^{No brotherly love as Clayton Keller sets a Utah record, then wins it in overtime}

I’m gonna spoil it, Clayton Keller made Utah history tonight. After 131 games – over a season and a half of play – Utah had never gotten a goal with their goalie pulled in a 6 on 5 situation. In every situation previously, whether it be a delayed penalty or desperate for an equalizer, the Mammoth were unable to get the critical goal that would tie a game.

Until tonight, and then… well, that’s a story for later on in the article.

FIRST PERIOD:
The first period is one we want to forget. Thankfully, Calgary had already done this already, but the Flyers really tried to break the record for fastest goal against the Mammoth. They were close, though, as they won the face-off and kept the puck in the Utah zone for 30 seconds. After an close in shot by Travis Konecny was turned aside, the Flyers kept the puck cycling in the zone. Eventually, Travis Sanheim found Christian Dvorak in the slot. Dvorak took a low shot on Karel Vejmelka, who kicked out the puck as he should. However, all 5 Mammoth were on the right side of the ice. This allowed Cam York to collect the rebound, unchallenged, and shoot clear into the open side of the net. Don’t worry – if York was covered, a second Flyer was right behind him, also unmarked. 1-0 Philadelphia

In-thread rant: This was awful communication and defensive play by the first line. Nick Schmaltz had his player marked properly. Mikhail Sergachev had his tied up at the net. Sean Durzi was collapsing in on Dvorak. Clayton Keller and Lawson Crouse, both, didn’t cover either of the two Flyers that skated to the left side of the ice, completely unimpeded…

Rant over.

Utah won the face-off, then came down for a good immediate chance the other way. A shot from the point saw Samuel Ersson make a big early save for Philadelphia and momentum swung back in favor of the Flyers. A tip shot from about 10 feet out was saved by Vejmelka. Daniil But led a 3 on 2 into the Flyers zone, but couldn’t get a shot off. However, the Flyers threw the puck up and over the glass, giving Utah a very early power play for delay of game.

The Utah power play, anemic but still somehow better than the Flyers, got to work as Nick Seeler sat in the box. After 30 seconds and one shot on goal, however, Barrett Hayton took a hooking penalty in the offensive zone. Negating the power play, the teams would go 4 on 4 for a little over 1 minute and 20 seconds. Philadelphia would then go on the power play regardless of what happened in the interim.

On the 4 on 4, Utah almost made a dangerous turnover when Sean Durzi went to play a puck left behind the blue line. However, John Marino was slow to get off. Durzi, unable to play the puck without being called for a too many men penalty, had to circle. Right before Konecny was able to play it, however, Durzi was able to touch and get Utah out of trouble. On the ensuing rush, Nick DeSimone took a pass from the blue line and skated deep and almost through the crease. Trying to beat Ersson five-hole, he was just a split second late, and the Flyers netminder was able to stop the shot. The Flyers went to full strength for about 35 seconds after 4v4 ended, but the Flyers didn’t get anything through to Vejmelka.

Mikhail Sergachev took the puck as time expired and fired a stretch pass to the recently released Hayton. Hayton drove the net, but a good defensive play by York forced Hayton’s shot high and wide. The rebound bounced around a moment until Noah Juulsen fed Konecny at the neutral zone. Another bad defensive lapse on Utah’s part saw Kevin Stenlund let Dvorak get past him. Marino, covering the wing and his marked player, was far too wide to get in position to cover the breakaway Dvorak had. Dvorak went forehand, backhand, forehand, and then skated around Vejmelka, who extended his pad out to the right, just not far enough. Dvorak slid the puck in as Marino was just about there to make a play. All of a sudden, less than 5 minutes into the game, and Team Tusk was down a pair. 2-0 Philadelphia

Liam O’Brien, in to help counteract the hard hitting, physical Flyers, got into it with Nikita Grebenkin before the face-off and had to be separated. Shortly after, Brandon Tanev brought a big hit, followed up by Jack McBain doing the same, to try and use that energy to turn the tide. While it didn’t give Utah a lot of momentum, it did seem to staunch the bleeding for a moment – until O’Brien cross-checked Travis Sanheim right in front of the net… and the ref. Apparently O’Brien heard that Philadelphia’s power play was terrible, and he was doing the brotherly thing and allowing them to get some practice.

