Two games into the season this team looks like a wagon, huh?

The Columbus Blue Jackets hosted the Utah Mammoth and their 1 game undefeated streak, just two days after each team posted 6 goals in impressive wins to start the season. Columbus took down last year’s division champion Sabres on the road, winning 6-3, while the Mammoth shutout the Blackhawks 6-0 in Utah. This is the first game in Columbus for both teams, as the Blue Jackets aim to reverse the series trend of the home team losing in overtime. Both teams are 2-0 on the road, and 0-0-2 at home.

The Mammoth have a quick turnaround with a back-to-back against the New York Rangers tomorrow. Sebastian Cossa got the nod tonight for Team Tusk, his first NHL start and second regular season NHL appearance.

FIRST PERIOD:
The first minute of the period was a feeling out process, with a single shot by Nick Schmaltz to test Jet Greaves early. Dmitri Simashev got rocked on a zone entry early, demonstrating the difference in style between Chicago and Columbus – this was not going to be the same physically overmatched team the Mammoth played on Thursday.

Cossa was tested under 2 minutes in when Dmitri Voronkov feathered a pass to an open Valeri Nichushkin in the far slot, but Cossa was able to swallow up the shot with ease. A minute later, Michael Carcone drew a penalty after a gorgeous play on a deep dump-pass from the defensive end by Mikhail Sergachev. The power play, highly effective against Chicago, went to work moving the puck well, but a block and shot over the net turned the other way, as Utah struggled to re-establish time in the zone before the PP2 unit had a chance, but a fanned shot by Carcone was the only real threat during the power play.

Play was grindy, but not slow, for the next several minutes. No clear chances of note for either team, with a Charlie Coyle shot going up and over Cossa and a rush chance by Lawson Crouse turned aside by Greaves.

Columbus got called for a slash at the 10 and a half mark, but the call was reversed because the slasher’s stick instead of the slashee’s. Weird but it is what it is. Columbus’ second penalty actually stuck a minute later, with Jack McBain drawing a tripping call from Voronkov. A great bounce off the wall left Clayton Keller with the puck in the slot, but a feed to Logan Cooley didn’t connect and was cleared. However, on the following zone entry, passing was crisp and Dylan Guenther had a great shot from his set power play position, but it was stopped by Greaves. The following zone entry also saw the Mammoth with crisp passes, but this time they hit paydirt. Sergachev, taking the one-timer pass from Guenther, wired a shot from back at the blue line, beating Greaves low on the glove side. It’s the kind of shot that Sergy didn’t take much of in 2025-26, so seeing him take that shot – and succeeding – was fantastic to see. Even better, that’s another Utah power play goal , their 3rd in the past two games, with more than 8 minutes to play in the period. 1-0 Utah

Utah kept up their attack after the goal, keeping Columbus from gaining any momentum and zone time. About 2 minutes in, Carcone had a shot from the high slot that went wide, but play remained tilted in Utah’s favor. Columbus was unable to get any zone pressure or shots, and Utah kept play flowing the other way. At the 4 minute mark, Utah gained the zone and sustained pressure. Crisp, clean passing plays left pockets of open space for the Mammoth to operate, and eventually Nate Schmidt drove play towards the net, opening a lane for John Marino. Marino found Keller open in the high slot, and the captain tagged Nick Schmaltz at the near goal line as the best scoring option. Schmaltz wired a shot between Greaves and the near post, sneaking in the extremely sharp angle and doubling Utah’s lead with just 3 and a half minutes to play. Oh, and that assist gave Keller his 600th career point. Nothing special. 2-0 Utah

Play remained tilted in Utah’s favor, despite a slight push off the draw from Columbus. Carcone beat out an icing with 2 minutes to play and was nearly rewarded when a Kevin Stenlund pass found him open on the far side, but his shot was stopped by Greaves in close. The period ended with Keller pickpocketing Zach Werenski with 2 seconds left, but a deflected shot was the last event of the period as the horn sounded.

Utah outshot the Jackets 13 – 4, continuing the trend of shot suppression started last game.

