Delta Center, Game Recap, Ottawa Senators, utah-mammoth

Classic or Asskick?

Your Favorite Hockey Guy in Utah

January 8, 2026

^{Utah wins a chippy, physical game as the Winter Classic is announced}

Tonight, Utah returned from their 3 game road-trip, hosting the Ottawa Senators at the Delta Center. The Ottawa Senators have not lost to Utah, as either the Hockey Club or Mammoth yet, giving Utah a great chance to best their opponent for the first time.

With a 4 point road trip, but a 2 hour bit of jet lag (tell me about it…) how would Utah respond to their first home game of 2026?

FIRST PERIOD:
The Mammoth had massive jump as the game started as Lawson Crouse had a great slot shot attempt nearly 30 seconds into the game. On defense, Utah had a jump too – a jump in front of shots, blocking 3 attempts in the next two minutes as well.

3 minutes into the game, a bouncing puck at center ended up on the stick of Nate Schmidt for a moment. However, Brady Tkachuk got the puck in his skates, and kicked it to himself for a partial breakaway in on Karel Vejmelka. However, Schmidt recovered, and muscled the lesser of the Tkachuk brothers away from Vejmelka, and got down on one knee on the ice to disrupt a centering pass that would have been a near-guaranteed goal.

On the ensuing rush against, Team Tusk would draw first blood. After a great zone entry by Nick Schmaltz, a pass over to Lawson Crouse ended up with a slot shot that was blocked. The puck was kept in, where Clayton Keller would test Leevi Merilainen from the goal line at the near boards. The puck hit off his upper body, and Keller recovered. Skating behind the net, Keller spotted Crouse, who found a weak spot in the Ottawa defense. From the far slot, Crouse’s one-timer hit twine behind Merilainen, who had no chance to recover. Shane Pinto, who should have been covering Crouse, was just completely out of place. He’s important, remember that name. 1-0 Utah

After the goal, notably, Kailer Yamamoto – in for the first time since 2025 – took JJ Peterka’s shift on the 2nd line. I mention this because there’s another 4th liner that wouldn’t be able to do this and fit in at all…

The Mammoth officially gave up the first shot to the Senators just past the 5 minute mark which was easily turned aside. Tim Stutzle had a golden chance for the Senators just a minute later, when a falling Crouse let the Senators get a brief 3 on 2, but the pass from Stutzle went wide past a sprawling Karel Vejmelka.

Sustained pressure by the Mammoth paid off again shortly after. The 1st line was relentless in the Senators zone; several times the Sens had the puck they were forechecked into the boards before they could make a pass, and the pass they did try was blocked by Nick Schmaltz. Ultimately, Utah kept the puck in the zone for over 30 seconds, with the physicality keeping Ottawa on their heels. Passing between Mikhail Sergachev and Clayton Keller saw the Captain rip a shot from just inside the blue line past Merilainen high. The puck, however, rebounded out perfectly to a crashing John Marino. Merilainen was still out of position from the Keller shot attempt, and did not see the puck’s angle towards the near boards. Marino, untouched, had all the time in the world, but just needed a flick of the wrist to send the puck into an open cage from the bottom of the faceoff circle. 2-0 Utah

Merilainen has been filling in for Linus Ullmark – not well mind you – so the Senators may have had a bit of panic being down 2 goals, with just 3 shots against and only one shot for through the first 8 minutes. Their response after the goal was strong, as they pushed play in Utah’s end for the first real time in the game. Claude Giroux got a pass at the blue line, and cutting in with speed tried to get around Vejmelka but was denied. In the frenzy, Shane Pinto – remember him from earlier? – ended up in the net. The puck bounced out to the high far circle, where Artem Zub ripped a shot that was guaranteed to go in. Vejmelka was out of position. The only thing standing between Zub’s shot and the back of the net was Shane Pinto’s face. After a quick review, Pinto got his first ever save as a goaltender in the NHL for the Utah Mammoth, and the Senators stayed off the scoreboard.

