Delta Center, Game Recap, utah-mammoth, Vancouver Canucks

Groundhog’s Day

Your Favorite Hockey Guy in Utah

February 3, 2026

It’s not deja vu, it actually is Nick Schmaltz’ second hat trick this year at the Delta Center

The cure to a number of tough losses to playoff caliber teams walked into the Delta Center tonight, and Utah took full advantage. Vancouver, last in the league by a large margin, was destined to either be a trap game or a whipping boy, and Nick Schmaltz made sure it wasn’t going to be a trap game.

FIRST PERIOD:
The Mammoth really liked how they played against Dallas last game, so tonight they decided to replicate their start. Instead of a delay of game penalty 48 seconds into game, this time Jack McBain decided to not count to 5. The Canucks start the game with a power play, which has been Utah’s kryptonite. However, good counterpunches helped keep Vancouver on their heels, with Nick Schmaltz pushing play to the Canucks zone and threating a second time as well. After an early shot against, Utah successfully killed the penalty.

They didn’t just successfully kill the penalty, though. The Mammoth took momentum from the penalty kill because, as time expired, Schmaltz took the puck up the wing. McBain, fresh out of the box, took a centering position, and John Marino took far side trailer. Crossing the blue line, Schmaltz fed Marino across the ice. Kevin Lankinen slid in position to stop the Marino shot, but Marino went back to Schmaltz. Meanwhile, McBain threw a pick against Evander Kane, taking him out of the play and keeping him from blocking the pass. With a wide open net in front of him, Schmaltz joined Dylan Guenther in the 20 goal club. And just like that a penalty kill that works turned into an even strength rush that delivered. 1-0 Utah

The Canucks, however, pushed back after the goal, getting some positive zone time for themselves. Liam Ohgren and Filip Hronek had a couple of looks, but Karel Vejmelka was able to maintain Utah’s lead. A minute later, after a lost face-off, Vejmelka was also able to stop a blue-line blast from Filip Chytil.

The Canucks would get the equalizer with just under 13 minutes to play. A blind pass from behind the net by Michael Carcone was picked off by Teddy Blueger in his zone. A stretch pass to Conor Garland beat the outstretched stick of Dylan Guenther. Guenther, flat footed after the miss, couldn’t catch up to Ohgren streaking by him. With Nick DeSimone back on a 2 on 1, he didn’t make a play on the shooter, or against the pass, and Vejmelka was caught in the crossfire. Ohgren went far side, above pad but below blocker, knotting the game up at 1 early on. 1-1 Tied

Utah’s first line would have a great shift. Winning the face-off and putting immense pressure from the forecheck on Vancouver, Schmaltz and Clayton Keller were able to cycle the puck for a moment, until Schmaltz saw Keller far side for a blast that was one of the few shots actually saved by Lankinen. On the ensuing face-off, the Mammoth would get their lead back as Schmaltz won the draw back to Sean Durzi. Durzi, skating in towards the dots, spotted Schmaltz get to the slot, and fed him the puck for a wrister that was heading wide. However, P.O Joseph was engaged with Lawson Crouse at the side of the net, and the shot ended up deflecting off the back of his leg, beating Lankinen off the suddenly odd-angle redirection. Hatty watch – again – for #8. 2-1 Utah

The goals came just 33 seconds apart, which was misleading because of a TV timeout, and a lengthy face-off situation. Good on the Mammoth for the strong response.

Neither team gained a lot of momentum after the goal, as both teams exchanged some zone time without shots to their credit. Just under 11 minutes to play, though, Vejmelka was forced to make an extremely difficult stop as Evander Kane deflected a Tyler Myers shot in from the slot. That was the last shot of the period for Vancouver, though they sent something on net with 10 seconds left that wasn’t impactful.

Meanwhile, the Mammoth would get some more quality chances. At the 10 minute mark, Keller again was the recipient of a cross-ice pass that he one-timed at the net. However, Lankinen, seemingly playing only to stop Keller and no one else, was able to get over to get a glove on the shot.

