle’s style of play – and unfortunately a much more frequent issue for Utah. In total, the teams would combine for 29 shots, but I get ahead of myself.

The first 2 minutes of play were all Utah, culminating in a golden chance for the 3rd line. Off a face-off, Carcone took the puck around the net. At the far circle, while falling, he passed to Jack McBain at the crease. McBain was taken down, which disrupted him just enough to prevent a shot.

At the 2 minute mark, Maatta turned the puck over behind the net. A net-front pass to Shane Wright saw Vejmelka make the initial save; Wright tried to stuff the rebound by Veggie, but again Seattle was denied.

The Mammoth blocked several shots, one of which sprung Sean Durzi and JJ Peterka on a 2 on 2. However, Durzi found no pass outlet, dumping the puck deep. The Kraken retrieved, and a pass from Frederick Gaudreau to Mason Marchment saw Marchment split Keller and Durzi on defense; from just about a foot outside of the crease, he lifted a back-hander up and over Vejmelka for his 3rd goal of the year. 1-0 Seattle

Utah countered with a solid zone-time push, and Lawson Crouse and Ryan Lindgren got called for matching roughing minors. Chandler Stephenson had a semi-break against Veggie, but was denied as his wrister from the circle was saved. Seattle held most of the play, though Sergachev had a wrister that was blocked just enough by Grubauer, keeping Utah scoreless.

After the matching minors expired, Utah’s 3rd line was at it again. A rush up the ice by Carcone (and subsequent take-away) saw McBain try a wraparound that was stopped by Grubauer. The puck came out to the slot, where Daniil But’s shot was blocked and sent wide. Carcone, again, set up a shot in slot – this time for McBain, who missed the shot, and But had a pair of follow ups, but still Utah could not solve Grubauer.

On the next shift, Nick Schmaltz marked his man at the line. His poke check knocked the puck off Marchment’s stick, and Schmaltz was off. He had a clear breakaway, assisted by a pick slightly behind the play by JJ Peterka. Schmaltz, alone against Grubauer, had a nasty kick move that caused Grubauer to bite, and drop down, and Schmaltz flipped the puck up and over his glove to tie the game. 1-1 Tied

After the goal, both teams played to a physical stalemate for the next 2 minutes, before Utah took some massive control of the game. The 4th line saw shot attempts by everyone, all over the ice. Pucks were blocked, and ended up in the slot. Yamamoto went wide twice from those. Liam O’Brien threw a pair of shots, with a deflection in there. Maatta had a pass deflected that ended up in front but sent wide. The only player without a shot or attempt was Stenlund, as Utah pressured the Kraken for nearly a solid minute.

Play stalled out, with both teams again playing more possession than pressure. However, Jordan Eberle got sprung on a 2 on 1. Schmidt laid flat on the ice, eliminating the passing option, and Eberle’s shot went high. Utah countered 4 on 2, but Keller pulled up, opting for zone time rather than force a pass. The Mammoth kept cycling the puck until Peterka uncorked a shot from the low circle that hit a post and out. Utah maintained possession, kept pressure up for nearly 45 more seconds, but ultimately a John Marino wrister was stopped and held on to for the whistle.

The 4th line came out for the draw, and though they lost it, their counterattack went perfectly. Durzi picked up the loose puck in the defensive zone, then took the puck all the way across Seattle’s blue line. Dropping a pass to Stenlund, the center threw a backhand on Grubauer’s pads, that rebounded out to O’Brien. O’Brien shot wide, but the rebound went right to Yamamoto at the far circle, who fired it in for the lead! Or, no. Goalie interference.

Or was it? Who knows in this modern league, where goalie interference can be anything from looking at the goalie in the crease, but cross checks to the goalie’s back are fine. Either way, Andre Tourigny saw enough to challenge.

The challenge: Liam O’Brien made contact with Grubauer. That’s the definition of goaltender interference. However, either the fact the contact outside of the crease, the fact that O’Brien was pushed slightly, or the initial contact was from Seattle themselves, the call was overturned and the goal was awarded. Look at that! 2-1 Utah

The Kraken got a 3 on 1 as the goal was being announced, but Kaapo Kakko’s pass across ice was defended by Ian Cole, denying the Kraken a chance to tie the game. Utah would push back, with some pressure and a good chance for Keller, from a centering pass by Schmaltz, but the captain could not get it to go. The 4th line had a chance with Yamamoto throwing a centering pass to Stenlund, which was stopped. On the flip side, Tolvanen collected a bouncing puck right in front of Vejmelka, but he was able to tuck his arm and prevent the puck from slipping by. Off the face-off, a rip by Vince Dunn at the blue line forced Veggie to make a flourishing save.

Play intensified as the period drew to a close. A scramble in front of Vejmelka with just about a minute to play saw the Kraken push but not succeed as Veggie could not cover the puck for a whistle. The breakout, however, led to a Stenlund breakaway, but his backhander went wide. Finally, Jani Nyman got the puck from a Seattle rush high in the slot, but Vejmelka was able to fight off the shot to preserve the lead.

