Utah's Guenther Just Scored His 39th and the Mammoth Are Headed to the Playoffs in Year Two
The Utah Mammoth are rolling, and they just locked up a playoff spot in their second season. Dylan Guenther buried his 39th goal of the year, and Utah dominated Nashville 4-1 on Thursday night for their fifth straight win. Less than an hour after the final buzzer, the Anaheim Ducks beat San Jose 6-1, and that was all it took. The Mammoth were in.
Guenther and the Offensive Machine Keep Firing
This Utah team is clicking right now. Guenther's 39-goal season is legit, and Clayton Keller is sitting on 56 assists because he keeps finding guys in the right spots. Nick Schmaltz added a goal on the power play, his 31st of the season and his fifth in his last five games. That's the kind of stretch that carries teams into the playoffs. Captain Lawson Crouse chipped in with his 22nd goal early in the third, which is a monster year considering he had just 20 points all of last season. Kailer Yamamoto, who played only 12 NHL games last year, opened the scoring with a deflection off a Guenther cross-crease pass. It was his 12th goal and his second in three games. Utah has now scored at least four goals in six straight games. That's not sustainable forever, but right now? It's a beautiful thing to watch.
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At 42-30-6, the Mammoth are perched in the first Western Conference wild card spot with 90 points, and they've got a six-point cushion over Nashville. Karel Vejmelka was solid between the pipes, stopping 29 shots. Erik Haula scored the Predators' only goal on the power play midway through the third, and Juuse Saros made 23 saves, but it wasn't enough to keep pace. Nashville defenseman Roman Josi was a late scratch with an upper-body injury after participating in warmups.
Nashville wraps up its final road trip and heads home to face the Minnesota Wild on Saturday. Utah stays at home for one more game against Carolina on Saturday. The Mammoth have punched their ticket. Now it's about building momentum heading into the playoffs.
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