With about 8 minutes left, Ridly Greig had Ottawa’s best chance of the period with a tip close in to the Utah net. Vejmelka swallowed up the puck, but not before taking a peek behind him just in case. Veggie was tested right again after the face-off but again was strong.

Ottawa rung the iron with nearly 7 minutes left, as Jake Sanderson hit the crossbar, going up and out of play.

Ian Cole misplayed a puck bounce off the wall, allowing Stephen Halliday to skate in on Vejmelka with a little room, but once again the Wasatch Wall kept the Senators from their first tally.

The Senators played the next 2 minutes heavily in the Utah zone, but despite a lot of zone time, no shots made their way on net. Defensive plays by Schmidt, Sean Durzi, and the 3rd line in particular kept the Senators to the perimeter. The one penetrating play was forced back behind the net, where the puck was turned over and cleared.

With 2:45 to play, Barrett Hayton forced a turnover behind the Ottawa goal line. However, when trying to take the puck out, Hayton was grabbed and dragged to the ground with no call. This is important, because Utah should have been on a power play to basically end the 1st period. However, with no call from the blatant penalty, Ottawa would finally find the back of the net. A blocked shot ricocheted off the head referee and around the boards. A shot by Zub was initially saved, but Ridly Greig fought off Hayton in the slot to punch home the rebound. 2-1 Utah

Dylan Cozens nearly tied the game up 15 seconds later as after a Senators faceoff win, he was able to get the puck in the slot for an uncontested slap shot that was saved by Vejmelka. However, the shot was too hot to handle, and the puck was cleared by Schmidt. Schmidt then laid out Stutzle on his next zone entry, eliciting roars of approval from the crowd.

Sergachev nearly got the 2 goal lead back for the Mammoth on a 3 on 2 break he initiated. A shot from Michael Carcone was saved by Merilainen, and as the puck popped out in front, Sergachev’s chip attempt was saved as well.

Less than a minute to go, another trip went uncalled deep in the Utah zone, as Ian Cole’s skates were kicked out from under him in the corner. However, the refs let them play through to the horn with no further damage from either side.

Utah up 9-7 in shots after the first, with an all important 2-1 lead.

SECOND PERIOD:
The second period started with the referees suddenly remembering their role in the game. Schmaltz was tripped by Stutzle in the first 30 seconds, giving Utah the first power play of the game. A shot by Sergachev went way high, and the Mammoth’s only opportunity came with a driving Schmaltz getting turned aside in tight on Merilainen. Daniil But had a play in deep, but Merilainenwas able to recover and get position, forcing But to the outside of the cage and unable to get a shot on goal. Penalty expired with nothing of note otherwise, with Utah getting the one shot on goal.

Shortly after the penalty expired, it was time to even things up as Dylan Guenther was next to serve time in the box for tripping. Ottawa had nothing but massive pressure on Utah, who bent and bent and bent, but did not break. 4 official shots and 3 missed shots later Utah kept the lead at one.

The Mammoth continued to bend afterwards, allowing goal-scorer Greig a chance to walk in on Vejmelka, resulting in a save. A weird bounce off a shot from the red line by Sean Durzi gave us a moment of pause, as the puck rebounded off the back stanchion and onto Merilainen’s skate, but the play would have been offside anyway.

7 minutes into the period, Ottawa would again take a penalty, with a high-stick against Keller. The best scoring chance of the play, however, was when Stutzle led a 2 on 2 counter-attack against the Mammoth, ending with a good snare by Vejmelka. Hayton had a chance for a tip-in after a Carcone rebound, but he missed and the power play ended with one shot on goal for and one against.

Following a really neat flip-pass to himself, Keller got whistled for a trip, though replay showed the call was a little… or a lot… weak. On the delayed call, Vejmelka made a magnificent save going laterally against Giroux. Regardless, Ottawa was back a man up, and the Utah PK was called to action again. Another really strong power play by the Senators saw a lot of pressure but Utah still didn’t break, allowing a pair of shots but blocking and disrupting several good opportunities against.

