LAS VEGAS -- Clayton Keller took a deep breath as he summed up the situation after the Utah Mammoth lost 5-4 in double overtime to the Vegas Golden Knights in Game 5 of the Western Conference First Round at T-Mobile Arena on Wednesday.
After two straight 5-4 OT losses, Utah has gone from leading the best-of-7 series 2-1 to trailing 3-2. The Mammoth face elimination in Game 6 at Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Friday (10 p.m. ET; Utah16, SCRIPPS, ESPN, TVAS2, SN360, SN).
But the way this series has gone, does anyone believe Utah can’t force a Game 7 and come right back here with a chance to advance to the second round Sunday?
“I think we’re a confident group,” said Keller, the Mammoth captain. “We believe in one another and in our team, and I think these are the most fun games to be a part of. Down 3-2, we get to go home, play in front of our fans. If you’re not fired up for that, then you’ve got something wrong with you.”
Utah has had a third-period lead in each of the five games in the series. There are two ways to look at that:
One, the Mammoth have missed opportunities and need to be better in those situations. Maybe the disparity in playoff experience has made a slight difference. This is the first Stanley Cup Playoff appearance for Utah and many of its players. This is Vegas’ eighth playoff appearance in nine seasons, and several of its players were part of the Stanley Cup team in 2023.
“I think those are opportunities you need to take to close the game,” coach Andre Tourigny said Thursday before the Mammoth traveled home. “There’s details. There’s poise. There’s play with the puck. We need to be a little bit better.”
But two, Utah has had a chance to win each game, and for perspective, Vegas was perhaps the best third-period team in the NHL in the regular season.
The Golden Knights scored 108 goals in the third period, first in the NHL, and allowed 61, second fewest in the League, two behind the Colorado Avalanche. They won six games when trailing after two periods, tied for fourth in the League.
“We’re right there,” Tourigny said. “We knew it would be a fight. It is what it is. We want to go back to Salt Lake for Game 6 in front of our fans, and we’ll give it our all, and we’ll work from there. But I think we’re really confident in what we can achieve out there. We’re really confident in our group. I like the way we play. I like the fight in our guys. I like our execution. Now it comes down to one game.”
Utah has other issues.
The power play is 1-for-13 in the series, including 0-for-7 over the past two games. It has allowed two shorthanded goals to forward Brett Howden in the past two games, including the winner in double OT in Game 5.
Center Logan Cooley has cooled off. After three points (two goals, one assist) in the first three games, he has no points in the past two while taking six minutes in penalties.
Penalties were a problem in Game 5. The Mammoth gave the Golden Knights five power plays, and the Vegas power play cashed in with its first goal in 14 tries when forward Pavel Dorofeyev tied it 1-1 with 40.2 seconds left in the first period.
“Those are not accidental,” Tourigny said. “They’re decisions. We need to be better.”
Still, the Mammoth have many reasons to be optimistic.
Keller has five points (one goal, four assists) in his past three games. Forward Dylan Guenther has five points (three goals, two assists) in his past four games. Defenseman Mikhail Sergachev has four assists in his past two games, and forwards and forwards Lawson Crouse (three goals, one assist) and Nick Schmaltz (one goal, three assists) each has four points in his past four games.
Ten players have scored a goal in the series.
In Game 5, Utah tied it 3-3 and took a 4-3 lead by finishing two 2-on-1 rushes in the third period.
“I think we’re all pulling on the same rope,” forward Michael Carcone, who made it 4-3 at 12:42, said Thursday. “Now, that’s a good thing. So, we’ve talked about our depth all year and our team and our capability to score and our speed. It’s good to see it come through.”
The Mammoth are gaining experience as they go, narrowing that gap with the Golden Knights.
“We’re learning each game,” Keller said after Game 5. “They’re a very good team. They’ve won before. They’re experienced. But you know, we don’t back down from anyone. I think each game, try to get better. Who cares about that stuff, really? I think we just trust one another. We’re confident, and go from there.”
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