SECOND PERIOD:
A minute passed before play became interesting. Vincent Trocheck played a puck behind the net, which was picked up by Keller. Keller made a move to the front of the net, but before he could make a “hockey play” he was down butt-first on the ice, sliding in front of Greaves. Immediately, the Blue Jackets countered, as Matthew Knies played the puck up past Trocheck and off the boards to a streaking Kent Johnson. Johnson got behind Mackenzie Weegar and Sergachev, and had a clear breakaway on Cossa. Johnson’s shot was able to beat the giant netminder along the ice, 5-hole, breaking the 81:30 shutout streak the Mammoth had to start the year. The dream of a 0 goals against season ends in Ohio. 2-1 UTAH

The Mammoth countered a Columbus after-goal push well enough, with great shot suppression over the next 3 minutes keeping any dangerous chances making it to Cossa. The Blue Jackets had more of a sustained pace than Utah, though, with the Mammoth a little on their heels. A little welcoming party formed up in front of Cossa with about 13 minutes to go, but nothing escalated beyond a few pushes. This may have helped wake up Team Tusk, as they had just one shot from the goal until this stoppage. Shortly after, after the goal until just about the 12 minute mark, when the Cooley – Guether – Anders Lee line was absolutely robbed. Cooley, rushing 3 on 1, was challenged and left a drop pass for Guenther, but Guenther was challenged by the rushing defense. He spin-passed to Lee on the near side faceoff circle; Lee immediately touch passed right back to Guenther, nullifying the diving defender that had caught Guenther to begin with. Denton Mateychuk, the defender that initially took Cooley out of the play, somehow got back into the play, in front of Guenther, and blocked what was going to be a clear goal. I don’t know if Guenther even realized he was coming, because that shot was golden if Mateychuk didn’t recover from covering Cooley absurdly quickly. Needless to say, that block ended up keeping the game within 1.

Sean Monahan had a near breakaway 30 seconds later, but Simashev was able to get enough position to force him outside, giving Cossa the space needed to stop Monahan’s attempt.

About the 10 and a half mark, a turnover ended up on Schmaltz’ stick on the far side faceoff circle, but he elected to pass to Keller, and the captain was unable to get a shot off and capitalize on the gift. Play was mostly held in the Columbus half of the ice, but nothing of significance developed over the next several minutes as opportunities fizzled for one reason or another for both teams.

The Blue Jackets took advantage of a center ice puck battle, as Keller and Trocheck were unable to win the battle with Simashev down on the ice. This led to a brief 4 on 2, with Cole Sillinger unable to beat Cossa up over his shoulder, and the follow up wraparound attempt by Sillinger was also turned away.

The remaining 6 minutes of the period were slow. A series of stoppages (offside and icings) slowed play for a bit, but neither team was able to get any sustained pressure otherwise. Neither team had any real scoring chances, with the only notable shot by Cooley with about a minute to go.

For the first time this year, Utah didn’t win a period on the shot clock, tying Columbus with 7 shots apiece. Total shots so far: Utah 20, Columbus 11 after two.

THIRD PERIOD:
The Mammoth pushed play for much of the first minute of the third period, until Sergachev had a pass deflected at the blue line by Knies. Knies nearly had a breakaway on Cossa, though Sergachev took a holding penalty on Knies’ attempt. Columbus was on the power play for the first time, and their power play was very good against Buffalo. Utah would face a strong threat over the next few minutes.

Cossa played well this penalty kill, as he was tested in the first dozen seconds by a Johnson shot, then again with a Fantilli shot which was a golden opportunity but misplayed, and then late with a Voronkov chance. In between all those, however, Schmaltz had a breakaway shorthanded, after he poked the puck from Johnson at the blue line. Sadly, Greaves was able to stop Schmaltz’ attempt, but despite the best efforts of Columbus, the score remained in Utah’s favor.

Play got very physical with about 16 minutes left, with Simashev, McBain and others throwing big hits in the Utah zone. Cossa was forced to make a good stop about a minute later, before play opened up a little for Utah. With a little bit of zone pressure, the Mammoth were able to draw another power play; Keller took a hard high-stick to the face, dropping him to the ice for several seconds. PP1 would begin without him.