With under 6 minutes to go, Utah had a glorious chance to pad the lead, as Sergachev found a streaking Guenther. Breaking past the defense, Guenther had a full breakaway, but his forehand-backhand on Merilainen couldn’t beat the Ottawa goaltender.

30 seconds later, Ottawa had a 2 on 1 develop after Hayton was upended in the offensive zone. Schmidt, sliding, ended up spinning and getting a stick on the Stutzle pass, breaking up Ottawa’s chance and preserving the lead. Another 30 seconds later, and Ottawa beat Vejmelka again – but again it was only iron that saw the shot, deflecting out of harm’s way.

Those were the last shots of the period, that is, last shots on net. A lot of after the play pushing and shoving, gloves to the face, and animosity developed from about 3 minutes to go on through the rest of the game.

Utah got a brief power play that was cut short when taking a penalty of their own. 4 on 4 play was uneventful, and reduced strength for both sides would take us into the third.

Shots in the period – 14-5 favoring Ottawa. Senators lead in shots 21-14 after two.

THIRD PERIOD:
The first minute of 4 on 4 action saw Greig shoot from a wider angle on Vejmelka, who left a rebound right in front of him. Pinto followed up with a shot right into the big Czech’s chest for a stoppage in play. 4 on 4 play saw nothing else, and the brief power play the Senators had ended uneventfully. Ottawa kept up pressure, though, with several shots that never made their way to the net, with no rebound attempts allowed by Utah.

Nearly 3 minutes in, Ottawa got their breakaway for the night, as Pinto clearly beat out Nick DeSimone and came in clear and all alone against Vejmelka. A stick save later, and the 1 goal lead was still safe.

After open play by both teams over the next several minutes, Utah would end up with a fortunate break. A good zone entry and pressure by the Mammoth ultimately ended up seeing Brandon Tanev get the puck from a blue line pass, and circle the net. His wraparound stuff attempt was stopped, but the puck was available in the crease. Several Utah players whacked at it, and Daniil But fell on Merilainen as the puck dribbled under his pads and barely into the net. Ottawa called a time out, then challenged for goaltender interference. However, Merilainen never had any control of the puck, and But didn’t even fall on him until after the puck was loose and almost in the net. Goal counts! I get to give another “Woo”! And better yet, another power play! 3-1 Utah

Utah got no shots on the power play, though Schmaltz had a one-timer from the slot that never connected and would have been a high-chance at another goal.

Chippiness intensified, as did Ottawa’s failures to generate dangerous chances. As time slipped away, shots for Ottawa piled up, but dangerous chances were limited. The last real scoring attempt for either team was Lawson Crouse’s partial break with 6:30 left to go. His initial shot was saved, and he just missed the rebound on the open net.

Ottawa pulled the goalie with 2 minutes to go, but Utah kept their defense tight, shots to the perimeter, and the crease cleared enough for Vejmelka to make the stops he needed to make. Schmaltz ended up with a chance for an empty netter, but he slowed up and got tangled up leading to an offside instead of a goal. This forced Merilainen back in net, though, killing valuable clock until the game wound down to the final horn. Good guys take it, 3-1.

Utah ends the game with Ottawa outshooting them 33-21.

3 GOALS (THE GOOD):

Eat Well Karel Vejmelka didn’t play his best game of the year tonight, but he sure had a solid showing and a deserved first star of the game. 32 saves, with 26 of those in the 2nd and 3rd periods while clinging to just a 1 goal lead, was huge. Overall, a .970 save percentage, 1 GAA, and a massive win after a quick turnaround from a cross-country flight, Vejmelka was exactly what the team needed at exactly the time they needed it.

Congrats on the first star, and the nod to backstop team Czechia to Karel!

Block heads Team Tusk let up a ton of shot attempts tonight, were out shot by a 50% margin, and still won. Yes, great goaltending was key here. The other massive factor – keeping dangerous shots from getting through.

