The Utah Mammoth will seek their fourth straight win Saturday night as they host the Edmonton Oilers in the finale of a home-and-home set.
Captain Clayton Keller scored twice, Logan Cooley added a goal and a helper and Barrett Hayton also tallied as the visiting Mammoth doubled up the Oilers 4-2 on Thursday night.
“I’m really proud of the way we defended, the way we played away from the puck,” Mammoth coach Andre Tourigny said. “We were really structured, were physical, and I think we made it hard, every inch on the ice, for the team on the other side.
“I think we were competing with emotion, but we were under control. I’m extremely proud of the boys.”
Nick Schmaltz added a pair of helpers and goaltender Karel Vejmelka made 22 saves for the Mammoth, who have just one regulation loss over their last five games.
Schmaltz paces the Mammoth with six goals, while Keller has a team-leading eight helpers as the pair share the team lead with 11 points through eight games.
Hayton has points in five straight games (one goal, five assists).
“I think we had a ton of focus,” Hayton said. “We talked prior to this game about kind of a unique situation of playing a team two times in a row, they’re a great team over there, they’ve had a great start to the season, so it was a big challenge for us, and I thought we embraced it.”
Vejmelka is 5-1-0 with a 2.39 goals-against average and an .898 save percentage in seven games this season. In 10 career games against the Oilers, he is 3-6-1 with a 4.63 GAA and an .852 save percentage.
Thursday was the first of three meetings this season. Edmonton won two of the three contests in 2025-26.
The Oilers travel to Salt Lake City looking to rebound after Thursday’s defeat snapped their five-game winning streak and handed them their first regulation loss of the season.
Leon Draisaitl and Shakir Mukhamadullin scored in the loss to the Mammoth while Devon Levi made 21 saves.
“I actually thought we worked. We played a pretty good team, and I thought we worked,” Oilers coach Mike Babcock said.
With his assist on Draisaitl’s fifth of the season, captain Connor McDavid has at least one point in all seven games (four goals, 14 assists).
“It was a tight-checking game; both teams really dug in,” McDavid said. “I thought it was a great game all around. Two good teams that were working and checking, and it came down to special teams; they found a way to get a couple, and we didn’t.
“We expect to win every night no matter who is in the lineup. It’s just the way it is.”
Evan Bouchard picked up the secondary assist on Draisaitl’s goal, extending his point streak to four games (two goals, five assists). He entered Friday leading all NHL defensemen with 15 points in seven games.
Tristan Jarry, the Oilers’ confirmed starter, is 1-0-1 in two games, with a 3.46 GAA and an .837 save percentage.
The teams wrap up the three-game season series Dec. 19 in Edmonton.