Right after the Keller stop, Utah would be given a power play as David Kampf tripped Barrett Hayton. However, Utah was able to practice come 6 on 5 play, with about 40 seconds between the call and getting the whistle. As with all but one time with an extra attacker, nothing came of it. The power play, though, would make an appearance against a team barely breaking 50% on their penalty kills in 2026 away from home.

Utah would see a few chances on their power play, with Guenther getting off a one-timer that was saved, and then missing the net high with Lankinen going down to the ice. However, an offside call when Sergachev was a moment too late, and then a self-clear when Keller tried to feed the point man who was neither pointing or manning. The second unit would have no luck either, and the worst team in the league successfully improved the kill percentage of worst penalty kill in the league.

The Mammoth had a little push with about 6 minutes to go, but Lankinen’s stick disrupted a play and a few shots wide weren’t able to be redirected properly. Hayton tried to deflect a pass by Peterka from the corner, but it was bounced off his stick blade in the air twice, and wide.

After the Hayton miss, a last shot by Keller for the Mammoth was anything dangerous, and the teams would end up going to the locker rooms, with Utah still up by one.

Utah outshot an opponent? Mammoth with a 9-6 edge in shots after one.

SECOND PERIOD:
The second period started out quite slow. The first five minutes saw just a lot of missed opportunities on both sides, with zone entries not leading to anything. Ian Cole got caught out for about 2 minutes while Utah got hemmed in their zone, but no shot chances were really given up that whole time.

Right about the 15 minute mark, the Canucks had a golden opportunity off a stolen pass. Elias Pettersson had a shot from the slot that Vejmelka was able to stop, but Mikhail Sergachev somehow got a holding penalty on the play.

Utah’s penalty kill was tasked with their second calling of the night, and they kept everything out on the perimeter. The only chance that Vancouver had was when Schmaltz tried to get some offensive pressure in a shorthanded rush. Evander Kane got the puck fed to him from a Mammoth turnover, and a 2 on 1 rush saw Kane take the shot, beating Vejmelka high, but hitting the crossbar and deflecting clear.

Kane would then gamble and lose – a familiar situation for him – with about 11 and a half minutes to go. Trying to stop Sergachev from penetrating the zone, he got his stick right in between the legs, causing Sergachev to trip so hard the stick was ripped out of Kane’s hands. Utah up a man for two minutes.

Or, they would be if this was any better penalty kill. 15 seconds in, Guenther and Schmaltz were playing catch at the near board, until a pass back to the blue line saw Sergachev rifle a slapshot right on net. A seeing eye missile cleanly beat Lankinen, giving Utah a power play goal. The referees may have had to review if it was legal to actually award a power play goal to this Mammoth team, but Vancouver didn’t challenge in time. 3-1 Utah

Post goal, Utah had better pressure than Vancouver, but nothing really developed over several minutes by either team. Eventually, the first line went to work with 8 minutes to go. A beautiful zone entry by Schmaltz led to a feed to Keller. Dragging the puck to the slot, Keller shot a backhanded attempt on Lankinen, who once again turned him aside. With the puck kept in from a newly on the ice Sergachev, a pass from Schmaltz to Marino in the corner opened up Keller on the near side. Marino hit tape to tape, and Keller threw the puck quickly at the net. It wasn’t a shot, however, but a bullseye pass to the waiting stick of Lawson Crouse. Crouse, parked in front of the net but behind Lankinen, didn’t even need to move, and the redirected pass hit nothing but net. 4-1 Utah

Unlike the past three goals, Vancouver actually had a little pop to counter. A wraparound by Myers was stopped by Vejmelka sealing the post, and Hronek was denied as well with less than 5 minutes to go. In between, however, Schmaltz nearly got his second assist as he drove past the net, feeding Crouse in the slot – but the defense had his stick tied up for the easy tap in.

With 4 minutes to go, sudden point maching Kailer Yamamoto continued his point streak. Collecting a rebound from a blocked shot, his initial play was to try and lift the puck up and over Lankinen. When that was saved, he was able to skate around the net and feed JJ Peterka, who was positioned at the face-off dot. As Lankinen was down trying to recover from the save on Yamamoto, he was unable to get back to cover the open cage that Peterka was staring at. With German precision on his shot, Peterka added to the Mammoth lead. 5-1 Utah

Durzi hit a post with a shot, then a follow up shot by Durzi hit Carcone painfully – as he was on the bench for some time. After the next face-off, Liam O’Brien tried to agitate in the Vancouver zone, but neither a fight or penalty occurred.