Utah blocked 20 shots today. Combined with the 32 saves Vejmelka made (and not counting the one Shane Pinto made for us), that was 52 of 53 potential scoring plays denied by a Utah player. Not on the scoresheet were the defended passes that Nate Schmidt had against Brady Tkachuk early on in the game, and the numerous blocked passes and deflections that kept plays from developing.

A special shoutout tonight to Nate Schmidt in particular who had a hell of a defensive game, and prevented a number of really good scoring opportunities from developing.

Replacement Parts My plane from New York was delayed because they needed a replacement part. Utah had a few of those too, but they didn’t leave the team stranded on the tarmac for 2 hours. Brandon Tanev and Kailer Yamamoto finally both drew in for a game at the same time. Kevin Stenlund was out sick, putting Alex Kerfoot on a line with the two oft-dismissed players.

What did that line do? 8 hits. 6 blocks. 3 shots on net. 1 assist. +1 cumulative on the night.

In a game where Utah was outshot by nearly 50%, one point was huge, the defensive play – notably the speed of Yamamoto on his backcheck in the first period, and the constant offensive pressure of a speedy pair made a lot more difference than it simply showed on the scoreboard.

3 CHIRPS (THE BAD):

No-fer Tonight offered Utah something they didn’t get a lot of in the Rangers game – power play opportunities. While Utah was hosed, hard, in Madison Square Garden, tonight’s game was fairly well split on special teams opportunities.

The Senators PK unit has been a lot better since Christmas, but for the year the team has posted just a 73% success rate. Ottawa for the year ranks 31 of 32 teams, though their past 6 games have their kill at over 82%. While this is not the worst and most easily beatable penalty kill unit lately, this is a kill that is still giving up 4 goals in 6 games. With 4 chances tonight, Utah got a total of 3 shots for. Not only that, the best scoring chances were all Ottawa.

This is a massive problem for the Mammoth. The power play seems to have some momentum, then falls flat for long, long stretches. Being outshot, and out-chanced when up a man over 4 power plays is inexcusable.

No-Brien We all know how I feel about Liam O’Brien. He’s a great 13th forward to give a guy a game off here and there. He’s not an everyday player, and he shouldn’t be. Tonight is 100% proof that the reasons they keep him in are false and the coaching is a problem.

O’Brien’s stated strengths are his physicality, yet in a chippy game, Utah posted 20 hits to the Senators 26. Brandon Tanev accounted for 7 hits – a few of them pretty big too. These are similar numbers to what O’Brien posted his last game. Tanev, however, also has speed and while not much of it anymore, still has a scoring touch. His play during the third period goal that Daniil But scored showed flashes of what Turbo still has. Yamamoto, as mentioned, also had a hit and brought offensive ability to the team.

Overall, individually, both players offer different strengths than O’Brien – and both strength sets seem to be more beneficial as a whole to the team. What Andre Tourigny is thinking about why Spicy Tuna is a net positive above those other two is anyone’s guess.

Face it The Mammoth had a bad night at the dots tonight, going just 41% for. This is a huge reason that they were outshot 33-21. Losing the puck in the offensive zone on a power play kills at least 15 seconds of man advantage. Losing the draw in the defensive zone puts your team at immediate scoring risk. Neutral zone draws are less important as there’s no decisive advantage or disadvantage over immediate puck control, but having the puck is far better than not.

Overall, Barrett Hayton had a great night at the dots and that was it, aside from Daniil But winning his first and only faceoff draw. Winning 60% of the draws he took, Hayton was a net positive for the team. Nick Schmaltz was bad at 40% and Alex Kerfoot and Jack McBain were at or under 25%. Giving puck possession away 3/4ths of the time you’re out there isn’t just bad, it’s abysmal. Sure, it’s one game. McBain was 57% against the Rangers, Schmaltz 52. However, in a close game with a team that’s got good scoring potential, puck possession is critical, and this was a critical failure.