The Utah Mammoth opened their season with a 6-0 victory against the Chicago Blackhawks at Delta Center on Thursday, according to an NHL.com report published October 1. Karel Vejmelka recorded 15 saves to secure the shutout, which marked his ninth career NHL shutout and the first home shutout in franchise history.
Dylan Guenther scored twice during the win, becoming the fourth player in NHL history to score in each of a franchise's first three season openers. His first goal came on a power play at 16:41 of the first period following a pass from Logan Cooley. Guenther added his second power-play goal at 15:28 of the second period after redirecting a pass from Clayton Keller.
Other scoring contributors included Michael Carcone, who had a goal and an assist, and Anders Lee, who scored his first goal for the Mammoth in the second period. Nick Schmaltz and Daniil But also scored for Utah. The Mammoth offense saw 14 different skaters record at least one point, setting a franchise record.
Mammoth coach Andre Tourigny noted that the team was effective at creating scoring opportunities through traffic and rebounds. The team also maintained a high pace throughout the game, according to player Clayton Keller.
Chicago's Arvid Soderblom made 26 saves in the loss. Blackhawks coach Jeff Blashill stated that his team struggled with decision-making speed in the fast-paced game. Chicago has now lost its first two games of a three-game road trip, following a 5-2 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights on Tuesday.
Anders Lee joined the Mammoth this season after playing 14 previous NHL seasons with the New York Islanders, signing a three-year, $16.2 million contract on July 1. Other offseason additions for Utah included Vincent Trocheck, traded from the New York Rangers on July 1, and defenseman Andrew Peeke, who signed a one-year, $1 million contract on July 3.
The Utah Mammoth will begin a five-game road trip starting this Saturday at the Columbus Blue Jackets. Meanwhile, the Chicago Blackhawks are scheduled to play Buffalo Sabres in two days.