With under 2 minutes to play, Sergachev broke up a 2 on 1, but the puck deflected right to Drew O’Connor in the slot. Vejmelka made a reaction save, and somehow kept the puck out of the net, preserving Utah’s lead momentarily. Teddy Blueger would score for Vancouver, though, when Conor Garland took the puck behind Utah’s net and to the far boards. Blueger got inside positioning against McBain, and the shot from the mid-slot, the best possible spot to shoot from, beat Vejmelka short side. 5-2 Utah

Teams would go to the break content with that period. Shots close to even in the period, 8-7 for Vancouver. Utah leads 16-14 in shots after two.

THIRD PERIOD:
The Canucks had a bit of a flurry of a start the period, with about three or four shots over the first 2 minutes, but Vejmelka and the Mammoth defense were up to the task of holding them at bay. The teams reverted back to a little more passive play for a bit, barring some big hits by Kane against Utah, but about the 15 minute mark, Vancouver pushed hard for the second time. What looked like 8 shot attempts in the span of about 90 seconds, made time crawl a bit, but despite the volume of attempts, nothing was high danger or particularly tricky for the Mammoth to handle. The danger was being hemmed in and the potential to get too tired, but Utah prevailed as the Canucks self-cleared to help Utah out.

6 minutes in, Carcone threw the first Mammoth shot of the period up high on Lankinen, and on the counter Vancouver nearly got one back. A missed coverage by the fourth line saw Blueger alone in the slot for a rebound chance, but O’Brien had just enough gas to get there to disrupt the shot enough to make it easier for Vejmelka to save. That was Vancouver’s last, best chance for the rest of the game.

Hayton would take a cross-checking penalty, a retaliation for being tripped before the face-off even happened. Somehow, Kane, who clearly tripped Hayton so blatantly that the face-off drop was delayed, didn’t sit down at all. Because… reasons?

Since I spoiled that Vancouver is trash, for the Mammoth, McBain had a steal in the corner and almost fed Schmaltz in the slot on the PK. However, it wasn’t meant to be and the play got broken up, foiling Schmaltz’ attempt for the hat trick.

Yamamoto and Peterka had a chance to connect with about 8 minutes to go, but the pass to the streaking German just missed. Fortune smiled for Utah, however, as the first line was able to get Schmaltz his hat trick. Poking the puck up from a board battle, Crouse got a secondary assist, as Keller grabbed the puck and dashed forward. With Schmaltz on his wing in a 2 on 1, Keller knew he was passing all the way. Vancouver knew he was passing all the way. Lankinen knew he was passing all the way. It didn’t matter, and I was out $35 for another hat. 6-2 Utah

Scoring wise, Peterka had a late opportunity to get the extra point for the touchdown, but missed. Chippiness between O’Brien and Kane boiled over into an almost fight, which the refs decided they didn’t want to clean up after. For some reason, Utah got penalized for that, too. Evander Kane drew multiple penalties tonight for Vancouver. If he was on a decent team that may have mattered, but he – like Vancouver – is pretty washed, so it didn’t matter. Shame, though, he definitely deserves a steaming helping of a few of his own teeth.

Utah again outshot this period 9 – 4. For the game, Utah outshot 23 – 20.

3 GOALS (THE GOOD):

It’s a Schmaltz World, After All There isn’t more to say here aside from – Nick Schmaltz could have had a short handed goal as well tonight, and should have been the one to fight Evander Kane to get himself the Gordie Howe hat trick.

This is the second time Schmaltz has cost me upwards of $30 for a hat, which is a good (or bad) problem to have.

With 22 goals on the season, Schmaltz is one off his career best (23 goals in 2021), and has tied his goal outputs in 2022 and 2023. He still has at least a quarter season to go.

