^{I am out in Las Vegas to watch Game 1 against the Mammoth. Pray for me.}

Editors note: I will be gone for the first game and won’t have a proper write up and recap until I return.

History was made in multiple games this year for the Utah Mammoth, and game 82 was no different. The first team to go a season without shootouts, the Mammoth cemented themselves with that stat, along with a number of playoff firsts for the nascent club.

Now, the real test begins. The Las Vegas Golden Knights stand between Utah and the next round. On Sunday, these teams will meet up at T-Mobile Arena for the first of a best-of-7 matchup.

Regular season Utah Mammoth have played very well against Las Vegas over the past two years, with a 2-1-0 record this year. That includes a win in an otherwise disastrous November, and a shutout on March 19th in the midst of the playoff race for both teams.

However, regular season stopped mattering at 11PM on April 16th. The Playoffs are a different beast entirely.

On paper, these teams are fairly well matched up; the Mammoth and Knights score roughly the same rate, give up goals roughly the same rate, and have roughly the same level of depth and top level scoring.

The main differences in this series are in three specific areas:

Special teams
While Utah’s power play picked up late in the year, the penalty kill that was rock-solid in November has fallen off to mediocre. Vegas, meanwhile, has a stout power play and penalty kill. Vegas has a clear advantage here, one Utah will need to handle carefully.

Goaltending
Karel Vejmelka’s stats weren’t worthy of a Vezina, even as he led the league in wins. That was a consequence of having an untrustworthy backup. However, Vejmelka has proven himself a solid starter, someone who has warts and shows them at times, but is also able to stand up and steal games.

Vegas’ goaltending situation has been far worse, though the coaching change has coincided with a massive boost in net. Carter Hart ended up winning each of his 6 starts, giving up just 10 goals in that span. If Hart regresses back to his average stats, Utah has the advantage, though Hart can make or break the series for Utah.

Experience
What can be said here? The Mammoth experience in the playoffs is dwarfed by the assistant coaching staff of Vegas alone. With the recent hiring of Tortorella, the Knights added a Stanley Cup winning coach with a winning pedigree and strong playoff resume. Speaking of coach, this will be Andre Tourigny’s first foray into the playoffs… at least a playoff where anyone with flesh and blood can sit in the stands.

Keller, JJ Peterka, and Vejmelka all got some experience recently in the Olympics, though the only one with a medal – Keller – didn’t get to spend much time on the ice; a winner take all game isn’t quite the same as a 7 game slugfest, though.

The Knights have the experience, the coaching, and a slight edge on goaltending. Utah as an edge in goaltending and defense.

It’s gonna be a grind, ya’ll. Strap in!

I’ll see you all back in Utah in time for Game 3!

TUSKS UP!