On January 26, 2023, Nick Schmaltz’s grandfather went to Arizona to see his grandson play for the first time. Schmaltz scored his first hat trick, along with an assist, that night in the Coyotes’ 5-0 win over the St. Louis Blues.
On Friday, his grandfather came to Utah to see him for the second time. Grandpa must be a lucky charm because Schmaltz scored the second hat trick of his career, along with an assist, in Mammoth’s 6-3 win over the San Jose Sharks.
Heading into this four-game home series, Mammoth was 1-2-0. After two games, they have a much better 3-2-0.
Quick update
Utah Mammoth: 6
San Jose Sharks: 3
Believe it or not, the game started with a Schmaltz scoring opportunity that narrowly missed, sliding the puck through the box and out. If he had come on, he would have achieved his hat-trick in the first half.
Logan Cooley also missed something similar in the first minute, but Mammoth didn’t let the missed opportunities get them down. Before the end of the frame, Schmaltz scored his first two goals.
The Sharks tied the score with a pair of quick goals in the second period, but Mammoth again showed their resilience and retook the lead with four minutes left in the period.
It was Liam “Spicy Tuna” O’Brien who put Mammoth over the top. It was his first goal since April 17, 2024, the last game in the Arizona Coyotes’ existence.
It also would have been the game winner had Macklin Celebrini not scored on the power play with three minutes left in the game.
The third period consisted of three goals from Mammoth and one from the Sharks, further solidifying the home team’s lead and the jubilation of the home crowd.
When the clock hit 30 seconds left, the fans stood up and gave their boys a standing ovation.
“They’re amazing. Our fans are the best,” O’Brien said after the game. “I just appreciate the support we all have. It’s a lot of fun playing here in front of those fans.”
Takeaway meals
The power play strikes back
After the Mammoth failed on the power play Wednesday (0 for 6, putting them at a league-worst 1 for 16 on the season), something needed to change.
In Friday’s morning skate, coach André Tourigny stated that there was nothing wrong with the power play, noting that they had ample scoring opportunities but simply couldn’t capitalize on any of them.
They ended up making a change: They put Schmaltz back at the bumper position, where he had almost always played, and they put Dylan Guenther back on the wing, where the entire league knows how dangerous he can be.
They had traded places against the Flames and it just didn’t work out. Given Schmaltz’s success, it’s clear that change was what they needed.
“I still think we have room to improve,” Schmaltz said. “We had a lot of looks last game. Tonight we had a 5-on-3, obviously that was a big goal, but I still think we have room to grow.”
“We’ve been a successful unit in the past, so once we start clicking, once we see a few more come in, our percentage is going to skyrocket for us.”
The Mammoth are now the 30th best power play in the NHL and have plenty of time to continue climbing the ranks.
Don’t forget Keller
Schmaltz’s goals make him the main story of the game, but Clayton Keller deserves equal credit, as he assisted on all three of Schmaltz’s goals.
Midway through the third, Schmaltz decided to return the favor. Realizing that Keller was open on the left wing, Schmaltz threw it to the captain, who made no mistake by firing a shot past Sharks goalkeeper Yaroslav Askarov.
“I definitely owed him at least one,” Schmaltz said. “He made big plays for me tonight.”
Keller wasn’t exactly in a slump coming into this game, but his only point of the season came in the opening game, so you know he was ready to roll. Now he’s averaging points per game.
no more turtles
Aside from the unfortunate power play, the biggest criticism of Utah’s play on Wednesday was the way the team attempted to maintain the lead: moving the puck out of the zone and then letting the play come back to them.
That trend caused Utah to lose several games last season (including a particularly infamous loss to the Sharks). At Friday’s morning skate, associate captain Lawson Crouse agreed they had to change in that regard.
“We have to do a better job of grabbing the puck and getting deeper into their zone,” he told the Deseret News. “The best defense is when you play offense… It’s human nature: you’re made to protect. We have to find that happy medium of protecting while staying aggressive.”
That night, Mammoth found that middle ground. Instead of sitting in the lead and simply trying to kill time, they kept up the offensive pressure.
Sure, they allowed one goal during that time, but they also scored three, which wouldn’t have happened if they had just focused on defense.
Game objective
Nick Schmaltz’s hat trick
Schmaltz’s third goal sparked something the Delta Center had never seen before: a shower of hats onto the ice.
It is tradition for hockey fans to throw their caps onto the ice when someone scores a hat trick. Teams are free to do whatever they want with the hats. Some donate them to shelters and thrift stores, others display them in the building, and some even offer them to fans.