Shots in the period – 16 for Seattle (25) and 13 for Utah (24) in a wild period with tons of opportunities for both teams.

THIRD PERIOD:
After winning a second period, the Mammoth wanted to close out the third getting back to their game – shot suppression and good forechecking. Right off the jump, Schmaltz was in tight, all alone against Grubauer, but was too close in to get an effective shot off. The counter by Seattle saw Stephenson rip a slapper from a high slot position, denied by Veggie.

The Mammoth pushed another lengthy shift in the Kraken zone, with several shots – some on net, some blocked, some tipped wide – but no damage was done despite the great chances.

The Kraken forced the 1st line back into the defensive zone and gave Utah a taste of their own medicine. A prolonged defensive shift led to a breakdown by Marino; Eberle danced around him and would have been alone in on Vejmelka, but the Marino slash prevented the chance and saved a high danger chance. However, Utah would be on the penalty kill again.

A major problem, however, happened just 18 seconds in, as Utah would go down 2 men when Ian Cole had an unforced error puck over the glass. With nearly a full 2 minutes, and with 2 of their PK defensemen in the box, Utah was stretched to a breaking point with little room for error.

Thankfully, the 3 man unit didn’t have further errors. A combined 5 shots on net were all stopped by Vejmelka; the biggest saves against a cross-ice blast by Stephenson and two tip shots in close by Beniers and Tolvanen had the crowd raining down “VEGGIE” chants from the rafters.

Immediately after the “power up” sound played, the Kraken would tie the game. Marchment got fed a cross-ice pass at the top of the circle, and while Schmaltz was late getting over, the Marchment shot was low – but placed well enough that Veggie was unable to get it with his outstretched pad. After 2 minutes of intense pressure, in an environment where Utah needed to hold the lead and did, they gave it up as if that kill didn’t even happen. Ouch. 2-2 Tied

The Kraken came out a bit flat after the goal, and Utah pushed this to their advantage. Some good offensive zone time saw a shot in tight by Hayton turned aside, as well as a rip by Durzi that was blocked; Stenlund had a chance to shoot the rebound from a tight angle, but missed wide. Peterka and Schmaltz had a 2 on 2 rush, but Peterka’s pass to Schmaltz missed slightly and the impromptu center went into the net post and then crashed into the board. For a moment, a bunch of us held our breath – but all for naught as Schmaltz bounced up, avoiding the fate that another Utah center and a post had a few games ago.

That drive, however, maintained possession and zone pressure. Eventually, Marino got in good position to force Ryan Lindgren into a cross check in the slot. Late in the game, Utah had their second power play and would test the league’s worst PK unit.

Utah found paydirt 20 seconds in. With a unit that played unlike many of the other attempts, the team skated and kept moving in the zone. A missed clearing attempt, kept in by Sergachev, found its way to Schmaltz high at the circle. Schmaltz skated in, drawing Seattle’s attention. While focused on Schmaltz, the Kraken didn’t see a wide open Guenther at the opposite dot. More importantly, Grubauer didn’t see Guenther at the dot. A blazingly fast one-timer by Gunner hit twine, giving Team Tusk the lead again. 3-2 Utah

Vejmelka had a mask situation, about 6 minutes left, after taking a shot up high. Shaking it free, he was able to actually get a stoppage in play. Perhaps the league learned…

Peterka took a late hooking penalty in front of Vejmelka, giving Seattle life with about 5 minutes to go. However, Utah’s penalty kill completely stoned the Kraken, not allowing a single shot and keeping the ever so slim margin in-tact.

After an icing, with 2:30 to go, Seattle went 6 on 5 to try and equalize. However, redeeming himself after his late penalty, JJ Peterka grabbed the puck from his own defensive zone, below the dot, and skated beautifully up the wing. Beating 3 Kraken, he was taken down on his way to the net, but slid the puck dead center while on his stomach for the eventual game winner. Game. 4-2 Utah

Wait? Not game? On the ensuing face-off, Seattle elected to pull Grubauer yet again. OK, let’s dance. Hayton missed from center ice, high, and Brandon Montour went Superman flying to try and deflect a Guenther shot – he missed, and it was awesome to watch in real time – but Dylan hit the crossbar and the puck went over and out.

Center ice face-off forced Grubauer back in net, but he quickly ran for the bench as Seattle momentarily took control. But, Schmaltz ended up with the puck with Lawson Crouse on his wing. A shot didn’t open up for Schmaltz, so he found his partner who buried it for the statement. Game. 5-2 Utah

Wait. Wait. NOT GAME? Sean Durzi whiffed on a bouncing puck in front of him, and Tye Kartye, crashing the net, fed Ben Meyers back door for the goal. 5-3 Utah

43 seconds to go. Is it game? Game? Guys? OK, finally. Game.