It didn’t take long for the Mammoth to strike. Immediately after the faceoff win, Guenther ripped a shot that was saved by Greaves, popped in the air, and was swatted at by Schmaltz. While this too was saved, the puck was kept in the zone by Sergachev. His pass over to Cooley was immediately sent cross-ice back to Guenther, who buried his shot right off Greaves, as the netminder was just a tad slow in coming back cross-crease. 14 seconds into the power play, they were back to full strength, notching their 4th power play goal in 6 attempts in the process. 3-1 UTAH

Utah gave Columbus no breathing room after the goal, going immediately back on the attack and forcing play in the offensive zone for the next 90 seconds. The Blue Jackets did force a chance of their own about the 12 minute mark, with a Mathieu Olivier blocked shot turning into a Charlie Coyle right in the crease. Though Cossa was able to stop this attempt, Marino took a holding penalty on Coyle, giving Columbus a golden chance to get this game back to one.

Mateychuk had the one and only chance on the power play, with a shot that missed wide. Utah’s positioning caused several takeaways and Columbus misplays, strangling every developing play before it started.

After the power play, Utah slowed down the pace of play by playing more conservatively. They counterattacked when possible, but focused on their play behind the red line and prevented any Columbus momentum. Then, about the 7 minute mark, Cooley drove play to the Columbus end, where Lee had a fantastic tip opportunity in on Greaves, then drew a slashing penalty as he crashed the net for a sweep attempt. Honestly, good penalty by Columbus, because Lee would have beaten Greaves’ outstretched pad otherwise.

The first 30 seconds of the power play were mundane, as the Mammoth had to handle a cleared puck and then a stoppage. Cooley lost the offensive draw, but Utah pressure forced play around to a board battle on the far side. The Mammoth recovered, then put on one of the best PP unit clinics in our 3 year history. Over the next 20 seconds, every Mammoth player touched the puck at least twice, with a tight-in attempt by Schmaltz saved, a follow up rebound shot by Guenther saved a second later, then a masterclass passing clinic ensued. I can’t write and give it justice, but it went Keller and Sergachev at the blue line, to Guenther at the near side dot. Guenther to Schmaltz to Cooley (under a sliding defenseman) back to Schmaltz who went wide on Greaves for the beauty goal.

I can’t give that play enough credit in words. You need to watch this for yourself.

4-1 Utah

Columbus would put up a little fight, with 4 shots towards the end of the game, but the final 5 minutes were all but over. Cossa cleaned up some low-danger shots, ended the game with 17 saves, and the Mammoth cruised to their second statement win.


Utah outshot Columbus 11 – 7 for the frame, 31-18 for the game. This is the second game that Utah had more than 30 shots and held their opponent to less than 20.

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3 GOALS (THE GOOD):

Big Boom The Blue Jackets were named after a military unit in the Civil War, but 170 years later the Mammoth were the ones with all the firepower. Their power play isn’t just explosive, it’s nuclear. With 5 goals in their first 7 power play attempts, the Mammoth are first in the NHL running a 71.4% power play. To put that in perspective, there are 12 teams who have a penalty kill that has performed worse than the Utah power play.

This is clearly unsustainable, but if you haven’t watched the clip I played, you’re doing yourself a disservice. This team has never played like that on the PP, and I can’t recall a stretch of success on power plays this potent at any point in the past 2 years.

It’s stunning, really, but an amazing thing to behold.

Sniper Squads Don’t look now, but the Mammoth have 2 players in the top 10 of scoring. Currently, 10 players have 3+ goals in the NHL. Dylan Guenther and Nick Schmaltz are 2 of those players. Somewhat unsurprisingly, 3 of those players are on Edmonton who had two track meets with Vancouver (scoring 14 goals, but also giving up 13).

Of the top 10 players, Artturi Lehkonen and Kirill Kaprizov are the only ones to have 3 goals in two games, just like Guenther and Schmaltz. Guenther is also tied for third best with 2.5 points per game – having 3 power play goals and 2 assists. This means that Guenther has been key in all of Utah’s power play success so far this year. Wow.