Seconds into the power play, the Flyers almost gave their power play some life. A shot in on Vejmelka was saved, but the puck pinballed free for a moment before Veggie pounced ahead of the Flyers pressure. Vejmelka then got his pad on a tip that was inches from clearing it, keeping Utah in the game. Matvei Michkov turnstyled Kevin Stenlund, then Ian Cole, as he drove to the net, but his shot was turned aside by Vejmelka and the Mammoth were succesful in killing another penalty.

Utah almost went down three, when Sergachev missed his assignment and the Flyers had a 2 on 1. Durzi played Sean Couturier well, and the forced shot was turned aside again by Vejmelka.

Thankfully, or perhaps mercifully, the next 6 minutes for both teams were little more than light pressure and no real shots or scoring attempts. While Utah needed to get on the board, they needed to prevent falling behind even more.

A little more than 5 minutes to go and Utah got some zone pressure. A shot by Schmaltz was saved, and 2 other attempts were blocked. After that, however, Philadelphia would again go on the attack and put Utah in a bad position. A blocked shot sat in the slot and Denver Barkey took a chip at Vejmelka. The big Czech, however, was able to get in front of it as well as just enough of Jamie Drysdale’s slap shot. Drysdale’s slapper got past Vejmelka, but Veggie got just enough of it that it was deflected into the cross-bar, and rung away harmlessly.

With 2 minutes to go, Utah gave up another odd-man rush chance. Michkov was the recipient of a pass from behind the net, but Vejmelka’s pad denied the shot that followed. No further pressure from either team, but we’d have a little surprise waiting for us to start the 2nd…

Utah outplayed and outshot by Philadelphia 14 – 7. According to the Delta Center board, 29-11 was the shot attempt advantage, yet somehow Utah was only down 2.

SECOND PERIOD:
The second period started out with Nick Schmaltz in the box, because he apparently high-sticked Owen Tippett. So, again with a man down, Utah was tasked to kill another penalty.

The PK started out well enough. Lawson Crouse had a sneaky backhand on Ersson in the first 15 seconds that was saved. However, the pathetically inept Flyers power play found life. After skating the puck in the Mammoth zone for about 20 seconds, Trevor Zegras threw a shot in on Vejmelka. The initial shot was saved, but the rebound went straight to Bobby Brink who was able to get behind McBain. Worst case scenario – down 2, struggling, and start off a period giving up a goal to the league’s worst power play. Game effectively over the way Utah’s been playing, right? 3-0 Philadelphia

Owen Tippett was having a rough few minutes of game time. After his high stick at the 20:00 mark, he got rocked by O’Brien on an almost too high hit. O’Brien got called for a major – for review purposes – but it was determined the hit was legal. Keep your head up, kid.

Following the review, Utah started to find their legs and their game. Playing more desperately, considering the score, the Mammoth tilted the ice in their favor and increased their zone time, shot attempts, and had some decent scoring chances. Additionally, over the next 7 minutes, they would keep the Flyers from a single shot.

The first shift in the zone, Utah had numerous shots thrown at the net, forcing the Flyers to scramble. After a whistle and a zone clear, Clayton Keller looked to break the shutout with a shot that Ersson saved, but could not cover. A follow up attempt went up and pinballed between a few players, but the puck fell harmlessly to the side of the cage. Utah was relentless in the zone, with Ian Cole, Dylan Guenther, and Sergachev keeping pucks from crossing the blue line, continuing play.

If the puck was cleared, zone entries were swift and furious. During a later entry, Guenther had a drop pass for Michael Carcone at about the 15 and a half minute mark. Carcone’s wrister from about 30 feet out cleanly beat Ersson, but like Drysdale and the Flyers in the first period, the shot hit the crossbar and bounced out to relative safety. A fourth line zone entry saw a big blast from Nick DeSimone get saved by Ersson, and the rebound sat tantalizingly close to the open goal. However, O’Brien couldn’t hit a wide open net with a prone goalie, so play continued.

Tanev and Stenlund were instrumental in keeping the puck in the zone while the lines changed. Onto the ice came JJ Peterka and Daniil But. Peterka retrieved a turnover forced by Stenlund, but gave the puck back up – which in turn was turned over to But. Streaking in towards the net like a Russian missile, But tried to put the puck around Ersson. He was unsuccessful, but was just tenacious enough to keep the puck alive with Ersson on his belly. The puck eventually bounced around in front, where 4 Flyers and a JJ Peterka stood. Somehow, Peterka found the puck and banged home Utah’s opening tally. The goal is officially credited as unassisted, but Daniil But got the most assisted unassist ever. 3-1 Philadelphia.