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3 GOALS (THE GOOD):

Special Delivery I mentioned that the Kraken have a good power play unit and awful penalty kill. Utah needed to take advantage of the power play, and stay strong on the kill.

Utah killed off 4 of 4 penalties, including nearly a full 2 minutes of 5 on 3. In total, I counted 6 shots in 6 minutes and change of power play time. 1 shot per minute, with 2 guys in the box for a third of that time? That’s massive.

Flip side, Seattle’s a sieve on the PK, and Utah needed to capitalize. Capitalize they did – with the almost game-winner by Dylan Guenther with just 7 minutes to play. Team Tusk went 1 for 2, but 1 was all they needed.

3? 4? The Mammoth’s bottom two lines have been phenomenal lately. Sure, the accolades went to Guenther and Schmaltz today, but Carcone, But, Yamamoto, O’Brien, Stenlund, and McBain drove much of tonight’s play. They helped set momentum, by hemming in the Kraken for several lengthy shifts. The 3rd line had like 12 good opportunities that just didn’t break their way. The 4th line with Yamamoto is just an energy line that seem to be able to put pucks on net and hit you out of nowhere/ Do either of these lines have big shooters? Right now, no. But do they have big heart? You bet they do.

Confidence is a hell of a drug that hopefully Schmaltz and Gunner can mainline. Gunner now has 3 goals in 2 games, and Schmaltz had his best game in weeks. Notching the #2 and #3 stars, deservedly, Gunner was denied a GWG on his record when Seattle potted one super late in the game.

Guenther helped push a 50% success rate on the power play tonight, and has scored 2 goals and contributed on all 4 power play points in the past 6 games.

While the accolades poured on Schmaltz all game long from the color commentary, Schmaltz actually did have a solid game overall. Corsi, a measure of shot differential, is one measure to indicate the possession and pace of play, and whether or not you’re pushing more offensively or defensively. The Schmaltz line had a 55% Corsi for – meaning they pushed more opportunities against the Kraken than they gave up.

Is Schmaltz a Cooley replacement? Not a chance. Was Schmaltz serviceable tonight? He certainly was. If he can keep that up, that will go a long way to helping the Mammoth in Cooley’s absence.

3 CHIRPS (THE BAD):

Sudden Death Utah seems to be giving up a lot of last minute goals. Wednesday saw a goal in the 1st and 3rd, to tie and lose the game respectively. Period 2 saw Utah on the power play to span the last minute of the period, effectively keeping them on the offense. Tonight, the 3rd Seattle goal wasn’t game changing, but giving up late goals like that is not good.

In 6 periods, 3 goals were had against Utah in the last 60 seconds. None of those goals were special teams goals; all came 5v5.

Closing out a period and closing out a game are one in the same. If you waste 19 minutes of play because of sloppy or uninspired play right before the horn, you’re not going to succeed in this league.

Tighten up a full 20, not just 19 minutes of it.

In a bubble Perhaps the bubble helmet is causing some of it, but Kevin Stenlund can’t score. His shooting percentage is a fraction of what he had last year. His face-off percentage wins are down 15% from last year.

That cheap headshot he took did him no favors, but even so, the first 20 games of the season had his face-off percentage almost exactly where it is now. His shooting percentage somehow went up after the helmet (though, that’s not hard when you have only 2 goals on the year). Only Brandon Tanev has fewer goals (0) and a lower shooting percentage (0%); several Mammoth players have slightly below Stenlund, but they’re cranking out shots.

For a 4th line that has seen Kailer Yamamoto exceed all expectations, Stenlund’s point production is concerning. If he’s unable to win face-offs, can’t really lay the body because of his prolonged injury, and he can’t account for any points, it may be time to let him get a few rest days while Rooney is up with the big boys.

The No-no square The Kraken struggle 5 on 5, are great on a power play, and give up tons of goals on the PK. The solution to this is simple – get ’em into their box, keep us outta ours. So, it makes sense that Ian Cole took a careless penalty to put Utah down 5 on 3.

Listen, some penalties are really good to take. I’d take John Marino’s penalty against Eberle 7 days a week. If you’re preventing a prime scoring chance – on a breakaway, or when there’s some crazy movement that would leave the goalie on an island – hack or trip away. But don’t compound a bad situation.

Maatta’s penalty was a combination of rust and slow. Crouse took a matching minor – a good penalty actually, because it removed a defenseman from the rotation. The Peterka penalty, a little weak, was good to prevent the opportunity low by the crease, but it was due to a bad defensive play at a bad time. So, bad overall, good for one reason. Cole?

I get it. Mistakes happen. But as a veteran who was not under any pressure, tossing a puck out like that was a bad move. He needs to buy Veggie and the rest of the defense a big steak dinner, because they bailed him out hard tonight for that mistake.

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Next up:

On the road again, back east to visit the Stewart Skinner Swiss Cheeses in Pittsburgh on Sunday.