Utah Mammoth drop 3rd straight with 4-2 loss in Ottawa
Nov 9, 2025, 9:55 PM
This graphic provided by the Smith Entertainment Group shows the new logo and branding for Utah’s NHL hockey club, now called the Utah Mammoth. (Smith Entertainment Group via AP)
Credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS
(Smith Entertainment Group via AP)
OTTAWA — What started as a hilariously memorable goal turned into a nightmare turning point for the Utah Mammoth on Sunday in Ottawa.
Jack McBain fell backward into the crease and sat down right in front of the Senators’ goal when a puck appeared right in front of him. He swiped it toward the net, and a deflection off the goalie helped it cross the line to tie the game at 3-3 just 22 seconds into the third period.
Ottawa challenged the goal, however, and the referees decided that McBain interfered with the goalie and therefore disallowed the equalizing goal. Three minutes later, the Senators scored their fourth and final goal of the night to seal a 4-2 win over Utah.
Goaltender interference. No goal. https://t.co/fkdgEs0oi2
— Utah Mammoth (@utahmammoth) November 10, 2025
The disallowed goal and continued inability to score a 6-on-5 goal late in games handed the Mammoth their third loss in a row and fifth in their last six games. The lack of offensive production has stood out especially as the losses pile up, with Utah being held to three or fewer goals in its last seven games.
The last major offensive outing was a 6-2 win on Oct. 25 in Minnesota during Utah’s seven-game win streak. Two of Utah’s highest-paid and most talented offensive players, Logan Cooley and JJ Peterka, have not scored a goal in five games.
The veteran stars found a way to still show up in Ottawa, however, with captain Clayton Keller scoring the opener, and leading goalscorer Nick Schmaltz taking sole ownership of the top spot on the team leaderboard with his ninth goal of the season.
“It doesn’t really mean anything when we don’t win,” Schmaltz said of the goals. “We need that drive, that energy. We can come back no matter how many we’re down: one, two, doesn’t matter. We gotta want it. We gotta want the puck. We gotta want to be able to make those plays when it counts.”
Schmaltz has a little extra motivation to “want it,” with the 29-year-old playing in the last year of his contract as the seventh-highest paid player on the team, despite leading the team in points, goals and assists. He is also tied for the fourth-most goals in the NHL and seventh-most points through one month.
So what set the play of Schmaltz and Keller apart in Ottawa to get the only two goals for Utah?
Head coach Andre Tourigny said he liked the way the two top-liners “attacked the net with speed,” joining Dylan Guenther on the second line to combine for 13 shots on the night. Ottawa goalie Leevi Merilainen had his best game of the season against the Mammoth, stopping 29 of Utah’s shots for a .935 save percentage.
“I think we generated good offense against a really stingy team,” Tourigny said. “Unfortunately, we could not shut the door. I think we had a little bit too many turnovers. We were doing a lot of good stuff, but it will be good to get back home.”
The Mammoth return home for six of their next eight games, beginning on Wednesday against the Buffalo Sabres at 7 p.m. MST at the Delta Center.