That relentless pressure over the past 5 minutes continued after the puck was dropped, and Utah immediately got themselves back in position to score. How immediate? Dave Joseph, the Public Address Announcer, didn’t even finish the phrase “Utah Goal” in the goal announcement before Utah got another. Lawson Crouse disrupted a Flyers defensive zone clearing attempt, which caused the puck to clear to Clayton Keller. Keller, while being tripped up, got the puck over to Nick Schmaltz who was penetrating deep in the zone. However, Schmaltz saw Crouse open in the slot behind him, and wisely directed the puck backwards. With an open lane and a spot to pick, Crouse flexed his stick to the breaking point, rifling a shot between the pad and glove of Ersson. 36 seconds, and an incomplete goal announcement later, and that 3 goal deficit was just 1. 3-2 Philadelphia.

Philadelphia wisely took a timeout to try and kill the Mammoth momentum, which succeeded a bit since the Mammoth didn’t score in another 36 seconds – allowing Joseph to announce both goals. Team Tusk, however, continued their assault on the reeling Flyers. Carcone missed a shot, but not by much, and an eventual shot from the point by Nate Schmidt was tipped by Marino in front. The puck was saved by Ersson, who was out of position to save a follow up gimme for Marino, but the defenseman’s shot was blocked by his counterpart in orange and sent out of harms way.

Travis Sanheim got a shot off in the 12 and a half mark, first anything offensive from Philadelphia since the opening minute, but the low-danger shot was easily turned away. Meanwhile, the top 3 lines continued to hold zone time and pressure, with zone keeps by Ian Cole, Crouse, Keller, and Peterka keeping Utah incessantly pushing the Flyers back, like stormy waves battering the shore.

Utah’s last push of the flurry was one of their best, with Carcone behind the net throwing out a centering pass as he was crunched into the boards. Unfortunately, no Mammoth was there to receive it, and the puck slid out to the blue line where a shot was blocked and cleared.

The relentlessness of Utah was stymied by a too many men on the ice, called about halfway through the period when Ian Cole jumped on the ice… because reasons? So, the terrible Philadelphia Flyers power play, dead last in the league but already 1 for 3, took the ice.

Naturally, because life goes this way, the worst power play in the league statistically jumped Utah to become not the worst power play in the league when they did the inevitable. Utah had a 2 on 1 shorthanded chance begin to develop, but a pass in Stenlund’s skates caused him to fumble, and the play just couldn’t develop. Then, just about a minute in, following a near-tip goal earlier in the shift, Dvorak was able to skate in on the left wing, where Ian Cole decided to fall back to protect the middle of the ice where there was no Flyer for 20+ feet for… reasons? … and Dvorak threw a shot medium high on Vejmelka. Veggie couldn’t control the rebound, which fell back down to Dvorak who chipped it in past Vejmelka from a tight angle. 4-2 Philadelphia.

Remember that momentum? Neither do the Mammoth, because moments after giving up a power play goal to the worst team in the league on the power play, Utah was called again for a hook – this time with Peterka getting called as he was turned at the blue line by Sanheim. For those of you counting, that’s 5 penalties for Utah, 1 for Philadelphia. That one Mammoth power play? 30 seconds.

Utah couldn’t make things harder for themselves here, as there were at least 3 failed clearing attempts, as well as a potential trip that was uncalled that would have put the teams 4 on 4. After being on the ice just a minute before on a previous penalty, an already tired unit spent nearly a full 2 minutes of no stoppage and constant zone time against a barrage of shots. Most of these attempts wildly missed the mark high and wide, some were blocked or hit their own teammate, but the Mammoth kept almost everything away from Vejmelka. Crouse was out there for the full PK, unable to get to the bench on the one and only Utah clear, so when the penalty expired, he mercifully was able to get to the bench and get an IV infusion and some Gatorade.

The Flyers were allowed to get called on a penalty with about 5 minutes to go, as the refs realized that a 5 powerplay period for one team may be a little too obvious. Peterka drew a hooking call from Seeler. There was a significant time of 6 v 5 on the delayed penalty, but like very single goalie pull situation in Utah’s history, nothing came of it. It never has and likely never will.

The suddenly worst power play in the NHL got their second bite at the apple, and this one lasted more than 30 seconds. However, like more than 80% of the power plays before this one, they were unable to get anything going. The 2 shots on net were swallowed up with no rebound, and establishing zone time was difficult for both units.

With a minute and a half to go, the teams had a big scrum in the Philadelphia end. Crouse was double teamed in front of the Flyers net and somehow the Flyers were upset with him for… reasons?

