The Utah Mammoth moved closer to that elusive playoff spot with a 3-1 win over the Ottawa Senators on Wednesday night.
Here's the story.
Quick catch up
Utah Mammoth: 3
Ottawa Senators: 1
IN Senators' first visit to Salt Lake Cityall goals were scored in the first period. It looked like it would be more of the same on Wednesday in their second visit – until Daniil Booth scored on a wild scramble in the third period.
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Mammoth has been on the board twice before. Lawson Crouse opened the scoring four minutes later and John Marino doubled the lead three minutes later. Believe it or not, this was Marino's first goal at Delta Center.
“That was great. Thanks for the reminder,” he joked after the game when asked what it was like lighting up the building for the first time.
Ridley Greig halved Mammoth's lead before the break with his sixth goal of the season, but it wasn't enough to turn the tide.
Utah now has its first consecutive winning streak since Dec. 12 and 14. Everyone who follows the team closely is calling for more consistency and while there is still a lot of work to be done, this is a step in the right direction.
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Mammoth still have six more home games before their next trip, so if there is a time to increase their points in the standings, it will be now.
Interesting facts and conclusions
Reel with bloopers
The news came out on Wednesday afternoon. that Senators forward Shane Pinto has accepted an invitation to perform at a PGA Tours America event in Ottawa. He was also a standout player in football and baseball, but decided to focus on hockey around age 14.
But instead of being a striker, perhaps he should have been a goalkeeper.
Pinto was unable to negotiate a point and finished the game with a -3 rating, but made a save that allowed Mammoth to take the lead. The problem is that he plays for the Senators, not the Mammoth.
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After falling on his way to the gate, Pinto found himself halfway to the Utah gate. As he tried to get up, a teammate's kick hit him rather than the target.
The officials checked the play to make sure the puck didn't cross the goal line – and it didn't. But it likely wouldn't have counted anyway, given that Pinto's positioning prevented Karel Weimelka from stopping the puck.
It's a funny story though.
Daniil But finally struck gold
Every game, rookie Daniil Booth seems to get more scoring chances than anyone else, but he rarely gets to take advantage of them. Ironically, his goal on Wednesday wouldn't even have been considered a scoring chance if it hadn't been scored.
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“I think he had a few other players tonight that probably could have come in. (It's) just weird, you know? Like, that's the one that comes in,” Crouse said of his teammate after the game. “But you have to give credit to that line: they go to the net hard and (it’s nice) to see them get rewarded.”
But the game is improving night after night, even if the offensive numbers don't always show it. He is an incredibly smart player and uses his massive body to score consistently.
“This is a work in progress – we work a lot with him. He is a hockey player. He thinks hockey, breathes hockey, understands the game… In that sense, he has a good IQ,” said Mammoth head coach Andre Tourigny.
“He's young – he's 20 years old. The NHL players on the other side are pretty good. The goalie on the other side is pretty good. So his shooting percentage isn't as high as in Tucson and stuff like that, but if you look at other young players that have been in our organization in the past that have been productive in the AHL when they go (to the) NHL, you also need a period to adjust.”
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“It's not just, 'Because you scored X number of goals in the AHL, you moved to the NHL.' This is different.”
By the time Logan Cooley and Dylan Gunter played their 17th matches, they both had several points more than Bath after their 17th match. But if he turns out to be half the player these guys are, he'll have a long and productive NHL career ahead of him.
And once he gets comfortable with the language, culture, and everything else that comes with moving to another country in his 20s, he'll be even more likely to succeed.
Brandon Tanev's Misfortune—And What He's Doing About It
It's impossible not to feel for Brandon Tanev.
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When the Los Angeles Kings were in town December 8he had a goal deducted after successfully calling it offside. This would have been his first goal of the season and, as a result, his first goal as a member of Mammoth.
He's spent a lot of time watching the game from the press box lately, so he'll need a goal or two to get back up. He got it when he scored against the Senators in that game—or so he thought. The league ended up changing the name to Booth, which meant Tanev lost yet another “first” goal with his new team.
However, Tanev played a great game. He's always been known for the energy he puts into games, but after playing so many of Mammoth's recent games, his battery seems to have gotten even bigger.
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He finished the game with three blocked shots (including one that sent him to the locker room for a while), had seven shots (three more than the next highest Mammoth) and found the back of the net twice.
Tourigny saw Tanev's revival as a response to his recent lack of playing time.
“He played well. I think he had a really positive influence and a really positive attitude,” Tourigny said.
Tanev currently ranks 40th in the league in hits per 60 minutes. When you're not scoring, you need to find other ways to contribute – and that's an area where he excels.
Purpose of the game
Lawson Crouse from Clayton Keller
Clayton Keller made two excellent passes in this sequence, and the second led to a goal. Crouse's shooting was also excellent.