The Cossa is Clear Facing just 18 shots in your first NHL start could be somewhat of a dream. You aren’t under duress the whole game, but you also have a chance to be lulled into a false sense of security. Cossa didn’t seem phased either way, though. Sure, his shutout streak lasted a whole 21 minutes, but being beaten on a breakaway isn’t something you can blame him on.

Cossa made every save he needed to make. He was in position for every shot, every rebound. His control was great, he didn’t have any panic. There was one shot, though, that really stood out for me. In the second half of the second period, Sillinger had a shot on Cossa up high. To Cossa, he was able to shoulder it away like a normal shot. However, looking at advanced stats, most models had that as a high-danger shot. This is because most goalies are down on the ice (as they should be). Cossa is so big that his frame alone was able to block that shot. A goalie 6’5″ would have struggled to shoulder that away, and anyone under that would be in great danger.

It was a routine save for the big guy, and that right there is going to be something we are going to take for granted. Making high danger chances for average sized goalies just a slightly above average save could make the difference between a 2nd to 3rd place finish in the Central and a President’s Trophy.

3 CHIRPS (THE BAD):

1 Nicholas Cage You remember that cheesy movie with Nick Cage and John Travolta? It was a quintessential Travolta, Cage, and 90’s movie. Everything was over the top exaggerated and the premise was weird, but it was entertaining. I mention this because Faceoff exemplifies the past two games. In one, they were over the top Travolta weird, taking Chicago to the woodshed on the dot. Today, they were Nicholas Cage weird, “losing” more than half of their faceoffs, but not really. Many of the lost faceoffs on paper were ones that they drove play and recovered the puck first. Different look, same result.

So, on paper, faceoffs looked bad for the team. In reality, they played faceoffs in a different way. So where’s the chirp? It’s going to those that will look at the stat and complain that they weren’t good at the dot. They sure didn’t win the statistical look of a faceoff, but the eye-test and possession metrics don’t lie here.

Bronze Medal The Mammoth third line, McBain, Lawson Crouse, and Barrett Hayton, has not impressed me yet this year. I got a bit of flak for talking crap on Hayton last game. There were some good points made about it too. I’m not above admitting I’m wrong, but even trying to be objective about the third line I am just disappointed.

The line just feels lackluster. It’s even worse when you consider that the third line took nominally the same amount of time as the second line.

Daniil But had a team low 11:11 on the ice, and Carcone was second with 13:03. Although they are on the 4th line, both players have proven to be playmakers. Carcone beat out several icings tonight – at least 2 – and is a motor for the team. But has improved significantly since last year, and the preseason and Chicago game showcased that growth. Sadly, Kevin Stenlund is centering that line. Stenlund’s unable to finish, or even provide any sort of offensive threat. As a result, offensive plays just die on the vine when they get to Stenlund.

Stenlund is amazing defensively, so this is no shade on him (ok a little), but Carcone and But seem wasted on this line. A better opportunity would to either put Hayton between them, McBain between them, or at worst, slide one into the third line to give it some sort of pop.

We’re definitely dealing with a wealth of riches on this team, so it’d be nice to see if we can allocate our great assets a little tighter if we could.

Consistency Where’s the chirp? Two great games, completely consistent team, completely dominant wins.

They can’t play all 84 like this, and they’re setting us all up for a hard fall when they play that game they’re tired. We’re getting spoiled here, guys, so we need you to make this an 84-0-0 season.

I mean seriously, it’s hard to find a lot wrong with the team right now. Maybe you see something I don’t, but I am really amazed at how complete we look and feel right now.

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Next up:

Rest up, we’re in the devil’s den tomorrow. Well, not the New Jersey one, but Madison Square Garden. It’s a really quick turnaround for a back to back with some travel, when the could (and should) have done this quick turnaround when they played the Islanders and/or Devils so travel was minimal. But what do I know of the area there?

4PM start, available on Utah16, and on SEG+ barring any further tech support issues.

Tusks Up!