Carcone got a late chance for the Mammoth, with a shot that went high. Then, with 10 seconds left and nothing to do but run out clock, Ian Cole high sticked Sean Couturier hard in the face. Shockingly not a 4 minute penalty, Utah nonetheless would be down a man for the sixth time. Sixth.

Man, nothing good at the end of periods happens for the Mammoth, does it?

Shots even this period, 10 – 10 but Utah still being outshot 24 -17 after two.

THIRD PERIOD:
OK, down 2 goals, down a man to start the period, and down the momentum that the team generated for 8 minutes in the second period. Things are not looking well for Team Tusk and their home point streak…

For the first time in what feels like forever, the Utah Mammoth penalty kill did their job impeccably. Not allowing a goal to the league’s suddenly best power play unit, the Mammoth were able to wrest some of the momentum away from Philadelphia, who had spent 6 of the previous 11 minutes with a man advantage. What occurred over the next two minutes was simply chaos, but it was punctuated by a highlight reel save by Karel Vejmelka. Robbing the Flyers goal with a windmill grab and the full splits, Philadelphia came in hot at the boards and the teams would get into another scrum.

At the 15 minute mark, the 4th line would nearly cut the lead down to 1 when Tanev picked up a puck loose in the slot. He tried to go backhand on Ersson but was unable to get it by him. The Flyers immediately counterattacked when Couturier hit a streaking Tippett who came in clean on the far boards. Nate Schmidt, at the near boards, flew into action, diving and sliding to prevent Tippett from passing, and Tippett pulled the puck back to keep control, and ripped a shot past Vejmelka. However, that shot hit the post and out, preventing a goal and somehow keeping Utah in the game.

The Tippett shot was the only attempt that Vejmelka would face until late in the period. From the 15 minute mark of the Tippett post to the 9 minute mark, Utah would struggle to get zone momentum and shots.Meanwhile, hard physical play reigned in center ice, with But getting rocked more than once. The Flyers had two big chances when Durzi inadvertently tripped Schmaltz in the defensive zone, leading to a turnover, but Schmaltz and Durzi each had a big block to make up for the gaffe.

At the 8:11 marker, we got the fight that we all knew was coming. Noah Juulsen and McBain squared off, after Juulsen got called for roughing on the Mammoth center. The McBain Pain Train rolled right through Juulsen, though, and the crowd and the Mammoth were hyped up afterwards – and had a power play to But… er boot.

The now league-worst power play was asked to do something monumental for the unit – score and cut the deficit to just one. For a unit this snakebit, with struggling systems, it was seemingly a Herculean task. One Mammoth player in particular, Dylan Guenther, has been clutch for this team in so many situations this year, that it would naturally seem to fall to him. So, after skating in the Flyers zone, and playing catch with Sergachev and Schmaltz, he fired on Ersson. Barrett Hayton, finally doing what I’ve been crying for him to do for 3 dozen games now, was stationed right in front of the net. Getting a fortunate touch on the puck, Hayton’s jersey redirected the puck just enough to fool Ersson, and the puck floated up into the top of the net. A dead in the water power play suddenly saw signs of life, just like the Flyers earlier in the game. 4-3 Philadelphia.

Utah continued to press play as the Flyers tried to repel their attack. Overall, Utah got repelled for several minutes as they struggled to get anything through the Flyers blue line. The Flyers, for their part, kept dumping the puck deep.

With a minute and 50 seconds, Utah pulled Karel Vejmelka for the extra attacker. With a minute and thirty, the Flyers recovered the puck, and Garnet Hathaway had a clear path to the empty net. Passing the blue line, with 10 feet between him and the nearest Mammoth jersey, he went forehand, backhand, forehand and shot for the… no wait. What happened? Nick Schmaltz, flying from behind, impossibly caught up to Hathaway, and lifted his stick as he went to shoot for the easiest gimme of his life. Miraculously, a 5-3 defeat didn’t happen at a minute 25 seconds. Miraculously, a turnover by Guenther deep in the zone wasn’t the empty net goal against either as Keller blocked Seeler.. Miraculously, Konecny’s shot got blocked by McBain.

Enough miracles for this team, they had 40 seconds to pull off the impossible. So, impossibly, after miraculous events continued to unfold, why not one more? Mr. Olympian, Clayton Keller, chipped a loose puck from a board battle towards the Flyers zone. The bouncing puck was a little hard for Sanheim to handle, so Keller tapped the puck up and over the defenseman’s stick. Grabbing the puck from the boards, Keller shielded the puck away from Sanheim, then drove the net. Coming in on Ersson, he switched from forehand to backhand, flipping the puck up and over the netminder’s glove.