Oh, and defensively? Schmaltz is +20 this year so far. His previous positive rating was +4 in an injury shortened season in Arizona, and he was +10 on a stacked Blackhawks team in his rookie season.

It’s clear that Schmaltz’ game has been elevated. Is it time to consider his extension and re-signing? He’s making the case stronger and stronger to do so.

Frank Sinatra As an Italian-American, I’m keenly aware of those that may have ties to the shadier elements of society. A healthy John Marino may not be a crime boss, but he’s certainly running things – as Frankie put it – “My Way”.

Breaking his career high in points, defensively one of the best in the league, with some of the best +/- stats int he league this year, he’s been one of the most consistent and dependable players on the Mammoth. He’s not the flashiest goal scorer, but he’s smart, he’s almost always well positioned, and he’s deserving of these accolades.

Marino is 2 goals off his career record of 6 with Pittsburgh his rookie season. He’s surpassed the 26 points in that campaign, with 28 this year. And, his +37 rating is 16 points better than his career best year in 2022 with the Devils. He’s got 2 game winning goals this year, and is at a near career best 9% shooting percentage.

With about a third of the season left to play, it’s a safe bet to say this is a breakout, career year for my fellow paisano. Not bad for a guy that cost two 2nd round picks to acquire.

Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop The past few games of JJ Peterka and Kailer Yamamoto playing together has been beyond electric. The duo has a natural chemistry that the team hasn’t seen between youngsters since early in the year. Once the Guenther, Cooley, Peterka line was broken up, Peterka has seen success, but not at the rate that he had during that stretch.

Their pairing has lasted for just three games, but the stats don’t lie. Yamamoto has 4 goals, 6 points, and is +5, and Peterka has 2 goals, 4 points, +4 in that timeframe. The pair accounted for 83% of Utah’s scoring in the first two games they were together, and until the Nick Schmaltz show tonight, were the two most dangerous Mammoth on the ice at any one time.

With Logan Cooley set to return soon, a line of Cooley, Peterka, and Yamamoto would be exciting beyond belief, and I’m not gonna feel sad about the opposition that needs to face that.

3 CHIRPS (THE BAD):

Gun’s Jammed This chirp is not about Dylan Guenther, the player, but Dylan Guenther’s injury. It’s clear that he’s not playing at 100%, making slower adjustments and reads. His missed deflection on the first goal, and inability to get back up to speed for a defensive chance was noticeable. His attempted roof-shot against a prone Lankinen was not something normal Guenther misses.

Once Cooley gets back, the best move for Utah would be to bring Guenther back in line with Keller and Schmaltz. Having Schmaltz center a line with a playmaker like Keller, and Guenther’s lethal shot should be able to be showcased far better than he is on the third line.

Of course, healing what’s bothering him will be a massive help too…

The Olympics break will do Gunner some good, hopefully he’ll be able to see a lot of the hot tub and massage tables for a few weeks.

But did you die? An awful, terrible defensive team with porous goaltending was a great remedy for Utah’s struggles. Schmaltz had a hat trick, Yamamoto and Peterka continue to develop great chemistry, the power play was able to get a foothold, and Daniil But, who’s been struggling, could have had one last big hurrah push against Vancouver.

Instead, he was relegated to the box. It’s not without reasons, of course, as not being able to score, and failing to offer a lot of offensive contributions will normally get you seated. Vancouver, however, would have been the last, best chance to get the kid going – and he sat for offensive powerhouse and spark plug for the team… Liam O’Brien?

Make it make sense.

Kenny Rogers. I’m not as big a gambling fan as some out there, but I know how to count a card or two at blackjack. I also know trends and what a good bet and bad bet can generally be. And you know what a good bet is?

The only meaningful skating Evander Kane will do the rest of his life is away from responsibilities and gambling debts.

Let’s face it, dude is washed up, so all he has is being someone that should be out of the league. However, he’s got some debts to pay – potentially relating to the mob ties that John Marino definitely doesn’t have. Dude’s had problems in most locker rooms he’s been in, and is likely one of the biggest cancers in the Vancouver locker room that has imploded lately. You hate to see it.