2 Mammoth most to blame after 1st-round loss to Golden Knights

The Utah Mammoth enjoyed one of the more memorable seasons in the franchise’s history, dating back to their years when they were previously known as the Arizona Coyotes. Not only was 2025-26 their first official season with the “Mammoth” nickname, but they also racked up 43 victories and earned the first overall Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference.

Despite the encouraging finish to the regular season, the Mammoth were unable to protect a two-games-to-one series lead in the opening round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs against the Vegas Golden Knights. Utah was a single goal away from taking what would have been a two-game stranglehold over the Golden Knights in Game 4 at Delta Center, but instead, it was longtime Vegas defenseman Shea Theodore ending those dreams with his overtime game-winning goal.

Additionally, Utah was also extremely close to taking a one-game series lead in the subsequent Game 5 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, only to drop a 5-4 double-overtime heartbreaker thanks to a shorthanded goal from Brett Howden.

Game 6 back in Utah proved to be no contest. First-year Golden Knights forward Mitch Marner, who was acquired in a highly publicized trade from the Toronto Maple Leafs last offseason, scored his first two goals of the postseason as part of a 5-1 win to punch their ticket to the Western Conference Semifinal against the Anaheim Ducks and eliminating the Mammoth.

There is plenty to be excited about when it comes to the future of the Mammoth thanks to the performances of their young core pieces like Clayton Keller, Dylan Guenther, Logan Cooley, and Nick Schmaltz.

“It was obviously not the way we wanted it to go,” Keller shared about his ambitions for the future via NHL.com. “But like I said after the game, just super proud of this group. We have a very special group of players, coaches, ownership, and management who all want to win. We feel that we’re going in the right direction. We’re super motivated and excited for the summer and leading up to next season.”

However, which of Utah’s players could have elevated their performances more during their opening-round playoff series loss to the Golden Knights and better helped author a better ending?

Prize offseason acquisition J.J. Peterka didn’t register a single point in the playoffs

The Mammoth impressed their fans and critics alike last offseason when they pulled a multi-player trade with the Buffalo Sabres, who had been coming off their 14th straight year of not appearing in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

They acquired forward J.J. Peterka from the Sabres in return for forward Josh Doan and defenseman Michael Kesselring. Peterka then immediately signed a five-year, $38.5 million extension to remain with Utah for the foreseeable future.

However, Peterka’s first season with the Mammoth saw a drop-off in production. He tallied 25 goals with 22 assists, not numbers that any team would turn down. But it was a 19-point drop in production from his final season with the Sabres that saw him score 27 goals while adding 41 assists. What’s worse for the Mammoth is that the player they committed nearly $8 million to over the next five years didn’t record a single point during the playoffs.

Had Peterka found the back of the net or even registered multiple assists like he did in his final year with Buffalo, the Mammoth could have enjoyed a better outcome against the Golden Knights.

Adding insult to injury is seeing what Doan is doing with the Sabres, who not only made the playoffs for the first time since 2011, but defeated the Boston Bruins in the opening round to advance for the first time since 2007. Doan, who scored 25 goals with 27 assists for the Sabres during regular-season play, added a goal with two assists for Buffalo during their postseason win over Boston.

For the Mammoth to be successful next season, they’ll need far more from Peterka than to go pointless for an entire first-round series.

Goaltender Karel Vejmelka’s first playoff performance was shaky 

The unquestioned starter between the pipes for the Mammoth is Karel Vejmelka, and he posted 38 victories during the regular season along with a 2.75 goals-against average.

However, his numbers in the playoffs left plenty to be desired. In the six-game series loss to the Golden Knights, Vejmelka went 2-4 while posting a 3.13 goals-against average and a .855 save percentage, numbers that just aren’t going to get it done when the competition turns more fierce in the playoffs.

It was Vejmelka’s first taste of playoff action, and there’s plenty of room to improve. He’ll use his shaky outing against Vegas as motivation for a better performance and a deeper playoff run next year.

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