Do you believe in miracles? 4-4 Tied

Horn sounded, and Utah somehow, somewhere, stole a point from the jaws of defeat just seconds earlier.

Shots for the period 9-5 in favor of Utah. Utah trailing 29-26 through regulation.

OVERTIME:
Utah just had an emotional rollercoaster where they stole a point in a game they appeared dead just 10 minutes before. So, it was a little disheartening to lose the draw, since controlling the puck is the most important part of overtime. Shockingly, Philadelphia then proceeded to ice the puck, forcing a face-off in their defensive zone.

Utah won the critical draw, keeping a slightly tired Flyers first OT unit on the ice. Keeping the puck cycled through the zone, Schmaltz ended up falling while attempting a shot, forcing the puck wide. However, again Philadelphia iced the puck and their unit remained on the ice.

Utah lost the draw, but Keller jumped behind the Flyers line to force board play deep in the Philadelphia zone. Battling for the puck throughout the offensive zone, the Flyers eventually threw the puck to center, looking to change out their top line that was out there for multiple shifts.

A bad turnover led to a stretch pass for the Flyers, which would have given them a breakaway against Vejmelka, but the puck went too far and the play just never developed. Rimming the puck around the boards, Dylan Guenther stole the puck from Travis Konecny as the puck wouldn’t cooperate for him. Guenther, racing up the near boards, had Keller coming far side. In a rush that was a 2 on 1 to start, the trailing Flyer, Tippett, overskated his position to defend Keller, as Keller cut to the mid slot. With the ideal feed, a picture perfect shot by the captain between pad and glove, gave Utah their first and most important lead of the game. 5-4 Utah.

Miracles.

1 shot in overtime, belonging to Utah. Sometimes, one’s all you need.

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3 GOALS (THE GOOD):

Say Cheese What a night to showcase your skills, captain. Clayton Keller, you just set a franchise record. Then, to top that off, you decided to bury the dagger in the heart of a Philadelphia team that was pretty much guaranteed 2 points. With less than a minute left, the Flyers had a 99% chance of winning the game. Within 2 minutes and 40 seconds, you singlehandedly tied the game, then won it off a beautiful feed. Simply astonishing work.

It’s Always Sunny Here The Delta Center is aiming for the title “Fort Neverlose” in 2026 after this amazing homestand. 13 points of a possible 14, the 7 game point streak at home.

This win shouldn’t have happened, and yet it did. There was no quit in the team today. Despite the Mammoth being down 3 goals to start the second period, despite being whistled for 6 calls, and despite being outshot and outplayed for the first 25 minutes, the Mammoth made the Delta Center explode with cheers at the 62 minute mark.

We’re talking about Clayton Keller and captain level heroics, but let’s take a minute and call out three other major plays. First, the windmill save from Vejmelka about 10 minutes left in the game was a game saver. That goal sinks the Mammoth and the homestand ends with an L. Vejmelka gave up 4 tonight, and wasn’t perfect, but that was huge.

The second major play? Obviously Nick Schmaltz and his Selke level two-way play. I’ve been hard on Schmaltz a lot this year, often talking about flipping him for assets and using those assets to bring in another winger. You know what? Tonight is proof of how wrong I was. Schmaltz wants to win a Selke the way he’s been playing both ways since taking over for Cooley. I’ve been angry and frustrated with his scoring drought which was an 8 game problem. But, I’ve been liking his defensive play more and more as time has gone on. Tonight’s stick check on Garnet Hathaway is this Utah Mammoth fanbases’ Patrick Stefan moment.

Lastly, let’s call out Jack McBain for answering the bell with that fight late in the third period. That power play drawn changed the demeanor of the game. Utah, down 2 and hope and energy waning, got a spark from the fight, a spark from the crowd, and a spark from the power play. McBain didn’t score today, but he didn’t need to. His contribution was off the score sheet. People like me who analyze numbers and stats and dates won’t look at this as anything important other than PIMs in stats. But if you were watching, if you were there… you know. You just know. And sometimes, numbers just don’t show you what you need to know.

History This goal is for everyone that got to watch, listen, or attend. The game tonight was historic as one of the last “firsts” for Mammoth nation. 130 games without an extra attacker goal. 130 games of jokes and memes and frustration. Dozens of games where an extra attacker goal would ensure at least a single point. Not once were the fans rewarded for faith in the team.

We were today. We all got to witness a historic milestone for the Mammoth. Then, to top it off, we got to watch the milestone marker get just a little brighter as Keller not only set a record there, but also got the win for the Mammoth 2 minutes later.

2 massive points for the Mammoth, but I guarantee you there were lifelong fans made in the Delta Center tonight. And when a casual fan becomes a hardcore fan, everyone wins.

3 CHIRPS (THE BAD):

We’re talking PRACTICE? Before AI was a buzzword, AI was a meme. “Not the game, we’re talking about practice, man”. You know what? Maybe AI was right, but probably not.

You know what a good idea for practice is? Special teams. A special teams PK that fell apart against the absolute worst power play in the league. A special teams that only saw a goal because Dylan Guenther manifested it with his will into existence. A special teams that doesn’t change their layout or style, and refused to make any changes until they added Hayton to it – and now that his jersey touched the puck, he will stay there.

The team needs to PRACTICE a lot more of that special teams juju that they had in November for the penalty kill. The team needs to PRACTICE a few different squads on the power play. The coaches need to PRACTICE updating their resumes if they can’t figure that out. Pronto.

The Philadelphia Experiment The Mammoth disappeared for long stretches of time through the first period of this game, and just like the namesakes, they just happened to reappear randomly throughout time later in the game. Luckily, this happy ending happened because of a different kind of captain – one that refused to let his ship go down without a fight.

There were several disappearing players tonight, all of whom were responsible for a goal against. Don’t get me started on the fish guy. He’s getting a section all of his own, don’t you worry:

Keller and Crouse? That defense on the first 30 second shift of the game where 2 guys on the flank were uncovered? YIKES. Not good. (You guys more than redeemed yourselves though… you’re the least of the worries here).

Schmidt, Marino, and Stenlund? No communication, Stenlund simply let Dvorak get a clean breakaway for the second goal of the game. Marino didn’t expect to peel off of his coverage, which was the correct coverage play, because Stenlund either didn’t want to, or wasn’t capable of stepping up. In addition, Schmidt and Marino were a step off everything tonight and were just not in-sync. Their normally great passing just didn’t connect either. Not their finest game.

Bad penalties by Peterka, Schmaltz, and Hayton didn’t help.

But the most egregious of them all tonight, other than fish boy, is Ian Cole. Terrible decision making and timing for that too many men penalty. Goal against. Then you take a high sticking penalty with less than 10 seconds to go in a non-pressure situation?

Not only did Cole screw up for 4 minutes of penalty time, Cole was also directly responsible for that last Flyers power play goal. He was in line to pressure Dvorak, who was coming up the wing. Instead, he dropped back to defend against a Flyers player 40 feet behind him… who already was covered by Schmaltz.

I’m convinced that Vejmelka was shocked that Cole basically got out of the way and let Dvorak come in unimpeded. He was so shocked he didn’t even grab the puck properly.

Cole’s had a really good year so far, so one game isn’t the worst thing – but tonight was shades of 2024 Ian Cole and that’s something we can’t see again.

We Must Break You The Liam O’Brien era needs to end, and it needs to end months ago.

I made the mistake of trying to be positive for a guy I don’t think deserves a spot on the team. I thought that maybe I was being a little too harsh, that a game like what I expected – and got – would be the kind of game he’d get the fight going and would cause chaos everywhere. Tanev hit as much as O’Brien did. Tanev has some offensive skills and speed. Tanev’s fought to defend a teammate. O’Brien’s claim to fame is he cut his hair recently.

He was on the ice for 6 minutes. With that time he:

– took an insanely stupid cross-checking penalty right after the Mammoth went down 2 goals early killing any counter-attack or momentum the Mammoth were building.
– hit Owen Tippett high. Right after a third goal against, after the 3rd penalty kill. Not dirty, but not a smart hit to make to potentially put your team on the PK a second time in 2 minutes of play.
– failed to chip in a puck right at an open goal mouth when the Mammoth were down 3, preventing Utah from jump-starting momentum at a critical moment.
– left the fighting to Jack McBain instead of getting into a tilly himself.

In 6 minutes if I can point out three plays or areas that you’ve either screwed up or failed remarkably, you shouldn’t see the ice again.

As an enforcer that won’t enforce, we should find where Ivan Drago is, and send Spicy Tuna there to train. No return ticket required.

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Next up:

Utah isn’t playing at the Delta Center? What am I going to do with my life? Oh, watch them on Saturday at 1:30 local, as they take on the Nashville Predators in Nashville. Utah 16 and SEG+ for your viewing pleasure.